Style guide｜Women’s hats｜Face shapes
Face shapes… and finding THE right hat for you
There are many rules relating to face shapes and what hat styles do or don’t work… Here at Karen Henriksen HQ we think those rules are useful, but should be taken with a pinch of salt. We thought it might be helpful to create a style guide specific to Karen's uniquely tailored hats. But please feel free to experiment and be playful!
What is your face shape?
Ask your friends / family to take a good look at your face! It’s often easier for others to see.
The main face shapes are: oval, round and square. Also seen, but less common, are heart, triangle and diamond.
Another common feature is a longer than average face, which is usually combined with oval, square, heart or triangle shapes. In these cases, in addition to the guidelines below, always look for hats and caps with some width, and avoid close-fitting styles.
Oval shape: Nearly all hats look great on classic oval face shapes! Of course, other factors come into consideration, such as hair style, colouring, and prominence of nose (see more on these below). And if you have a longer than average oval face, then hats and caps with width work best, rather than hats with narrow or close-fitting crowns.
Round shape: Choose hats that add some asymmetry, some height and/or an angular outline. Generally, avoid hats with a more rounded silhouette. We have a separate post here with a good selection of KH hats for round faces.
Square shape: Go for styles with a softer outline that add volume and roundness. Avoid hats with square or very geometric/structured crowns. And again, asymmetry is good - wearing your hat tipped to one side generally works well and looks elegant, too. Our post with recommendations of hats for square faces is here.
Heart shape: As with the oval shape, your choice of hat styles is wide! Caps, cloche hats and brimmed hats all work well. If you have prominent cheekbones, just make sure the crown isn't too narrow.
Triangle shape: Not a great name, but this shape can be really striking, if fairly unusual. This is where the lower half of the face is wider than the top half. Generally, the guidelines for square faces would be helpful, however it is definitely important to avoid any close-fitting crowns. The key word here is volume - berets, beret-caps and some brimmed styles would be the styles to go for.
Diamond shape: A nicer name for this style, but also quite unusual! Like the triangle, this shape is narrow at the top. However, the lower half tapers in at the chin - similar to the heart shape, but more angular.
Curves V Angles
Although we have mentioned six different face shapes here, it can be helpful to simplify it a little, by distinguishing between broadly rounded face shapes and more angular ones.
If you see curves rather than angles in your face shape, then the guidelines for round faces are likely to be useful - ie consider hats with angles or squarer outlines. In contrast, if you see more angles in your face, then the guidelines for square faces will likely be of use - think softer silhouettes in hats.
As with most things in life, we are all on a scale! The rounder or squarer the face, the more important and useful these rules will be.
Long faces: If your face is long with a rounded outline, the more angular styles that also have some width are best. For long faces with a squarer outline, again choose something with width, but in this case, with a softer silhouette.
Other considerations: Glasses, Hair and Nose size
Glasses: Most hats by Karen Henriksen work with glasses. Just a few close-fitting cloche and cloche-caps can be tricky, especially with larger style glasses.
Curly hair: Avoid close-fitting crown styles such as the Petra cap. More generous cap and beret shapes such as the Rye, Linda and Aimee work really well with curly hair. Broadwick is also good as it has a wide brim and wide crown.
Straight hair: You’re in luck as most hats can be worn with straight hair! In particular it looks nice tucked behind the ear(s) while wearing your hat.
Short hair: Small brimmed trilby-style hats such as the Garbo or Sedley would work well. Also for an androgynous look, try Denham or Perry. Flat caps and baker-boy styles work very well with short hair.
Prominent or large nose - Make full use of wide brims such as the Bergman or Lorna, Summer visors work well, or long peaked caps such as Inge and Petra, or the Windswept DC style which also features a strong peak.
If you’re feeling unsure which style would work best for you, please feel free to email us a picture of your face, your outfit and any questions. Or you can also get in touch to arrange a free style consultation in Karen’s London studio.