Hat 

A hat is a headcovering. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory . In the past, hats were an indicator of social status . In the military, they denote rank and regiment.

There are hats for men and hats for women, as well as hats worn by both sexes. Purveyors of men's hats are called hatters and purveyors of women's hats are called milliners.

Hat Sizes

Hat size is 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 . [1] 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.

Parts of a hat

A hat consists of four main parts: [2]

• 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 – a stiff projection at the front, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain
• Sweatband – a ribbon or band that runs around the bottom edge of the hat. The sweatband may be adjustable with a cord at the top
• Types of Hats:

Akubra is an Australian brand of hat , whose wide-brimmed styles are a distinctive part of Australian culture, especially in rural areas. The name is believed to be derived from an indegenous Australian word for head covering.

Akubra's best-known products are made from rabbit fur with wide brims, and the term "Akubra" is often used to refer to a hat of this kind.

The original hat-making factory, not called Akubra at that time, was founded in the early 1870s by Benjamin Dunkerley. A recent immigrant to Australia, Dunkerley set up shop in Tasmania after inventing a machine that removed the hair tip from rabbiti fur, leaving the softer under-fur for use in the making of felt hats.

Dunkerley and his family later relocated to Sydney, inNew South Whales, where he hired a young man named Stephen Keir. While working for Dunkerley Hat Mills, Keir married Ada Dunkerley, Benjamin's daughter. After Benjamin Dunkerley's death in 1918, Stephen Keir took over the reins of the company, moving to a larger premises and adopting Akubra as a brand name.

Akubra is famous for providing many of the Slouch hats used by Australian forces in both World War One and Two. In the 1950s, the Akubra company expanded its range when it won the licence to produce Stetson hats in Australia, and by the 1970s, the business relocated from Sydney to larger premises inKempsey, New South Wales. Steven Keir's sons Herbert and Stephen Keir II later ran the company, followed in turn by Stephen Keir III and now Stephen Keir IV. The company is still a family concern. Its current owners are the great, great-grandchildren of Benjamin Dunkerley.

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.

Beaver hat Hats made of felted beaver fur. In much of Europe during the period1550 - 1850, hats made of felted beaver fur were fashionable. The soft, yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes including the familiar top hat.

The demand for beaver pelts in Europe ultimately drove the animal to near extinction. The dwindling supply helped the beaver trade boom in the new world, fueling colonial expansion to a significant degree.

In 1624, the year New York was first settled,Dutch settlers were recorded having shipped 1500 beaver and 500 otter skins to Europe.

Used, smelly winter coats worn by Native Americans were actually a prized commodity for hatmaking because their wear helped prepare the skins, separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts.

The demise of the beaver hat came around the time silk hats came into vogue.

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.

Boater Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hat, formally worn by seamen, and now mostly at summer regattas or garden parties, often with a ribbon in club or college colours.

Boonie hat A soft cotton hat wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries.

Bowler / DerbyA 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. FascinatorA small hat commonly made with feathers, flowers and/or beads. It attaches to the hair by a comb, headband or clip.

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.

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.

Fedora is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. Similar hats with a C-crown (with an indentation for the head in the top of the crown) are occasionally called fedoras. The brim goes all the way around, and often there will be a hat band as well. A trilby hat is somewhat similar to a fedora, but typically has a shorter brim, and the back of the brim is distinctively more sharply upturned as a result.

The term fedora was in use as early as 1891. Beginning in the 20th century, the fedora came into use as an upper-class clothing accessory. Hats that resemble the soft felt version are often called fedoras even if they are made of straw or twill . Fedoras did not start to become widespread until the late 1910s. Its popularity soared, and eventually it eclipsed the similar-looking Homburg by the 1930s. Fedoras can be found in nearly any color imaginable, but black, grey, and tan/brown are the most popular.

The word fedora comes from the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou . Princess Fédora, the heroine of the play, wore a hat similar to a fedora. In the early part of the twentieth century, the fedora was popular in cities for its stylishness, ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather, and the fact that it could be rolled up when not in use. Since the early part of the 20th century, many Haredi and other Orthodox Jews have worn black fedoras and continue to this day.

The hat is sometimes associated with Prohibition -era gangsters and the detectives who sought to bring them to justice. In Hollywood movies of the 1940s, characters often wore a fedora, particularly when playing private detectives, gangsters, or other "tough guy" roles. A trench coat was frequently part of the costume, a notable example being Humphrey Bogart 's character in Casablanca . The fedora is widely recognized with the characters of The Blues Brothers , Indiana Jones , and Freddy Krueger . The fedora is closely associated with film noir characters. In the case of action/adventure films, such as old "B"-movies , and the Indiana Jones series they inspired, the fedora served the practical purpose of hiding the face sufficiently to allow doubles to perform the more dangerous stunts seamlessly.

Like the bowler hat , the fedora fell out of usage and popularity during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The hat began to lose favor even earlier on the west coast of the United States, which is known for its more casual clothing. The early 1950s switch from large lapels and ties to thin ones, resulted in shorter-brimmed hats, and this likely played a role in the fedora eventually being deemed a non-essential item. Also playing a part was the shrinking automobiles of the mid-1950s, which often made it difficult to wear a hat while driving. By the early 1970s, the fedora was seen as a dead fashion, typically only worn by older and/or more traditional men.

The demise of hat use by American men was quite abrupt. One hypothesis explaining the sudden shift places the date for the change as January 20 , 1961 , when John F. Kennedy supposedly chose not to wear a hat to his inauguration. However, There is ample photographic and journalistic evidence that President Kennedy indeed wore a top hat to his inauguration ceremony, only removing it when he gave his speech.

Fedoras have staged something of a comeback as of the 2000s. This trend seems to be expanding particularly fast in the rock and indie communities, where artists such as Pete Doherty have been seen donning a trilby (a fedora variant) at concerts and live performances.

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.

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 German designed ha.t Kippah or Yarmulke A small close-fitting skullcap worn by religious Jews. Mortarboard Flat, square hat with a tassel worn at school graduation ceremonies.

Porkpie Circular, flat topped hat.

Panama Straw hat made in Ecuador.

Santa Hat A floppy pointed red hat trimmed in white fur traditionally associated with Christmas.

Shtreimel A fur hat worn by married Haredi Jewish men.

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.

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 bonne 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.

Ushanka Russian fur hat with fold down ear flaps.

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