A hat can become the main accent of an outfit, yet finding the right model is no easy task. What looks stunning on one person may completely fail to flatter, or even distort, the features of another. Stylist Elena Shevchenko, whose recommendations were published by Styler magazine with reference to her Instagram account, proposed a systematic approach: first determine your face shape, then choose a hat from a specific list of models that visually balance the proportions.
How to Determine Your Face Shape: The Front-Facing Photo Method
The first and key step is to pull your hair away from your face so it doesn't hide the contours. Next, take a front-facing photo, looking straight into the camera. According to Shevchenko, the camera should ideally be positioned at eye level, and the head should not be tilted. On the resulting photo, pay attention to four parameters: the length of the face, the width of the cheekbones, the width of the forehead, and the width of the jawline. For clarity, the stylist advises drawing a line on the photo from the hairline to the chin, as well as marking the widest points in the cheekbone and jawline areas. It is these measurements that allow you to classify the face into one of seven main types.
Oval, Square, and Rectangular Faces: Versatility vs. Defined Lines
The oval face, in Shevchenko's assessment, is considered the most versatile: the length noticeably exceeds the width, the forehead is slightly wider than the jawline, and the contours are smooth, without sharp angles. Those with this shape can experiment with a variety of models — from a baseball cap and a beanie to a beret, a fedora, a pillbox hat, a pilot cap, a jockey cap, a baker boy cap, and a canotier. The square face, by contrast, is characterized by roughly equal length and width, a similar width of forehead, cheekbones, and jaw, as well as a prominent jawline with defined angles and a straight hairline. Here the stylist recommends a fascinator, a beret, an eight-panel cap, a sun hat, a baseball cap, a beanie, a pillbox hat, and a turban. The rectangular and elongated face is distinguished by a length that substantially exceeds the width, with prominent jawline angles. Suitable options include a beret, a canotier, a pilot cap, an eight-panel cap, a baseball cap, a beanie, a peaked cap, and a sun hat — models that add width and do not create an excessive emphasis on the vertical.
Diamond, Heart, and Pear-Shaped Faces: Playing with Proportions
The diamond-shaped face is distinguished by high, clearly defined cheekbones as the widest part, a narrow or upward-tapering forehead, and a pointed chin. Shevchenko recommends a pointed cap, a canotier, a pillbox hat, a kepi, a fedora, and a structured beret — models that help play up the expressive cheekbones and balance the upper and lower parts of the face. The heart-shaped face, in turn, has the widest forehead (sometimes with a characteristic "heart" shape at the hairline), while the chin is small and narrow. Suitable options include a fedora, a beret, a round cap, a baseball cap, a trilby, and a pointed cap. The pear-shaped face is, in essence, the mirror image of the heart shape: the widest and most substantial zone is the jawline, while the forehead is noticeably narrower. Here the main emphasis falls on models with an expressive upper part: a fedora, a canotier, an eight-panel cap, a beret, and a kepi help draw attention to the upper half of the look and visually balance the proportions.
Round Faces and Mixed Types: The Vertical as a Tool
The round face is characterized by nearly equal length and width, the widest zone in the cheek and cheekbone area, the absence of pronounced sharp angles, a rounded hairline, and a soft chin. Shevchenko emphasizes that here models that add verticality to the look and visually "elongate" the silhouette work especially well: a good option is a fedora, as well as hats with a clear shape and structured brims. The stylist separately notes that in reality a face rarely corresponds perfectly to a single type — features often combine the properties of several shapes. In such cases, she recommends focusing not on the type name, but on specific features: the width of the forehead, the shape of the cheekbones, the angle of the chin — and choosing a hat that balances precisely those zones that seem disproportionate.
Contradictory Data
In the course of fact-checking the material, no significant discrepancies in recommendations between sources were found. It is worth noting, however, that related publications by stylists (including articles on wearing hats in spring and autumn, as well as on preserving a hairstyle) focus on other aspects — seasonality, material texture, method of securing — and do not contradict Shevchenko's method for determining face shape. The differences lie only in the angle: while Shevchenko focuses on facial geometry, other specialists supplement the picture with practical details of wearing. For the reader, this means that choosing a model based on face shape is a necessary but not the only stage: the season and the type of hairstyle also influence the final result.
