Hats are a great way to dress up an outfit. No matter what you are wearing, you can find a hat that will perfectly complement your attire. Here are some of the various types of hats available, including those that are more traditional or contemporary in style.
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APPLE CAP
Photo Source: Village Hat Shop
The apple cap is similar to a newsboy cap, but it’s larger. It has 8 panels, and a button is sewn on top of it. This type of hat comes in various colors and is often made of materials like wool, cotton, linen, or leather. It is unisex as both men and women can wear it.
AKUBRA
The akubra hat is a typical Australian bush hat and is very durable. It has a wide brim and is usually made out of rabbit fur. This type of hat can often be found in Australia’s rural areas, and it is often worn to protect the wearer from the scorching Australian sun.
ASCOT CAP
The ascot cap dates back to the 1900s and is almost exclusively worn by men. This hat is hard and made out of wool. It has a round, flat shape and usually is worn in the winter to keep the head warm. Straw ascot caps are worn in warmer climates. Ascot caps are sometimes referred to as lippincott or cuffley caps.
AYAM
Photo source: Wikipedia
The ayam hat was mostly worn in Korea by women from 1392-1910. It is sometimes referred to as an aegeom, which means “covering a forehead” in Korean. This type of headgear is considered to be very simple and was usually only worn by commoners. Men who were considered low class sometimes wear ayam hats to keep their heads warm when nothing else was available.
BALACLAVA
The balaclava hat is usually made out of some sort of stretchy material like cotton or polyester. It is meant to cover the whole head, and usually, only the eyes and the mouth of the wearer are exposed. This type of hat is commonly referred to as a ski mask.
BASEBALL CAP
The baseball cap is popular throughout the world. They range in style and can have a medium or short bill, and the front can be flat or curved. This type of hat tends to have 6 quarter panels, and a button is sewn onto the very top of the hat.
BEANIE
The beanie is brimless. It sometimes does have a small visor, and schoolboys used to wear them quite often. Some beanies do also have propellers on the top of them. In some countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, the beanie is also known as a tuque.
BICORNE
The bicorne hat is made out of felt and has a brim folded up, and has the overall shape of a longhorn. It is sometimes referred to as a cocked hat and was once worn in the 1790s by European military officers and is often associated with Napoleon Bonaparte.
BOATER HAT
The boater hat is also known as a skimmer hat and is made out of straw. From the late 1800s until about the mid-1900s, many men wore it as part of their formal summer wear. This type of hat has a brim that’s anywhere from small to medium in size. It typically has a crown with a two-tone ribbon that goes around it. Today, you can commonly see these hats on Gondoliers in Italy.
BOONIE HAT
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The boonie hat became popular during the Vietnam War. It is often made of either canvas, cotton, polyester, or twill. It has a soft brim, which is wide and can be easily rolled up. There is also a flat crown as well as a chinstrap to keep the hat in place.
BOWLER HAT
The bowler hat was often seen in movies during the 1800s and the early 1900s. Because of this, this hat used to be very popular. They are usually made of hard felt and have a rounded crown. This type of hat also has a short brim that is only around 2 inches.
BUCKET HAT
The bucket hat has a symmetrical style that’s fairly simple in nature. It can be found in virtually every type of material but is often made out of polyester or cotton. It looks similar to a boonie hat but is smaller in size and has a downward sloping brim.
CARTWHEEL HAT
Photo source: Wikipedia
The cartwheel hat is often associated with fashion from the 1940s to the 1950s but was more popular in the 1910s. This hat has a wide brim, and it is typically worn at an angle. Cartwheel hats are made with various materials but felt, and straw tends to be the most common.
CLOCHE HAT
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The cloche hat is currently trendy. It is made with various materials and designed so that it is close-fitting and has a bell shape. The top of it is round, and its bottom has a little bit of a flare. There also tends to be some embellishment around the crown of that hat.
FASCINATOR HAT
The fascinator hat has made a comeback thanks in part to the royal wedding. It has become so popular, in fact, that manufacturers can’t seem to produce enough of them. This hat varies quite a bit and can be orange and big or just rather simple. Fascinator hats tend to be either clipped to the wearer’s hair or a headband.
FEDORA HAT
The fedora hat can vary in design but tends to have a brim that’s short to mid-sized and a back with an upturn. This is considered to be a classic hat and can be worn with a variety of different apparel. The fedora hat is a popular hat among celebrities.
FEZ
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The fez can first be traced back to Fes, Morocco. It wasn’t that popular in the past, but the TV show “Dr. Who” has made it a more common type of hat to be worn. It tends to have a distinct red color, a cylinder shape, and a tassel on its top.
GAMBLER HAT
Photo Source: Conner Hats
The gambler hat has a wide brim that is around 3 inches. The lip will either be turned up at the edges or only at the sides. One of the features that sets this hat apart from other hats is that it has a crown that is a large, oval shape.
GLENGARRY
Photo Source: Village Hat Shop
The glengarry hat tends to be made out of woolen. It has a boat shape that is traditional in Scotland and is part of their Highland dress. The glengarry has a toorie on its top, a rosette cockade on the left side of it, and ribbons hanging down in the back.
HOMBURG HAT
Photo source: Hats Plus
The homburg hat isn’t a hat that is commonly worn anymore. It has an oval shape with a turned up lip curved upwards. What makes this hat so recognizable is the crown, as it has a center dent. It is best known for being worn by Al Pacino in the Godfather.
