Hats off to this trend

Hats can tell us a lot about people – what they do for their living, what lifestyle do they lead or even what team/sport they support! Cultures all over the world have generated an incredible array of headgear and each boasts of outstanding and unique characteristics. 

 In India the trend of fashionable hats have been brought from the west. They were initially used as a tool of head protection but soon became a symbol of rank and influence. In terms of fashion, hats are considered as accessories to make the day wear more fashionable. It is also considered to be something that makes you noticeable and stand out in a crowd.Designer Akanksha Gupta, speaking to Metrolife about this new fashion accessory says, “People often avoid wearing hats as they are not confident about the face shape and the right hat to go with it.

 If you have a small face you need a smaller hat, whereas a larger face needs a bigger, more dramatic hat. Using the same principle, petite figures should avoid big hats, while larger women should avoid hats that are too small.”According to Gupta, there are some general thumb rules for both women and men who want to be trendy but don’t really know how to wear a hat.n Sun hats with big brims are worn when it’s warm and you want to shade your face from wrinkle-producing rays.

 Pinks and blues are good colours for most women.n Straw hats and other lightweight hats are worn during summer or whenever a warm hat is not needed.  n Top hats are worn only as accessories for drama costumes, but can now be seen both on the runway and in street wear. n Fedoras are arguably the most versatile hats ever invented. First designed for men in the 19th century, fedoras are now unisex. A fedora is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides.

 Some fedoras are creased with teardrop crowns, diamond crowns and centre dents. Give the fedora a feminine look with a printed dress or an androgynous look with trousers and a shirt.n Flat cap for men is a rounded cap with a small stiff brim in the front and is mainly made of wool or cotton.

This is an all-time favourite with fashionistas and it can be worn with just about anything casual.n Fedora hat too can be quite popular among the men and is best suited for semi-formal suits. It also goes well with slim fits and semi casual blazers. n Baseball cap is a sporty cap which is mostly worn by all sportsmen. The best thing about this cap is that it goes well with just about anything, but it has to be casual. 

Patrol cap is mainly made famous by the men in the armed forces. But now it has caught the attention of all fashionistas. Mostly worn with casual dresses, this goes with casual T-shirts and quarter pants, chinos and even jeans.n Pork Pie hat is a cylindrical crown and flat top hat made of straw and goes well with sleek blazers and slim fitted trousers or chinos.

This is more of a formal hat that will go well with semi-formal suits.Another designer, Pooja Sabharwal, says, “The trend of hats has come from the prince and princesses from around the world. The Indian culture is also getting modern and hence they are experimenting with such high-end fashion as well. Also, polo has made hats quite popular among the high-society women. Hats have become a status symbol as well as a great way to showoff.”Neha Das