A collection of 18th and 19th century hats

A hat is a garment worn on the head. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory.^[1] In the past, hats were an indicator of social status. In the military, they may denote rank and regiment.

[edit] 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 and dividing by pi. In the UK, an equivalent hat size is an eighth of an inch smaller than in the US. ^[2] Inches or centimeters may be used depending on the manufacturer. Felt hats can be stretched for a custom fit, and hard hats (such as Derbys and top hats) have a hard goss which can be melted to adjust size. Some hats, like baseball caps, are adjustable.

Cheaper hats come in standard sizes, such as small, medium, large^[3][4].

[edit] Hat design

A hat consists of four main parts: ^[5]

• crown – The portion of a hat covering the top of the head
  open crown, center crease, (modified) cattleman (-crown), tapered crown, un-tapered crown, teardrop crown, telescope crown, off-kilter telescope, pecan top (porkpie), flat crown/straight crown (e.g. like biberhut), etc.
• 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
  wide brim, dimension brim (dimensional brim), curled brm, rolled sides, etc.
• 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 at the top and is on the inside of the hat touching the skin while the hatband and puggaree are around the outside. The band worn with various military hats, such as the Australian slouch hat and the pith helmet, is referred to as a puggaree. ^[6][7]
  

[edit] Hatmakers

One of the most famous London hat-makers was Locks of St James's Street. ^[8] Another was Sharp & Davis of 6 Fish Street Hill ^[9] John B. Stetson Company is a well-known American hat company.

[edit] Hat styles

Image	Name	Description
	Akubra	Australian hat with similarities to fedoras and cowboy hats
	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.
	Baseball cap	A type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak
	Bearskin	The tall, fur, full dress uniform hat of the Brigade of Guards designed to protect the footguards against sword-cuts, commonly seen at Buckingham Palace
	Balmoral bonnet	Traditional Scottish bonnet or cap worn with Scottish Highland dress
	Beaver hat	Hats made of felted beaver fur
	Beret	Soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with France. Also used in the military.
	Bicorne	Military hat with upturned corners, also known as a cocked hat
	Boater	Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hat, formerly worn by seamen, and now mostly at summer regattas or garden parties, often with a ribbon in club or college colours.
	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 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
	Casquette	A small-peaked cap often worn by cyclists
	Caubeen	Irish military hat, traditionally green with insignia
	Chullo	Peruvian or Bolivian hat with ear-flaps made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool. [10]
	Chupalla	Straw hat made in Chile
	Cloche hat	Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s
	Cordobés	Flat-brimmed and flat-topped traditional hat originating from Cordoba, Spain, associated with Flamenco and popularized by characters such as the fictional Zorro
	Cowboy hat	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. [11]
	Custodian helmet	Police helmet worn by British constables, popularly known as bobby hats
	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; anachronistically associated with Sherlock Holmes.
	Dunce cap	A hat that was used as a punishment-humiliation hat 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 lengthwise crease
	Fez	Red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone
	Flat cap	A soft, round men's cap with a small brim in front
	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
	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]
	Hard hat	A helmet 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 crease and no dents
	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
	Mongtera	A crocheted hat worn by bullfighters
	Mortarboard	Flat, square hat with a tassel worn as part of academic dress
	Pakul	Round, rolled wool hat with a flat top, associated with Afghanistan and the Mujahideen.
	Panama	Straw hat made in Ecuador
	Peaked cap	A military style cap with a 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 comic / cartoon characters The Smurfs, are famous for their white Phrygian caps. Their leader, Papa Smurf wears a red one.
	Porkpie	Circular, flat topped hat
	Šajkača	Serbian national hat
	Salakot	A traditional wide-brimmed 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 like those worn by the military and ranchers
	Snood	A close-fitting net that gathers up the back of a woman's hair
	Sombrero	A Mexican hat with a conical crown and a saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered made of plush felt
	Student cap	A cap worn by university students in various European countries
	Taqiyah	A short, rounded 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. Also known as a stovepipe hat
	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 broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape
	Trucker hat
	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	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, watch cap, or goobalini.
	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 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
	Zucchetto	Skullcap worn by clerics

[edit] See also

• Headgear

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hats

• The Council of Textile & Fashion Industries of Australia
• Different Sizing Schemes
• Hats UK has a Hat Bible and other resources.
• The History of Felt Hats and Hat Making
• The History of Hats from antiquity to the 20th century
• Witty, whimsical, wacky, wonderful, International Herald Tribune, Suzy Menkes