Hat

For other uses, see Hat (disambiguation).

A collection of 18th and 19th century hats

Women's decorative hat fashion from 1911.

A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status. In the military, they may denote nationality, branch of service, rank and/or regiment.

History

Ancient Greek statue of a lady with blue and gilt garment, fan and sun hat, from Tanagra, 325-300 BC

Hermes with a petasos hat. Ancient Greek Attic red-figure krater, ca. 380–370 B

Hats as an indicator of social status: foreman with a horse wears a high hat while inquilino wears a lower one, 19th century Chile

One of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a Thebes tomb painting which shows a man wearing a conical straw hat. Other early hats were the Pileus, a simple skull cap; the Phrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in Greece and Rome; and the Greek petasos, the first known hat with a brim. Women wore veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples. St. Clement, the patron saint of felt hatmakers, is said to have discovered wool felt when he filled his sandals with flax fibers to protect his feet. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century. The term ‘milliner’ comes from the Italian city of Milan, where the best quality hats were made in the 18th century. Millinery was traditionally a woman’s occupation, with the milliner not only creating hats and bonnets but also choosing lace, trimmings and accessories to complete an outfit.

In the first half of the 19th century, women wore bonnets that gradually became larger, decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers, and gauze trims. By the end of the century, many other styles were introduced, among them hats with wide brims and flat crowns, the flower pot and the toque. By the middle of the 1920s, when women began to cut their hair short, they chose hats that hugged the head like a helmet.

The tradition of wearing hats to horse racing events began at the Royal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. All guests in the Royal Enclosure must wear hats. This tradition was adopted at other horse racing events, such as the Kentucky Derby in the United States.

Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback, with a new wave of competitive young milliners designing creations that include turban caps, trompe-l'oeil-effect felt hats and tall headpieces made of human hair. Some new hat collections have been described as "wearable sculpture." Many pop stars, among them Lady Gaga, have commissioned hats as publicity stunts.

Famous hatmakers

One of the most famous London hatters is James Lock & Co of St James's Street. Another was Sharp & Davis of 6 Fish Street Hill. In the late 20th century museums credited London-based David Shilling with reinventing hats worldwide. Notable Belgian hat designers are Elvis Pompilio and Fabienne Delvigne, whose hats are worn by European royals. Philip Treacy OBE is an award-winning Irish milliner whose hats have been commissioned by top designers and worn at royal weddings. In North America, the well-known cowboy-hat manufacturer Stetson made the headgear for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Texas Rangers.

Hat collections

The Philippi Collection is a collection of religious headgear assembled by a German entrepreneur, Dieter Philippi, located in Kirkel. The collection features over 500 hats, and is currently the world’s largest collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings.

