How to Choose a Formal Hat for Spring
With casual hats, you have to take a number of variables into consideration, including weather, durability and go-with-anything style. When looking for a formal hat, however, you can eschew sensible styles and indulge your passion for pizzaz.
Instructions
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Look at Your Calendar
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Ask yourself whether you will be wearing your formal hat to church, to spring weddings, to horse races, to garden parties or to other events. The event types you most attend will determine the appropriate style of hat.
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Choose a hat on which the trim and embellishments sit close to the bottom of the crown if you are wearing the hat to church or indoor weddings. You don't want to obstruct anyone's view in a close area.
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3
Select the biggest, most elaborate hat you can find for a formal horse racing event, such as a local derby. This is one occasion when large hats can make the view rather than obstructing it.
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Choose wide-brimmed floral hats for garden parties. On dark straw or felt hats, add flower trim in white or pastel colors. In the garden, you don't want to look too somber.
Celebrate Spring With Color
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Update your wardrobe with hat trim in the season's newest colors. Each season, a new color is in vogue, and color choice can be gleaned from browsing fashion magazines, the spring issues of which come out while we are still in the winter months. This gives you plenty of time to find ribbons, buttons, silk flowers and other trim in the latest colors.
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Ask your hairdresser which colors look best with your face and hair. She may also be able to offer insight into which hat style--small or large, cloche or straw--will work best with your look. The last thing you want is for a hat, no matter how pretty, to be a discordant element in your appearance.
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Buy a lipstick to match your spring hat color or to match one of the ribbons or trimmings on the hat. A lipstick in the same color as a hat ribbon can look very polished.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not choose a huge hat unless you know it will be appropriate. If you are unsure, you can wear a more modest hat and take a larger, more elaborate hat with you. If you arrive at the event and others are going all out with their headwear, simply swap hats.
