Tips for Picking the Right Hat

Do's:

Wear a hat that is complimentary to your skin tone.  Not everyone looks good in black or dark colors.  If you want to wear a black hat, make sure that it has lots of bright pink or red flowers on it.

A hat does not have to match your outfit perfectly.  You can wear a bright purple hat with a neutral beige outfit.  If your suit is navy, you could wear a beige hat with navy trim on it.

Use trims to bring out the color of your eyes.  If you have blue eyes, use hydrangeas or blue/purple flowers.

Always get a hat that fits properly.  Everyone has a different size head.  A hat that is properly fitted might cost more at first, but you will get more wear from it than a cheaper hat that is "one size fits all".

A good rule of thumb is never wear a hat that exceeds your shoulder length.  The taller and bigger the person, the bigger the hat they can wear.

For maximum effect, wear your hair pulled back to show off the hair and lipstick.

Make sure that your makeup doesn't clash with the hat.  A lavender hat looks great with purple or lavender eye shadow, but would look bad with bright green eye shadow.  Also match lipsticks.  A pink hat needs rose or pink lipstick, not orange.

Be ready to get compliments and more attention from people.  People love hats although many of them are too intimidated to wear them.  Men especially love women in hats and they will tell you so!

You can tilt the hat to one side to create a more jaunty effect.  If the hat goes up on one side, it is a bit more flattering to the face and creates more interest.

The most important thing is to feel comfortable with the hat you are wearing.  Never let anyone sell you on a hat you feel uncomfortable in.

Don'ts:

Don't wear a hat that is too big for you.  Petite women look good with smaller hats.  The woman should wear the hat, not the other way around!

Never wear the hat too far back on the head.  When putting it on, make sure that it is no more than 2 inches above the eyebrows.

Don't wear a hat with lots of flowers on it with a floral dress.  This would be too busy.  If the dress has a lot of print on it, wear a simpler hat.