Top 3 Summer Hats for Bad Hair Days
Need a hat to keep your hair from the sun or to hide it away from bad hair. Here are three great summer hats, no baseball caps included!
1. The Fedora
Fedoras are popular because they ooze effortless chic. Jennifer Aniston is famous for wearing fedoras. What’s the secret to wearing a hat like this and making it work?
- Wear Fedoras with super-casual pieces, like slightly faded jeans and fitted t-shirts. This is a super-stylish daytime look you really should try. It’s perfect for running errands, going to brunch, and more.
- Throw one on with a maxi dress– it makes the perfect topper because it’s more unexpected than a floppy hat with these ’70s-inspired pieces, giving your look a fresh spin. It also provides just enough sun coverage for barbecues and other outdoor events.
- Style a fedora with masculine pieces: Since fedoras are borrowed from the boys, they go perfectly with shorts, tees, blazers, and button-up shirts.
Just remember: To keep the effortless feel of a fedora, stick to more casual pieces. Otherwise, you risk looking like your hat is part of a costume.
2. Floppy Sun Hats
The floppy hat is a staple of the boho style. Popular with the rich and glamorous in the 70s, it carries a movie-star quality that can’t be denied. But how to wear a floppy hat without looking like a blast from the past?
First, skip pairing it with a maxi dress or anything else too “hippie.” It will seriously age you.
Instead:
- Pair your floppy hat with tailored pieces – This will make your look more modern and create a beautiful visual contrast: The strong shape of your clothes will play off the hat’s brim’s loose form. Structured dresses or fitted trousers are great examples of “structured” pieces. They’ll keep the look 21st century and let your hat be the scene-stealer.
- Add a dash of floral print or feminine hues, like corals, pinks, or yellows. These will add a bit of softness that will complement the hat. Meaning? A structured, floral dress or pair of fitted pants in a summery hue are made to go with floppy hats!
A floppy hat is natural at the beach or pool, so take it for a test drive there first!
3. Bucket Hats
Bucket hats are popular now because they are a great alternative to baseball caps.
If you have a style that veers towards preppy or athletic, then this hat is the one for you! Here’s how to wear a Bucket hat:
- Combine it with preppy staples like cropped pants and flats. It will look so cute!
- Try a bucket hat with canvas tennis shoes and Bermuda shorts for an athletic spin on the style.
Unlike floppy hats or fedoras, bucket hats can’t be worn in the evening. The beauty of the bucket is that it’s a casual daytime piece- and sporting one after dusk will make you look seriously out of place.
Other tips for nailing the look? Keep the rest of your look streamlined and simple- you want the interesting shape of your hat to be the showstopper here. And if you’re going to work the trend? Try a bucket hat in a preppy pattern or some sporty stripes! Take a look at these.
Which style is your favorite, and what type of hats do your wear for bad hair days in the summer?
Hi Wanda,
There is a neat product called Strappy’s http://www.strappys.com/collections/beaded-straps.
You might want to try them.
The other idea is to wear a very lightweight or sheer jacket or sweater with the dress. This is always a challenge; you must take the dress when you shop. You must try it on with the dress because everything hits in a different place and some things will be too tailored to go with a flowy skirt.
Let me know if this helps!!
Hi,
I was recommended to you by Billy Lowe; he says you can help. I have a beach wedding to go to, and I would love to wear the light, flowy beach dresses they have now, but I am very top-heavy and cannot use the thin straps they have, and yes, I am over 40, shall we say. Any suggestions? Thanks, Wanda in Georgia
It is boiling here in Austin (107 yesterday!)…so a lightweight shirt with turned-back cuffs and a tank could be an excellent option.
This is good information. I love hats, but I always look like a total geek in them. Maybe these tips will help me find the right hat.
A couple of comments about wearing a straw fedora: you need to wear fedoras on the back of your head. You aren’t getting all the style ‘oomph’ out of a fedora shape if you wear it straight down, either. One way to get even more tone out of a fedora (felt or straw) is to take one hand and pull it down right over one eye once you have put it on your head. Very stylish and 40s. Another way to get more style out of a fedora shape hat (and frankly, it’s better in terms of protecting your skin) is to get one with a slightly larger brim – closer to 3″. A third way to get more style options out of a straw fedora is to take a scarf (or even a piece of fabric that is 30-36″ on the longest side)and tie it over the hat band. You don’t have to take the hat band off; fold up the scarf (on the triangle with all the extraneous ends folded in so you have an oblong with pointed ends works best for large square scarves; oblong scarves work just the way they are)and tie it around the hat over the band. If you have an oversized scarf, you can pin one end about 3″ off the center front and twist it around the hat. When you get to where you pinned the first end, pin the part of the scarf you are turning to secure it, swirl and twist the rest of the scarf into a flower shape right there—instant matching glamour.
Hi Toby, You sound like a real expert on fedoras! Thanks for all your great tips!
I’ve found that now I’m in my 40s, baseball caps don’t look the greatest. I’ve never tried wearing a Fedora, but I love newsboy caps. There are some adorable styles out there. For example, some have cute floral designs or a cute flower on the side. Steinmart has some lovely hats and sometimes Khols & Target.
PS, what is a newsboy cap? Not familiar with this one. Tks!
Hi Lynne, Think flatter than a baseball cap. Here’s a photo: http://bit.ly/1nF4kTn