The Anatomy of a Hat

Hats have been a staple in the fashion industry for a long time. Styles + shapes have changed over the years, but you can never go wrong with adding one to your outfit. Yet, picking the perfect hat can be difficult. What makes a good hat? How are styles different from each other? From the brim to the crown to the hat band, every hat style has its own unique look. 

Let’s take a closer look at hat anatomy + styles.

Crown

The crown of a hat is the top area that actually rests on your head. There are many hat crown shapes like circular, teardrop, ovular, + more (similar to diamonds if you think about it). The size of the crown needs to match the size of your head for the hat to fit.

Brim

The brim of a hat is the flat or curved surface that wraps around the crown to give most hats their distinct look. It shades your eyes + neck from the sun.

Bill

A bill is what a cap has instead of a brim. While brims go around the entirety of the crown, the bill of a hat is only on the front. It is generally stiffer + can be flat or curved.

Crease

The crease is an indent in the center of the crown at the top. Different styles of hats will have unique creases.

Dent

Dents are indents on either side of the crease. Fedoras + Western-style hats showcase famous dent styles.

Hat Band

Some hats have a hat band, which is a strip of fabric or other material that wraps all the way around the base of the crown for decoration.

Dip

A dip describes when the brim “dips” down further in the front to shield your eyes from the sun.

Roll

Not all brim shapes are flat. Some, like the iconic cowboy hat, lift on the side. The curve of the brim is called a roll.

Embellishments

Embellishments are the decorations on a hat.

The Anatomy of Different Styles

Fedora

The fedora has been a classic style for more than a century. At Gigi Pip, we’ve built upon traditional men’s fashion to create a beautiful women’s collection. Our fedoras feature a teardrop crown/crease, shallow dents, + a flat brim. You can also choose between varying hat bands + embellishments.

Boater

With a flat brim + a circular crown, our boater hats define modern chic. It is one of the low-crown hat styles, meaning it sits higher/flatter on your head. This style of hat has a crease but no dents. The hat band + embellishments are simple to match your carefree vibe.

Rancher

The Rancher style combines a teardrop-shaped crown with dents + a slight roll in the brim to create a shape we know + love. Some rancher hats have a crease that mimics the crown, while others adopt a more Western look with the symmetrical two-hump style. 

Western

The Cowboys are calling + we are here for it! Our newest Western collection is a modern take on the cowboy hat. The crown is rectangular with a two-hump crease. The cowboy hat brim shapes feature high rolls + a dip with our newest stone hat bands.

Pencil Brim

The hallmark of our pencil brim hats is…you guessed it…the pencil brim! A pencil brim is a brim with a little bit of a roll around the whole hat, about the height of a pencil. You can feature a pencil brim on a lot of different styles of hats, but the iconic look justifies its inclusion on this list.

Bucket

Bucket hats have a circular crown + brim made of a very flexible material so the shape stays floppy. There are no dents or creases. They’ve become popular in mainstream fashion in recent years (thanks, Gen Z!), + we offer them in a ton of materials + colors at Gigi Pip.

Caps

As stated above, caps have bills instead of brims. This creates the iconic baseball cap shape. Similar to bucket hats, they have a circular crown made of more flexible fabric without creases or dents. We offer multiple styles of caps in our store.

Beanies

Beanies are unique because they don’t have any parts of a typical hat except the crown + sometimes embellishments. Beanies are a knitted, simple style of hat meant to keep your head warm in the winter. 

Find Your Style at Gigi Pip

At Gigi Pip, we understand the importance of high-quality products. When you purchase from us, you can be sure that each part of your hat was designed + made with love. And, now that you know more about different hat crown shapes + styles, you can be confident while shopping for the styles you love. If you’re ready to find your favorite hat style, check out our hat collections now!