Hat styles

Further information: List of headgear

Image	Name	Description
	Ascot cap	A hard men's cap, similar to the flat cap, but distinguished by its hardness and rounded shape.
	Akubra	Australian felt hat with a wide brim.
	Ayam	A Korean traditional winter cap mostly worn by women in the Joseon period from 1392 – 1910.
	Balaclava	A form of headgear covering the whole head, exposing only the face or upper part of it, and sometimes only the eyes. Also known as a ski mask.
	Balmoral bonnet	Traditional Scottish bonnet or cap worn with Scottish Highland dress.
	Barretina	A traditional style, in red it is now used as a symbol of Catalan identity. It is worn with the top flopping down.
	Baseball cap	A type of soft light cotton cap with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front.
	Beanie	A brimless cap with or without a small visor once popular among school boys. Sometimes includes a propeller. In New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, the term "beanie" may also be applied to a knit cap known as a tuque, see below.
	Bearskin	The tall, furry, full dress uniform hat of the Brigade of Guards designed to protect the footguards against sword-cuts, commonly seen at Buckingham Palace.
	Beaver hat	AKA tophat, magician's hat, stovepipe hat (in the case of the tallest specimens). Formal hats made of felted beaver fur. Cartoon characters Uncle Sam and Mr. Monopoly are often depicted wearing such hats.
	Beret	Soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a bulging flat crown and a tight fitted headband with no brim, worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with France. Also used in the military. In the 1920's, 30's and 40's schoolgirls often wore berets as uniform or otherwise.
	Bicorne	Broad brimmed felt hat with the brim folded up and pinned front and back to create a long horned shape, also known as a cocked hat. Worn by European military officers in the 1790s.
	Biretta	A square cap with three or four ridges or peaks worn by Roman Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy.
	Boater	Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hat, formerly worn by seamen. Schools might include a boater hat as part of their uniform. Now mostly worn at summer regattas or garden parties, often with a ribbon in club, school or college colors.
	Boonie hat	A soft cotton wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries. Similar to a bucket hat.
	Boss of the plains	A lightweight all-weather hat with a high rounded crown and a wide flat brim, designed by John B. Stetson for the demands of the American west.
	Bowler / Derby	A hard felt hat with a rounded crown created in 1850 by Lock's of St James's, the hatters to Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester, for his servants. Sometimes known as a derby hat.
	Bucket hat	A soft cotton hat with a wide, downwards-sloping brim.
	Busby	A small fur military hat.
	Campaign hat	(AKA "Smokey Bear" hat) A broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners (the "Montana crease").
	Capirote	A pointed hat of conical form, with eye holes. Worn in religious processions in Spain by the Nazarenos (see Holy Week in Seville), but is commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan.
	Capotain	A hat worn from the 1590s through the 1640s in England and Northwestern Europe. In the U.S. it is also called a Pilgrim hat.
	Casquette	A small-peaked cap often worn by cyclists.
	Caubeen	An Irish beret.
	Chilote cap	A woven cap typical of Chiloé Archipelago made of coarse raw wool, usually with a pom-pom at the top.
	Chullo	Peruvian or Bolivian hat with ear-flaps made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool.
	Chupalla	Straw hat made in Chile.
	Cloche hat	Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s.
	Cricket cap	A type of soft cap that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket.
	Sombrero Cordobés	Flat-brimmed and flat-topped traditional hat originating from Córdoba, Spain, associated with Flamenco and popularized by characters such as the fictional Zorro.
	Conical Asian hat	Conical straw hat associated with East and Southeast Asia. Sometimes known as a coolie hat.
	Coonskin cap	Hat fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon that became associated with American and Canadian frontiersmen of the 18th and 19th centuries.
	Custodian helmet	Police helmet worn by British constables while on foot patrol.
	Deerstalker	Warm close-fitting tweed cap designed for hunting in the wet and windy Scottish climate, with brims in front and behind, and ear flaps which can be tied together either over the crown or under the chin; closely associated with Sherlock Holmes.
	Dunce cap	A hat that was used to punish and humiliate students in school during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is shaped like a cone and often has a big capital 'D' inscribed on the front.
	Fascinator	A small hat commonly made with feathers, flowers and/or beads. It attaches to the hair by a comb, headband or clip.
	Fedora	A soft felt hat with a medium brim and lengthwise crease in the crown.
	Fez	Red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.
	Flat cap	A soft, round wool or tweed men's cap with a small bill in front.
	Gat	A traditional Korean hat worn by men.
	Gatsby	A soft brimmed hat popular in New York after the turn of the century made from eight quarter panels. Also known as a newsboy cap.
	Garrison or Forage cap	A foldable cloth cap with straight sides and a creased or hollow crown.
	Gaung Paung	Headwrap worn by the Bamar, Mon people, Rakhine and Shan peoples.
	Ghutrah	Three piece ensemble consisting of a Thagiyah skull cap, Gutrah scarf, and Ogal black band. Gutrahs are plain white or checkered, denoting ethnic or national identities.[citation needed].
	Glengarry	A traditional Scottish boat-shaped hat without a peak made of thick-milled woollen material with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left, and (usually) ribbons hanging down behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military or civilian Highland dress.
	Green eyeshade	Once-common wear for office clerks.
	Hard hat	A rounded rigid helmet with a small brim predominantly used in workplace environments, such as construction sites, to protect the head from injury by falling objects, debris and bad weather.
	Hardee hat	Also known as the 1858 Dress Hat. Regulation hat for Union soldiers during the American Civil War.
