Hat

For other uses, see Hat (disambiguation).

A collection of 18th and 19th century hats

A hat is a headcovering. 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 denote rank and regiment.

1 Hat sizes
2 Parts of a hat
3 Customs
4 Hat styles
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

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. Cheaper hats come in standard sizes, such as small, medium, large. Some hats, like baseball caps, are adjustable.

A hat consists of four main parts:^[3]

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
Peak (British English), Visor (American English), or Bill – a stiff projection at the front, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain
Puggaree or sweatband or hatband – a ribbon or band that runs around the bottom of the body 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. There is also a product called a headband that will keep your hair out of you eyes while doing activities or sports. ^[4]^[5]

The general rule with removing hats in Western culture is that men do so frequently, while women do not, because they traditionally wore much more complex headgear, often requiring hatpins to hold down, making removal hard. Men remove their hats when entering a Christian church, for example, and women do not. An older custom in fact requires women to cover their heads in church, often with a scarf, which is still followed in some places, such as Germany or southern America. Similarly, when being introduced or talking to a woman, a man would always remove his hat, and "tip" it (a brief touch to the brim) when briefly acknowledging a lady but not conversing or meeting another man. Hats are removed by men when indoors, except in public or open places, such as stations, stairwells, or shops. Removing a hat can also be a sign of respect, so it was traditionally required in various other situations, such as public speaking outdoors.

In Eastern Orthodox cultures, it is customary to remove one's hat in the presence of a religious icon. Traditionalist Catholic women wear a headscarf or veil when entering a church or, more generally, during prayer. Religious Jews wear a headcovering at all times, indoors and out. When entering a synagogue, men and married women must cover their heads. Upon entering an Islamic place of worship or religious learning, headscarves are required for women.

Because of changing associations of hats, for example their use as gang indicators, they may now be forbidden in certain contexts, such as schools.

See also: List of hats and headgear

Image	Name	Description
	Akubra	Australian hat with similarities to fedoras and cowboy hats
	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
	Custodian helmet	Police helmet worn by British constables, popularly known as bobby hats
	Boonie hat	A soft cotton hat wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries.
	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

	Cloche hat	Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s
	Cowboy	Rugged, utilitarian hats made of felt or straw featuring wide brims (four inches or more) to protect against rain and sun. 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.
	Caubeen	Irish military hat, traditionally green with insignia
	Chullo	Peruvian or Bolivian hat made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool
	Chupalla	Straw hat made in Chile
	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.
	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
	Mortarboard	Flat, square hat with a tassel worn as part of academic dress
	Porkpie	Circular, flat topped hat
	Panama	Straw hat made in Ecuador
	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.
	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 an unusually wide brim and conical crown
	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
	Trilby	A soft felt men's hat with a narrow brim and a deeply indented crown
	Tricorne	A soft hat with a broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape
	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 or a beanie
	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