Whether it's a fancy felt fedora or a fabulous fascinator, this guide lays out the key hat styles for the spring/summer season. If you're wondering what on earth to wear your statement hat with, we’ve also given you a few ideas on how to style it.
The Trilby
A trilby is a soft felt hat with a narrow brim and indented crown. The narrow brim means that this hat suits short and mid length hairstyles as well as long hair.
Straw trilbies and rock chick styling have been big the last few summers, think Kate Moss or Lindsay Lohan at a music festival. Straw trilbies are still great but for something a bit fresher may we suggest a coloured felt trilby or if it's straw you're after, a straw boater hat is more original.
This Christys' classic brim trilby hat in khaki is a prime example. Spruce up your trilby with a feather or two for an arty look.
Straw boater hat
A straw boater hat is a more original choice than the overworked straw trilby. Boater hats were originally a type of formal summer hat for men, often worn during boating activities and sailing.
They are normally made of stiff straw and have a stiff, flat crown and brim, usually with a ribbon around the crown. Wear yours slightly angled to one side, and style with a white floaty blouse and cropped trousers for a casual look. Or go nautical with a tailored navy blazer.
The Fedora
A fabulous fedora is a ladylike hat choice, with the wide-brim adding a touch of mystery. A fedora is a low, soft felt hat with a curled brim and the crown creased lengthways.
Fedora hats look beautiful over long hair. Go for glamour and wear your fedora hat with a column maxi dress and chunky high-heeled sandals.
Floppy straw hat
A floppy straw hat is a summer essential – the wider the brim the more glamorous and OTT the straw hat will look. Style a wide brimmed floppy straw hat with a frill bardot dress and oversized sunglasses, or a white broderie anglaise top and denim shorts.
The frayed edges, orange stripes and gold embellishment on this floppy straw hat spell out beach.
Fascinators
Flowers, a butterfly or be it a simple bow – whatever you want sitting on the top of your head a fascinator can put it there. Fascinators are best reserved for weddings or formal events such as a day at the races, a charity gala or lunch with the Queen.
Do not wear a fascinator to your mate's barbecue even if there are rumours of Prosecco.
The bucket hat
Cute and casual, a bucket hat is a simple, unstructured hat with a medium brim made from soft cloth. The bucket hat was given its name as it supposedly resembles an upside down bucket when on, we're not convinced.
Go for a denim bucket hat or a sporty number like an Adidas bucket hat.
The baseball cap
Keep it sporty in a no-nonsense baseball cap – an ideal back from the gym sweaty hair cover-up. For a sleek sporty day look, dress up your cap with a silky bomber jacket or military inspired bomber jacket, rolled up jeans and slip-on plimsolls.
The visor
The visor is the hat to wear if you are indulging in a spot of tennis or golf. Team this white L'etoile leather visor with a bouncy ponytail and a tennis dress. If classic white bores you, go for bright colours and perspex for a futuristic take on the visor – a fun option for creating fab looks.