	Homburg	A semi-formal hat with a medium brim and crown with a crease and no dents.
	Icelandic tail-cap	Part of the national costume of Iceland.
	Jaapi	A traditional hat of Assam, India. There both plain and decorative japies are Available.
	Karakul (Qaraqul)	A hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep, typically worn by men in Central and South Asia and popular among Soviet leaders.
	Kepi	A French military hat with a flat, circular top and visor.
	Kippah or Yarmulke	A small close-fitting skullcap worn by religious Jews.
	Kolpik	Brown fur hat worn by Hassidic Jews.
	Kofia	Brimless cylindrical cap with a flat crown, worn by men in East Africa.
	Kova tembel	Cloth hat worn by Israeli pioneers and kibbutzniks.
	Kufi	A brimless, short, rounded cap worn by Africans and people throughout the African diaspora.
	Mitre	Distinctive hat worn by bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion.
	Montera	A crocheted hat worn by bullfighters.
	Mortarboard	Flat, square hat. Usually has a button centered on top. A tassel is attached to the button and draped over one side. Worn as part of academic dress. Traditionally, when worn during graduation ceremonies, the new graduates switch the tassel from one side to the other at the conclusion of the ceremony.
	Mother of the Bride Hat	A large yet lightweight lady's hat with a wide-brim worn regularly in pre-victorian era Britain, and now mostly at garden parties and weddings.
	Pakul	Round, rolled wool hat with a flat top, common in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
	Panama	Straw hat made in Ecuador.
	Papakhi	Also known as astrakhan hat in English, a male wool hat worn throughout the Caucasus.
	Party Hat	A conical hat, similar to the Dunce cap, often worn at birthday parties and New Year's Eve celebrations. It is frequently emblazoned with bright patterns or messages.
	Patrol cap	Also known as a field cap,a scout cap, or in the United States a mosh cap.; a soft cap with a stiff, rounded visor, and flat top, worn by military personnel in the field when a combat helmet is not required.
	Peaked cap	A military style cap with a flat sloping crown, band and peak (also called a visor). It is used by many militaries of the world as well as law enforcement, as well as some people in service professions who wear uniforms.
	Phrygian Cap	A soft conical cap pulled forward. In sculpture, paintings and caricatures it represents freedom and the pursuit of liberty. The popular cartoon characters The Smurfs wear white Phrygian caps.
	Pilgrim's hat	A pilgrim's hat, cockel hat or traveller's hat is a wide brim hat used to keep off the sun. It is highly associated with pilgrims on the Way of St. James. The upturned brim of the hat is adorned with a scallop shell to denote the traveller's pilgrim status.
	Pith Helmet	A lightweight rigid cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith, with brims front and back. Worn by Europeans in tropical colonies in the 1800s.
	Planter's Hat	A lightweight straw hat, with a wide brim, a round crown and narrow round dent on the outside of the top of the crown. Worn by Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind, and Paul Bettany in Master and Commander.
	Porkpie	Felt hat with low flat crown and narrow brim.
	Rastacap	A tall, round, usually crocheted and brightly colored, cap worn by Rastafarians and others with dreadlocks to tuck their locks away.
	Sami hat	Also known as a "Four Winds" hat, traditional men's hat of the Sami people.
	Šajkača	Serbian national hat.
	Salakot	A traditional hat in the Philippines.
	Santa Hat	A floppy pointed red hat trimmed in white fur traditionally associated with Christmas.
	Shako	A tall cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, badge, and plume.
	Shtreimel	A fur hat worn by married Hassidic men on Shabbat and holidays.
	Slouch	Generic term covering wide-brimmed felt-crowned hats often worn by military leaders. Less fancy versions can be called bush hats.
	Sombrero	A Mexican hat with a conical crown and a very wide, saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered made of plush felt.
	Songkok	A cap widely worn in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, mostly among Muslim males. May be related to the taqiyah.
	Stetson	Also known as a "Cowboy Hat". A High-crowned, wide-brimmed hat, with a sweatband on the inside, and a decorative hat band on the outside. Customized by creasing the crown and rolling the brim.
	Student cap	A cap worn by university students in various European countries.
	Sun hat	A hat which shades the face and shoulders from the sun.
	Tam o' Shanter	A Scottish wool hat originally worn by men.
	Taqiyah	A round fabric cap worn by Muslim men.
	Top hat	A tall, flat-crowned, cylindrical hat worn by men in the 19th and early 20th centuries, now worn only with morning dress or evening dress.
	Toque	A tall, pleated, brimless, cylindrical hat traditionally worn by chefs.
	Trilby	A soft felt men's hat with a deeply indented crown and a narrow brim often upturned at the back.
	Tricorne	A soft hat with a low crown and broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape. Worn by Europeans in the 18th century.
	Trucker hat	Similar to a baseball cap, usually with a foam brim and front section and a breathable mesh back section.
	Tubeteika	A round, slightly pointed cap with embroidered or applique patterns worn throughout Central Asia.
	Tudor bonnet	A soft round black academic cap, with a tassel hanging from a cord attached to the centre of the top of the hat.
	Tuque	In Canada, a knitted hat, worn in winter, usually made from wool or acrylic. Also known as a ski cap, knit hat, knit cap, sock cap, stocking cap, toboggan, watch cap, or goobalini. In New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, the term "beanie" is applied to this cap.
	Turban	A headdress consisting of a scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around either the head itself or an inner hat.
	Tyrolean hat	A felt hat with a corded band and feather ornament, originating from the Alps.
	Ushanka	Russian fur hat with fold down ear flaps.
	Vueltiao	A Colombian hat of woven and sewn black and khaki dried palm braids with indigenous figures.
	Umbrella Hat	A hat made from an umbrella that straps to the head. Has been made with mosquito netting.
	Zucchetto	Skullcap worn by clerics.

