Reader Q: What About Hats?
I wanted your input on hats for short men. Are there any protocols?
It seems to me that hats can be tricky for short guys, especially portly guys or guys with no neck. In the past, I’ve been short and portly, although I’m almost out of that world as I’ve lost 100 lbs over the last few years. I’m now almost in the lean/muscular category. As I trim bodyfat, I’m expecting for there to be more definition in my neck and a more angular face/chin, which will make my neck appear longer. I also got rid of my goatee because I realized how much more it made my neck disappear.
Btw, love your blog! I happened to stumble upon it, but once I started reading I was hooked! I stayed up all night reading the entire blog from 2007-present. I will be recommending your site to all my fellow short brethren.
–D.R., 5-foot-6
Well shucks, that’s certainly one of the nicest e-mails I’ve ever received. The guy lost precious sleep reading my blog. In my new world of daddyhood, that’s the greatest compliment I can imagine.
But onwards. Here’s what I think.
Baseball caps are so universal that they look OK on everybody — short, tall, young, old, women, men. You just have to find the right style for you: mesh trucker/hipster cap, old-school cotton ball cap, etc. I’m a low-accessories kind of guy: no hats, watches, jewelry, tattoos, etc. But occasionally even I will slap on a baseball hat. Usually on a weekend when I’ve been too lazy to take a shower and I need to go to the corner store to buy some milk.
Beyond that, I say the world is your oyster. My feeling is that (short of a stovepipe maybe) we can wear any style of hat we want. That’s a blanket statement. Of course, what would look best on any given individual is much harder to pin down… It’s mainly a question of personal style. See that short fella in the picture up there? He favored fedoras. The best advice really is: keep experimenting.
Anyone else have any advice for DR? What kind of lids you favor?
June 30th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Like with all clothing, picking a hat is mostly about proportion, finding something that complements your features and face shape.
Basically the width of the brim should be proportional to the width of your face. For example, a short brim on a full face would make the face look fat.
Here’s an exhaustive guide from an online hat retailer:
http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html
That said, Trilbys look great on most guys.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:31 am
I’m not aware of any hat rules specific for short men, it seems more like hat choice should be based on the shape of your head and face. Michael’s link is a good one. GQ had a similar story with less detail, but some helpful photos:
http://www.gq.com/how-to/fashion/200809/gq-guide-buying-hat
My experience has been that hats with high crowns look weird on me, they don’t work for my head shape. This rules out pork pie hats, but the pinched front on trilbies and fedoras make them wearable. My general preference is for flat caps, they work the best for me, and they are more casual.
It really helps to just go to a hat store and try on some stuff, if you’re lucky enough to have a hat store you can visit.
July 5th, 2010 at 1:01 am
I agree with Michael and Robert. It’s not so much about a person’s height. It’s more about the shape and size of your face and head.
The best thing to do is to go out there and experiment. I try on hats whenever I run across them and I still can’t find any (besides baseball caps) that look good on me. I’m my own worst critic, but I have yet to find any hat that I feel good wearing.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I once asked a (slightly taller) girlfriend about hats. She said they flattered my face shape just fine, but since I’m shorter than most people, any sort of brim hides my eyes and makes me less approachable. Since then, I’ve avoided fedoras and baseball caps in favor of short-brimmed newsboys or castro hats.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:46 am
David: Excellent, excellent point. Thanks to your ex-girlfriend for such a keen observation.