Yes, the ‘Dressing Up’ season is here again – great events such as Henley and Glyndebourne are now looming on the horizon – not to mention the numerous wedding and garden party invitations that will be flooding through your letter box.  Or, you might be going to just one wedding and one Race Day but the headache remains the same – what on earth to wear to look stunning without running the risk of looking under-dressed, over-dressed or just downright ridiculous – especially in the headgear department. So, here is my run-down on how to ‘brim with confidence’ in a hat.

Face Facts

Look at your face from all angles in a mirror. Does it have more curves or more straight lines? It’s best to choose a hat with similar decoration rather than choosing conflicting lines – i.e. soft, fluffy feathers or chiffon bows for a curvy face; sharp, spikey feathers or stiff bows for an angular face. Make sure your jewellery, patterns on scarves and glasses/sunglasses also echo these lines to complete the picture around your face.

Suitable Scale

Always view yourself in a full-length mirror when buying a hat as you need to keep your hat in scale with your total body. If you are tall and slim (lucky you!) you can wear almost any hat – large or small. If you are short, look for a hat with height to the crown or an upturned brim to add extra inches. If you are fuller-figured, look for a hat with a wide brim to balance your body but do not go wider than your shoulders. Above all, avoid the small, delicate ‘fascinators’ if you are fuller-figured as these only make you look bigger by comparison! Head Pieces, which are much larger than fascinators (as worn by Camilla at her wedding) are a safer option for larger ladies.

Colour Concerns

You do not need to match the hat to your outfit. In fact, a pink dress, with pink shoes, pink bag, pink hat etc can look very old fashioned. Hats in a contrasting colour will provide a modern look to your outfit but be careful not to overdo it – simply repeat the contrast colour once or twice (definitely never more than three times) in your outfit – shoes and bag are the best options to provide balance, but jewellery, scarves and pashminas provide other alternatives.

Hair Dressing

Short hair with a hat poses no problem but long, unruly hair beneath a formal hat can really destroy its impact. When wearing a ‘dressy’ hat, long curly hair is best worn tied-back; long, straight hair can simply be pushed back behind the ears. Long hair can also be worn up inside a hat with a high crown – practice your technique before the big day. Long unruly hair can look good with a hat, however, if the style of hat and outfit is quite casual – e.g. straw or ‘floppy’, 70’s-style felt hat with a simple, cotton dress.

Angle for Compliments

Once you’ve selected your best shape, size and colour of hat, you now need to wear it in the correct way to create a stunning effect. Pull the hat right down to your eyebrows and then tilt it very slightly to the left or right. To see anything, you will now need to lift your head – which elongates your neck, pushes back your shoulders and makes you look wonderful. Never balance a hat on the back of your head like a halo or you will look like a child in a Nativity performance!

If you’re not sure of your best Outfit Shape go to www.styledirections.com and take the Shape Test to find out.

PICTURES COURTESY OF HEDDERWICKSOFLONDON.COM AND PRSHOTS.COM