Parts of a hat

Paris millinery shop, 1822

A hat consists of four main parts:

• Crown - The portion of a hat covering the top of the head
• Peak (British English), visor (American English), or bill, a stiff projection at the front, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain
• Brim, an optional projection of stiff material from the bottom of the hat's crown horizontally all around the circumference of the hat
• Puggaree (British) or sweatband or hatband (American), a ribbon or band that runs around the bottom of the torso of the hat. The sweatband may be adjustable with a cord or rope at the top and is on the inside of the hat touching the skin while the hatband and puggaree are around the outside.
  

Hat size

Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) above the ears. Inches or centimeters may be used depending on the manufacturer. Felt hats can be stretched for a custom fit. Some hats, like hard hats and baseball caps, are adjustable. Cheaper hats come in "standard sizes", such as small, medium, large, extra large: the mapping of measured size to the various "standard sizes" varies from maker to maker and style to style, as can be seen by studying various catalogues, such as Hammacher-Schlemmer.

Traditional hat size is worked out by adding the fore and aft and side to side measurements (in inches) then dividing by two. In the UK, an equivalent hat size is an eighth of an inch smaller than in the US.

Hat sizes

size					Youth S/M	Youth L/XL	XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL	XXXL
Age (years)	0	½	1	1½	2
Circumference in cm	34	43	47	48	49	50	51 - 52	53 - 54	55 - 56	57 - 58	59 - 60	61 - 62	63 - 64	65 - 66
Circumference in inches	13⅜	17	18½	18¾	19¼	19¾	20 - 20½	20 - 21¼	21 - 22	22 - 22½⅞	23 - 23½⅝	24 - 24⅜	24¾ - 25¼	25 - 26
UK hat size			5	5¾	6	6	6 - 6¼⅜	6 - 6½⅝	6 - 6¾⅞	7 - 7⅛	7 - 7¼⅜	7 - 7½	7 - 7¾⅞	8 - 8⅛
US hat size			5⅞	6	6⅛	6¼	6 - 6½	6⅝- 6¾	6 - 7	7 - 7¼	7 - 7½	7 - 7¾	7 - 8	8 - 8¼
French hat size			0	½	1	1½	2 - 2½	3 - 3½	4 - 4½	5 - 5½	6 - 6½	7 - 7½	8 - 8½	9 - 9½

External links

• Different Sizing Schemes
• Hats UK has a Hat Bible and other resources
• Witty, whimsical, wacky, wonderful, International Herald Tribune, Suzy Menkes
• Hat History
• When Did Men Stop Wearing Hats?. February 21, 2011 by The DailySkew.
• Village Hat Shop has a gallery of 193 illustration plates from R. Turner Wilcox's THE MODE IN HATS AND HEADDRESS. Published in 1945