All You Need to Know About Hats

By Tommy Bland

Hats, among the most well known types of head wear, are items of clothing placed on top of the head.

Specific traits make the hat different from other forms of headgear. For example, a hat is different from

a cap; hats have elevated peaks or brims or both peaks and brims. Hats are also bigger than caps. Men

and women place hats above their heads but women sometimes use hatpins to keep them in place.

They push these hatpins into their hats and through their own hair.

Hat Sizes

To get a properly sized hat that fits right, you should know that in making hats, these are matched

according to certain sizes of hats. Oftentimes, in buying hats, hats that aren't too expensive are termed

as either being smalls, mediums, large-sized or extra large-sized. The higher-priced hats are measured

more accurately. These are made to fit precise sizes of heads. Such hats have their sizes labeled

according to some particular number. Metric sizes for hats are measured based on the lengths of

measured heads counted in centimeters. Typically, when measured size values are in between two of

the centimeter marks, sizes are rounded up to the next centimeter.

Following the system for numerical hat sizes in America, typical diameters of heads are first calculated

by measuring the head's circumference. This begins at a point a half-inch higher than the level of the

ears. This value is then divided by the value of pi. The resulting value is rounded towards the nearest 1/8

of an inch or 1 centimeter. If you're getting hats coming from the U.K., you must remember that the

sizes of their hats are 1/8 smaller than U.S. made hats.

Some people think that they could stretch hats that are several sizes undersized. This could be the case

for some hat types but this isn't an ideal practice if you're choosing a hat that is supposed to fit precisely

based on the head's size and shape.

The Various Shapes of Hats

Hats are also made for particular shapes and knowing what these are might be just as needed as much

as knowing their sizes. Each head has a different width and length as well as different bumps and lumps.

Using a dedicated instrument like a conformateur helps buyers in buying the best fitting hat. Some

people may have rounded heads, some may have elongated and oval heads. A hat may accommodate

various shapes like round ovals and regular ovals, or elongated ovals, and ovals that are X, XX and XXX

lengths in measurement.

The Various Parts of a Hat

Those people who want to get hats made to specification would do good to be familiar with the various

parts of a hat. This would facilitate discussions with the maker of the hat regarding what they want.

Crowns are the parts of the hat that cover the head's top part. Brims are made from rigid materials and

are located underneath the crown of the hat and run throughout the hat's circumference. Sweatbands

are the inside portions of a hat and these are in contact with the top part of the head. Hatbands are

ribbons, strips of leather or strings, which are located where the crown and brim portions intersect.

These help maintain the hat's size.

Maintaining Hats

The battle against the elements and inevitable damage are among the things that put at risk a hat's crisp

and new look. Taking care of hats involves being aware of how to clean and keep them properly. Various

materials that make up hats would require a variety of methods. For instance, canvas or soft cotton hats

might be kept clean the same way normal clothing is kept clean.

A hat made of leather would need specially made cleaning mixes. Using water and mild detergents

would make straw hats look new. You could use various ways to work on felt hats such as soft brushes,

which would remove dust, and damp towels, which would remove dirt. Stains that don't come off could

be fixed sometimes by using extremely fine-grained sandpapers. In order to keep a hat's brim fresh, it

should be stored in an upside-down fashion. Realize too that good hats could also get smaller as time

passes, so it's a good idea to give them a good stretching now and then.

Visit Elizabeth Rose London Hats for Chemo & Alopecia Sufferers