Hella Jazzy!

Are you someone who feels that they can’t really pull off wearing a jazzy hat?  Be prepared to draw interest and attention.  Or maybe you are someone who simply wants a lovely chapeau to keep your head warm and add a bit of personality and style to your look.  Hats are a fashion accessory that everyone should have in her wardrobe.

Why should a hat or two (or more!) become an essential part of your wardrobe?  Well hats are a great fashion accessory that can pull together an outfit and improve it's overall look and keep you head warm or protected from the sun and wind.  Don’t dismiss the fact that hats provide protection from the harmful rays of the sun, at a time when skin cancer is a real problem because of over exposure to the suns rays for too long. A good hat can also help protect your face from the aging effects of the sun.

In order to be able to pull off the look of an outfit with a hat, you only need to know how to wear one. The basic rule regarding wearing a hat is; if you feel comfortable and confident in a hat, it’s a great hat for you.  But if you are the type to pay attention to details, then read on.

First, when you are shopping for a hat, you should pick a hat that matches the proportions of your face. Because you wear your hat quite close to your face, the hat will draw attention to the features of your face. If your face is small, you should wear a small hat. If your face is wide, your hat should have a wide brim. A small hat on a wide face will make the face look wider; a big hat on a small face will drown the face.

Pay attention to the color of your hat.  It should either complement or flatter your skin tone. If your skin is pale with rosy hues, then a pink or red or rust-colored hat might complement your skin tone.  If your skin is dark or has yellow tones, you can wear just about any color hat so don’t just stick to black.

If you are wearing solid colors, it would be nice to top off your outfit with a printed hat that combines together the colors you are wearing. You could also opt for a printed hat that provides a nice contrast to the colors of your outfit. Either way, your hat can make your outfit look nicer and much more interesting and more pulled together.

Another thing to pay attention to is matching your hat material with the material of your top or your jacket. You may end up overdoing the look. If you are wearing a leather jacket, go for contrast and try wearing a tweed pageboy hat instead of something made also of leather. If you are wearing a tweed jacket, maybe a knitted cap would tie your outfit together and make it work.

Playing with contrasts is also a good thing to do when you are wearing a man’s hat. If you are wearing a man’s hat, like a fedora, you might want to wear pretty and really feminine earrings to soften the look. And of course, a dash of bright or warm lipstick and lengthening mascara will further feminize the look with the otherwise masculine hat.

Going for a casual look with just jeans and a plain T-shirt? You can dress up your denims by wearing a hat, maybe a pageboy or a hat with a wide brim. The overall impression would be a look that is casual, effortless and yete lively and interesting appearance.

You can have fun experimenting with different styles of hats that you may want to match up with your outfit. For a fun time, spend some time in the hat department of your local department store trying on hats with your friends.  Its good for some laughs and you may find something you really love.

Finally,  do expect your hat to save your outfit.  Your hat is the finishing touch and should complement, not overwhelm your clothes.  On the other hand, a good hat is great for covering up on a bad hair day!  Also, if you think you are underdressed or overdressed, leave the hat off because it will only call more attention to your clothes.

Hats are great fashion accessories, are great fun and provide a great way to jazz up your outfit and your look.