# Types of hats and how to wear them

Source: Snaza Journal, https://snaza.app/journal/types-of-hats/
Publisher: Snaza
Topic: Everyday style
Published: 2026-09-26
Updated: 2026-09-26

The names of hat types explained, from fedora, porkpie and derby to toque, beret, bucket hat and sun hat, with how to tell them apart and how to wear each one.

## Quick answer

> Most types of hats fall into four families: brimmed felt hats (fedora, trilby, porkpie, homburg, derby, cowboy hat), straw hats (Panama, boater, wide brim sun hat), caps (baseball cap, flat cap, newsboy cap, bucket hat) and brimless hats (toque or beanie, beret, cloche). Choose by weather and formality first, then by brim width that suits your face and shoulders.

Hats are one of the few accessories that do a real job, keeping off sun, rain and cold, and also change how an entire outfit reads. The trouble is the vocabulary. Is that a fedora or a trilby? Is a derby the same as a bowler? Why do Canadians call a knit hat a toque? Knowing the names of hat types makes it much easier to find the one you actually want.

Sorted into families by material and shape, the main types of hats become easy to recognize, and each family has its own season and level of formality. Before you buy anything with a structured crown, measure your head with our guide to [measuring hat size](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-measure-hat-size/), because a hat that is even slightly too small will not stay comfortable.

## Felt hats with a brim: fedora, trilby and porkpie

A fedora is a soft felt hat with a medium brim, usually around 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm), and a crown creased lengthwise down the middle and pinched at the front. It takes its name from Fédora, an 1882 French play in which Sarah Bernhardt wore one, so fedora hats for women are not a modern twist; women wore them first. Felt fedoras are traditionally made of rabbit or beaver fur felt, or wool felt at lower prices. Our guide to [wearing a fedora](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-wear-a-fedora/) covers proportions and outfits in detail.

A trilby looks like a small fedora: a shorter, more tapered crown and a narrow brim that is usually snapped down at the front and turned up at the back. It sits further back on the head and reads more casual. A porkpie hat has a low, flat topped crown with a circular dent around the top, like the pie it is named after, and a short, stiff, flat brim. Porkpies have a long association with jazz musicians and a slightly offbeat, creative look. Both suit casual tailoring, knitwear and a denim jacket better than a formal suit.

## Structured hats: derby, homburg and cowboy hat

A derby hat, called a bowler in Britain, is a hard felt hat with a round crown and a short brim curled up at the sides. It was created in London around 1850 as a sturdy riding hat for gamekeepers and later became everyday city wear. Today it appears mostly in period costume, at formal events and on horse racing days, and in some traditional dress, such as the bowler hats worn by Quechua and Aymara women in Bolivia and Peru. The homburg is a stiffer, dressier cousin of the fedora, with a single crease down the crown, no front pinch and a brim curled up all around, once worn with overcoats and dark suits.

A cowboy hat has a high crown and a wide brim, usually curved up at the sides, with a sweatband inside and a band outside. It began as working gear on American ranches and is still a practical sun hat in hot, open country. Worn outside the Western context, it reads as a statement, so it looks best with simple denim, plain shirts and boots rather than with a busy outfit.

## Straw hats: Panama, boater and wide brim sun hats

A Panama hat is a light straw fedora shape woven from the leaves of the toquilla palm. Despite the name, it is made in Ecuador; it took the name largely because the hats were traded through Panama and worn by workers building the canal. Fine Panamas are soft and light and can be rolled, while coarser ones are stiffer. They are the classic summer hat for linen suits, [garden parties](https://snaza.app/journal/garden-party-attire/) and outdoor weddings. A boater is a stiff straw hat with a flat top, flat brim and a ribbon band; it is now mostly seen at summer regattas, barbershop quartets and garden events.

Wide brim sun hats for women and for men range from floppy raffia hats to stiff straw with a 4 inch (10 cm) or wider brim. They shade the face, neck and shoulders far better than a cap, which matters on a beach or a long walk in summer. A wide brim looks best balanced with a simple outfit: a linen shirt, a sundress or plain shorts. Look for a chin cord or an inner band that grips well if you will be near the water or in wind.

## Caps: baseball cap, flat cap, newsboy and bucket hat

A baseball cap has a rounded crown in six panels and a stiff bill at the front. It is the most common hat in North America, and the most casual. Fitted caps come in sizes; snapback and strap caps adjust at the back. A clean, plain cap in navy, gray or olive works with casual outfits for anyone; logo caps are best with sporty or streetwear looks. When one gets sweaty, our guide to [washing a baseball cap](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-wash-a-baseball-cap/) shows how to clean it without bending the brim.

A flat cap is a rounded, close fitting cap in wool or tweed with a small stiff brim, cut from a single piece over the top. A newsboy cap is fuller, made from eight panels joined at a button on top, with a slightly puffed crown. Both look at home with tweed jackets, knitwear and waxed cotton, and newsboy hats for women have become a popular casual choice with long coats. A bucket hat is soft cotton or canvas with a downward sloping brim all around; it started as a fisherman's rain hat and is now a relaxed summer and festival hat that packs flat.

