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.
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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]
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.
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Akubra | Australian hat with similarities to fedoras and cowboy hats |
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Baseball cap | A type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak |
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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 |
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Balmoral bonnet | Traditional Scottish bonnet or cap worn with Scottish Highland dress |
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Beaver hat | Hats made of felted beaver fur |
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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. |
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Bicorne | Military hat with upturned corners, also known as a cocked hat |
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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 |
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Custodian helmet | Police helmet worn by British constables, popularly known as bobby hats |
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Boonie hat | A soft cotton hat wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries. |
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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 |
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Bucket hat | A soft cotton hat with a wide, downwards-sloping brim |
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Busby | A small fur military hat |
| Casquette | A small-peaked cap often worn by cyclists | |
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Cloche hat | Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s |
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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. |
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Caubeen | Irish military hat, traditionally green with insignia |
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Chullo | Peruvian or Bolivian hat made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool |
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Chupalla | Straw hat made in Chile |
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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. |
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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. |
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Fascinator | A small hat commonly made with feathers, flowers and/or beads. It attaches to the hair by a comb, headband or clip. |
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Fedora | A soft felt hat with a lengthwise crease |
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Fez | Red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone |
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Flat cap | A soft, round men's cap with a small brim in front |
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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 |
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Forage cap | A foldable cloth cap with straight sides and a creased or hollow crown. |
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Gaung Paung | Headwrap worn by the Bamar, Mon people, Rakhine and Shan peoples |
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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] |
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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. |
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Homburg | A semi-formal hat with a crease and no dents |
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Kepi | A French military hat with a flat, circular top and visor. |
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Kippah or Yarmulke | A small close-fitting skullcap worn by religious Jews |
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Kolpik | Brown fur hat worn by Hassidic Jews |
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Mortarboard | Flat, square hat with a tassel worn as part of academic dress |
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Porkpie | Circular, flat topped hat |
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Panama | Straw hat made in Ecuador |
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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. |
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Salakot | A traditional wide-brimmed hat in the Philippines |
| Santa Hat | A floppy pointed red hat trimmed in white fur traditionally associated with Christmas | |
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Shako | A tall cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, badge, and plume. |
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Shtreimel | A fur hat worn by married Hassidic men on Shabbat and holidays |
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Slouch | Generic term covering wide-brimmed felt-crowned hats like those worn by the military and ranchers |
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Snood | A close-fitting net that gathers up the back of a woman's hair |
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Sombrero | A Mexican hat with an unusually wide brim and conical crown |
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Student cap | A cap worn by university students in various European countries |
| Taqiyah | A short, rounded cap worn by Muslim men | |
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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 |
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Trilby | A soft felt men's hat with a narrow brim and a deeply indented crown |
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Tricorne | A soft hat with a broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape |
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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 |
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Tuque | A knitted hat worn in winter usually made from wool or acrylic. Also known as a ski cap or a beanie |
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Turban | A headdress consisting of a scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around either the head itself or an inner hat. |
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Tyrolean hat | A felt hat originating from the Alps. |
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Ushanka | Russian fur hat with fold down ear flaps |
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Vueltiao | A Colombian hat of woven and sewn black and khaki dried palm braids with indigenous figures |
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