A Guide to Men's Hats

Hats are a useful and potentially decorative or even fashionable accessory.  A person of any age can wear some kind of hat in any season and any clime--and in almost any weather. Take the versatile baseball cap, for example. It has a brim to shade your eyes and keep your glasses dry, while the crown protects the top of your head--all while announcing your loyalty to a particular team, if you are so inclined.


If you like hats as I do, sooner or later you will want to know the proper names of hats and how to tell various hat styles apart. I am writing to pass along a link to a great hat guide from the folks at Real Men Real Style. Follow the link so that you may get a closer look at the helpful infographic posted below.

RMRS's infographic features 16 hat styles

This guide is helpful for distinguishing between similar hats styles that are often confused. Flat Caps and Newsboy Caps are often confused, as are Fedoras and Trilbys. The detail below helps to distinguish between the similar styles.

Slightly closer detail of RMRS's infographic. Please visit them for a better look.

Many hat styles like the ball cap have become popular enough to wear across multiple cultures. Pictures of people from all different races and religions are seen wearing a fedora or Panama hat as they travel the globe. Other items of headgear, such as the turban, fez, sombrero, or yarmulke, are for a very particular time or place and would seem inappropriate in the wrong setting. one could even argue that the Western or "cowboy" hat looks ridiculous on an urban person. I sold my Stetson at a yard sale years ago...

I have a hundred hats in a variety of styles. I keep a few in the car and a few others in the saddle bag of my Harley.  A collection of baseball caps is on display in my closet. My trunk is half-full of military "covers" including boonie caps. On top of all that, I have a little rack by the front door. This is for those rare times when I am tempted to step outdoors unadorned and think better of it at the last moment.

Hats are awesome! Know your hat styles.