IVY CAP
Photo source: Celtic Clothing
The ivy cap is starting to gain popularity, especially with the younger generation. This hat is often made out of either cotton, polyester, or wool. It has a low profile, and the top of it is slightly rounded. The bill of the hat can vary as some of them stick out while others are perfectly matched.
KETTLE BRIM
Photo source: Hats Unlimited
Women almost exclusively wear the kettle brim hat. It has a classic style and can be made out of a variety of different types of materials. The shape of it is circular, and it has a rounded crown. The kettle brim often has a ribbon or bow on the top and chinstraps.
LIFEGUARD HAT
Photo source: Dick’s Sporting Goods
The lifeguard hat is very popular and is commonly worn to protect the wearer from the sun. It has a brim that’s very large and slopes down. This type of hat is almost always made out of some straw. There also tends to be a dent in the center of the crown.
MAKAPILI HAT
The makapili hat is quite interesting. Basically, it’s a bamboo basket with holes cut into the eyes and is worn upside down to cover the head. It was often worn during World War II in the Philippines by guerillas or even their sympathizers. Surprisingly, it did help to camouflage them.
MAO CAP
Photo source: Amazon
The Mao cap has a distinct, military-looking style. Basically, it looks similar to a baseball cap but has a short brim of only around 2 to 3 inches. The crown of the mao cap is shot, and it has a flat top. This hat is considered to be gender-neutral and can be worn by both men and women.
MORTARBOARD
The mortarboard hat is square and flat. It has a button on the top of it with a tassel attached to it. This type of hat is often worn during a graduation ceremony. Once the ceremony is over, the graduate moves the tassel to either side of the hat.
NEWSBOY CAP
Photo Source: Brixton
The newsboy cap has either 6 or 8 quarter panels and looks similar to a flat cap. It is sometimes referred to as a paperboy hat. This type of hat usually has a button on the top of it, and sometimes these types of hats have a brim that has a snap on it.
OUTBACK HAT
The Outback hat, also referred to as an aussie hat, has a wide brim that tends to be at least 2 ½ inches. The sides of this head are slightly upturned, which gives it sort of a western feel. The crown on these types of hats do vary, but they usually have a teardrop shape.
PANAMA HAT
The panama hat is considered to be rather timeless. Even though this hat originated in Ecuador, it got its name because it was worn when the Panama Canal was constructed. The style of these hats can vary, but they are always made out of Toquilla Straw.
PERUVIAN HAT
The Peruvian hat is one that you can’t really mistake for another type of hat, although it does look similar to a beanie. The big difference is that it has ear flaps and two tassels that hang down at the bottom of each of them. Peruvian hats can be decorative and generally have a pom on the top of them.
PITH HELMET
Source: Levine Hat
U.S. postal workers commonly wear the pith helmet. There are quite a few variations in their style, but they tend to be rather plain in nature and have a brim that goes around the entire hat. This type of hat gets its name from the type of material originally used to make them.
PORKPIE HAT
Source: Amazon
The porkpie hat has gained popularity because of the show Breaking Bad as it’s the hat the main character, Walter White, wore. This type of hat has a crown shape, flat top, and an indention in the top. It tends to have a very small brim, but some styles do have a medium brim.
RASTA CAP
The rasta cap is generally worn by Rastafarians and is common in both Jamaica and Barbados. This type of hat is usually crocheted, round, and tall. It also features bright colors. This type of cap is used not just for fashion but also for the wearer to tuck their dreadlocks away.
STEAMPUNK HAT
The steampunk hat isn’t considered a traditional hat but has gained a little bit of popularity thanks to the Burning Man festival. This type of hat is similar to a top hat in design but tends to have brass ornaments adorning it like chains and even clock wheels.
SOMBRERO
The sombrero is popular in Mexico. The brim of it is very wide, and the hat has a conical crown. This hat is used more to keep the sun off the wearer’s head and face rather than as a fashion statement. Sombreros can vary quite a bit in their design but are usually always made out of felt.
TAM
Photo source: Irish Moon
Women usually wear the tam hat, but some men with long hair are sometimes seen wearing one. It is fairly loose fitting and tends to be worn on the back of the head rather than dead center. Tams are crocheted and look similar to a beanie hat. There are quite a few different varieties of these hats available.
TOP HAT
The top hat is sometimes referred to as a beaver hat, stovepipe hat, or a magician’s hat. It is tall and has a flat crown. This type of hat was often worn by men in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it’s more commonly worn by magicians or by men in evening dress clothes.
TOQUE
The toque hat is almost exclusively worn by chefs, which is why it’s often referred to as a “chef’s hat.” Its design allows for their hair to be covered up and to repel sweat when they are in the kitchen. This hat is tall and pleated. It doesn’t have a brim and is cylindrical.
TRICORNE
Photo source: Heritage Costumes
The tricorne hat is very recognizable. It features a low crown as well as a broad brim. The tricorne has a triangular shape thanks to the sides of it being pinned up. It was commonly worn in Europe during the 18th century. During this time, these hats tended to have many ornaments added to the brims of them.
TURBAN
The turban is a rather simple hat. This type of headdress basically consists of a cloth wrapped around the head or even an inner hat. The cloth that is used tends to be fairly thin and is similar to the material that is used to make a traditional scarf.
In conclusion, hats have always been an important part of our history. Throughout the world, you can find a variety of different types of hats. Whether a hat is worn for style, comfort, or practicality, there are numerous different styles of hats available to meet the wearer’s needs.
Sources about types of hats:
11 Traditional Hats From Around The World And Their Stories
15 Traditional Hats From Different Countries With Meanings