## Brimless hats: toque, beanie, beret and cloche

In Canada, a toque (also spelled tuque) is a knitted winter hat, what Americans usually call a beanie or knit cap. It may have a folded cuff or a pom pom on top. A toque hat is the most important cold weather hat, because you lose comfort fast when your head and ears are cold; wool and wool blends stay warm when damp, while acrylic is cheaper and easier to wash. In a kitchen, toque means something else: the chef's toque is the tall, pleated white hat worn by professional cooks. Our guide to [dressing for 30 degree weather](https://snaza.app/journal/what-to-wear-in-30-degree-weather/) shows where a knit hat fits into a winter outfit.

A beret is a soft, round, flat crowned cap of felted wool with no brim. Worn tilted to one side, it suits both men and women and pairs naturally with a trench coat, a turtleneck or a simple sweater, especially in [French style](https://snaza.app/journal/french-style/). A cloche is a close, bell shaped women's hat that sits low on the forehead, the defining hat of the 1920s, and still flattering with short hair and a slim coat.

**Worth remembering**

1. Match the hat to the formality of the rest of the outfit; anyone can wear any style.
2. A medium brim is the safe middle; very narrow looks undersized on a large frame, very wide can swamp a small one.
3. Felt and wool run from fall to spring, straw and cotton in summer.
4. Wool toques stay warm when damp, while acrylic is cheaper and easier to wash.

## Types of hats for men and women: how to choose

Most of these hats are worn by everyone, but conventions differ. For men, everyday hats are usually the baseball cap, knit toque, flat cap, bucket hat and, for more polished outfits, a felt fedora or a Panama in summer. Women's hat styles add the cloche, the wide brim floppy hat, the beret worn to the side and small formal hats such as the fascinator, a decorative piece of feathers, flowers or netting clipped to the hair for weddings and race days. Everyone can wear any of them; what matters is that the hat matches the formality of the rest of the outfit.

Proportion is the other rule. A very narrow brim on a broad face or large frame looks undersized; a very wide brim on a small frame can swamp you. A medium brim is the safe middle. Match the season, too: felt and wool from fall to spring, straw and cotton in summer. On etiquette, traditional American convention is that men take off hats indoors, at meals and during the national anthem, while women's fashion hats may stay on; many people now apply the same indoor rule to everyone, and baseball caps always come off at a formal meal.

**Hats at a glance**

| Hat | Defining feature | Wear it with |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fedora | Medium brim, creased and pinched crown | Coats, tailoring, casual layers |
| Trilby or porkpie | Narrow or short brim, low or tapered crown | Casual tailoring, knitwear, a denim jacket |
| Panama | Soft woven toquilla palm straw | Linen suits, garden parties, summer weddings |
| Baseball cap | Six panel crown, stiff bill | Casual and sporty outfits |
| Flat or newsboy cap | Close fitting wool or tweed, small brim | Tweed jackets, knitwear, long coats |
| Bucket hat | Soft brim sloping down all around | Summer, festivals, travel |
| Toque or beanie | Knitted, sometimes a cuff or pom pom | Winter coats |
| Beret | Soft, round, flat crown, no brim | Trench coat, turtleneck, simple sweater |

## Questions people ask

### What is the difference between a fedora and a trilby?

The brim and the crown. A fedora has a wider brim, usually worn level or snapped down slightly, and a taller crown. A trilby has a narrow brim that tilts down at the front and up at the back and a shorter crown, so it sits further back and looks more casual.

### Is a derby hat the same as a bowler hat?

Yes. Derby is the usual American name and bowler the British one for the same hard felt hat with a round crown and a short curled brim. The American name is usually traced to its popularity at horse racing events.

### What is a porkpie hat?

A porkpie is a short felt or straw hat with a flat top, a circular dent around the crown and a narrow, flat brim. It takes its name from its resemblance to a British pork pie. It looks best with casual clothes and suits people who want a hat with character rather than a classic fedora.

### Why is a winter hat called a toque in Canada?

In French, toque is an old word for a brimless cap, and in Canada the word, often spelled tuque, became the everyday name for a knitted winter hat. The same word in cooking refers to the tall white chef's hat, which is why a chef's toque and a winter toque look nothing alike.

### What hat is best for sun protection?

A hat with a wide brim all the way around, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) or more, shades the face, ears and back of the neck, which a baseball cap does not. Tightly woven straw or fabric blocks more light than a loose weave. Pair it with sunscreen, since a hat cannot shade everything.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: List of hat styles, with definitions of the main types](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hat_styles)
- [Wikipedia: Fedora, on its shape, name origin and difference from the trilby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedora)

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This guide is part of the Snaza Journal, published by Snaza. Snaza is a minimalist digital wardrobe for iPhone. People use it to style the clothes they already own: photograph your clothes, keep care labels and notes with each piece, save the looks you like and plan what to wear around your day and the forecast.

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