Hat & Headwear Definition List

Headwear serves practical purposes and makes a statement about style, tradition and personality. This first hat definition page introduces the classic brimmed and formal hats — Akubra, fedora, Panama, Stetson, boater, bowler, top hat, trilby and tricorne among them — and links to the six pages that follow, where hats are organized by wearer, function, cap styles, helmets and head coverings.

Welcome to the "Headwear Definitions" section of Apparel Search, an insightful guide crafted to shed light on the diverse and captivating world of headwear. Headwear, an integral facet of fashion and culture, not only serves practical purposes but also makes a distinct statement about an individual's style, tradition, and personality.

Headwear encompasses a vast array of styles and designs, from hats and caps to turbans, crowns, helmets, and more. Each piece carries its own unique history, cultural significance, and functionality, making headwear an essential component of attire across various communities and lifestyles.

In this section, we embark on an exploratory journey to decode the terminology, styles, materials, and purposes that define headwear. It's a guide meant for fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals, designers, retailers, and anyone intrigued by the artistry and symbolism of headwear. By understanding the intricacies of headwear, we hope to enhance your appreciation for the diverse and rich tapestry of headpieces worn around the world.

Join us as we unravel the mysteries of headwear, celebrating its beauty, relevance, and cultural significance. From the iconic to the avant-garde, let's delve into the language and styles that adorn the crowning glory of fashion.

A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions.

Hats commonly worn today:

Akubra hat

Alpine hat

bucket hat

fedora

Panama, also jipijapa

slouch hat, also digger hat, Australian slouch hat

straw hat

Stetson

Hats worn in the past, or rarely worn today

Men's

beaver

beefeater

bicorne

boater, also basher

bowler hat, also coke hat, billycock, boxer, bun hat

boxer a tall hat

cabbage-tree hat a hat woven from leaves of the cabbage tree

capotain (and women) - a tall conical hat, 17th century, usually black - also, copotain, copatain

Caroline (hat) - 17th Century

carriage hat - 1780s-1820s

caubeen - Irish hat

cavalier hat, also chevaliers, wide brimmed hat trimmed with ostrich plumes

chapeau-bras - 18th century, small three cornered hat which was carried under one arm

chimney-pot hat, also lum-hat, Victorian, also worn by clerics in the Greek Orthodox Church

cocked hat

pork pie hat, also trilby

top hat or stovepipe hat

tricorne

Hat Definitions Page # 2

The Classic Brimmed Hats

The hats on this page are the canon — the styles a milliner, costumer or vintage seller must know cold. The fedora, soft felt with a creased crown and a brim that can be snapped to the wearer's mood, became the default serious hat of the twentieth century. The trilby trims that idea down to a narrow brim. The Panama is not felt at all but finely woven straw from Ecuador, its quality counted in the tightness of the weave, made for heat and light. The boater is straw at its stiffest and flattest, a summer hat of regattas and barbershop quartets. The bowler, hard felt with a rounded crown, was built in 1849 as a protective riding hat and became the uniform of the City of London. The pork pie telescopes its crown flat; the bucket hat softens everything into a downward brim of cloth; the slouch hat, one side pinned up, carries Australian and military history — as does the Akubra, Australia's own fur-felt icon, and the Stetson, the cowboy hat whose name became generic.

Tall Hats and Three Corners: Headwear as Rank

The formal end of this page is about height and geometry. The top hat raised the silhouette in silk plush; the stovepipe stretched it to Abraham Lincoln's famous extreme. Before them, the eighteenth century folded brims into corners: the tricorne's three points, the bicorne's two — worn by officers and officials, Napoleon making the bicorne a personal trademark — and the cocked hat as their ceremonial family name. The beefeater's tall flat-topped hat survives in the ceremonial dress of the Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London.

These hats were never only weather protection. Brim width signaled formality, crown height signaled status, and material — beaver felt, straw, silk — priced the wearer at a glance. That is why hat definitions still matter: in a period drama, a painting or a vintage listing, the right hat name dates and places a person as surely as an accent. Pages 2 through 7 widen the field — women's and historical hats, religious and military headgear, caps, helmets, bonnets, scarves and veils.

Common Questions

Which classic hats are defined on page 1?

Page 1 introduces the Akubra hat, bucket hat, fedora, Panama hat, slouch hat, straw hat, Stetson, beefeater, bicorne, boater, bowler hat, cocked hat, pork pie hat, trilby, top hat, stovepipe hat and tricorne.

How many pages does the hat definition list have?

The hat and headwear definition list has seven pages. Page 1 covers the classic named hats; later pages organize headwear by category, function, religious and military use, caps, helmets, bonnets, headscarves and veils.

What is the difference between a fedora and a trilby?

A fedora has a wider brim and a creased crown, traditionally of soft felt. A trilby is a narrower-brimmed relative, its brim turned down in front and slightly up at the back, giving a sharper, more compact profile.