Hat

A hat is an item of clothing which is worn on the head– a kind of headgear. Hats are differentiated from caps by being more elaborate; hats have a high crown, a brim, or both and are larger than caps. A hat may be either placed on the head or, in the case of some women's hats, secured with hat-pins (which are pushed through the hat and the hair). Many hats are intended only for men or for women, while other hats are fashionable for both sexes. Purveyors of men's hats are called hatters and purveyors of ladies' hats are called milliners.

Hat Sizes

When a hat is made, it is also blocked to a certain hat size. Generally, less expensive hats will be a named size such as small, medium, large, and extra large. Finer hats are more strictly fitted to a person's head and have a numerical size.

Metric hat sizes are simply the distance around the persons head measured in centimeters, usually rounded up to the next centimeter if the measurement falls between the centimeter marks.

American hat sizes are similar, but the distance is measured in inches and then divided by pi. i.e. ${\frac {C}{\pi }}$ .

Since $C=2\pi r$ and since $2r=d$ $\implies C=\pi d\implies {\frac {C}{\pi }}=d$

More specifically: the American numerical hat size is merely the average diameter of the head, determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) above the ears, dividing by pi, and rounding to the nearest centimeter or eighth inch. Also note that in the UK, an equivalent hat size is an eighth inch smaller than in the US. Some hats will stretch a size or two, but this can not be depended on for sizing purposes unless previous experience with the model of hat in question indicates that it will stretch.

Hat Size Shapes

The hat is also formed to be a specific shape. This is just as important as the size, as heads vary in length, width, and lumps! Some people have round heads, other elongated ovals. The shape can only truly be measured using specialised tools such as a conformateur. Shapes can include:

Round oval
Regular oval
Long oval
X-Long oval
XX-Long oval
XXX-Long oval

Parts of a hat

Crown - the portion of a hat covering the top of the head.
Brim - a projection of stiff material from the bottom of the hat's crown horizontally all around the circumference of the hat
Sweatband - the inside part of the hat, this is the part which touches the top of the wearer's head
Hatband - a leather strip, ribbon, or string at the intersection of the crown and brim to hold the hat's size.

Maintenance

As with any other form of clothing, hats inevitably get dirty. Soft cotton or canvas hats can be cleaned as if they were regular clothing. Leather must be cleaned with special leather cleaning compounds. Straw hats can be cleaned with a mild detergent and water. Felt hats can be cleaned with a soft hat brush for dust, a damp towel for dirt, or ginger use of very fine sandpaper for persistent stains. Note that excessive use of sandpaper will permanently damage the hat.

Major hat styles

Bowler hat: The bowler hat is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown created for Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester, in 1850. In the United States, this hat is also known as a derby hat.
Top hat: A top hat is a kind of tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat worn by men throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, now usually worn only with morning dress or evening dress.
Baseball cap: A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak. It is arguably the most popular style of hat in many Western nations. Baseball caps are often associated with gang or 'yob' culture and are popular with many lower socio-demographic groups including chavs and bogans.
Cowboy hat: Though thought of as a consistent style, cowboy hats are simply highly rugged and utilitarian hats. Made of felt or straw, they feature large brims (as wide as four inches or more) to protect against rain and sun and some are even designed to hold water in the crown. Common styles include a safari style brim (with the brim turned down in the front and back) or a brim sharply curved up on either side. The last brim style has the effect of lowering the front of the brim to better protect the wearers eyes from the sun.
Sun hat: Generally made from straw, cloth, or both and featuring an excessively large downturned brim, this style is simply designed to keep the sun off for gardening, yard work, or lounging.
Pointy hat
Urban wear hat: Hats found in urban or suburban areas are intended to be more fashionable than functional. They have smaller brims of three or fewer inches and are flashy and made to stand out. A typical hat found in the city has an upturned back and downturned front, a wide grosgrain hatband, neatly tied, and an optional feather. The upturned back is an innovation to prevent the collar of the wearer's coat from hitting the hat.

Additionally, if the wearer often uses a rifle, pickaxe, or shovel, the side that the implement is used on can be folded up and pinned or clipped to the crown to avoid knocking one's hat off.

Hat

Hat Sizes

Hat Size Shapes

Parts of a hat

Maintenance

Major hat styles

See also

External links