How to Choose the Right Cap for Your Face Shape

How to Choose the Right Cap for Your Face Shape 

The Irish cap or flat cap is the perfect accessory for every outfit and occasion, but struggling to find the best fit for your face shape may stop you from getting in on the act. Getting your wardrobe right can be a challenge, especially if you are unsure about what suits you, but don’t despair, we’re here to help you access one of the hottest trends this year.

At Weavers of Ireland, we have a great selection of wool and tweed hats and caps, from Newsboy hats to patchwork baseball caps. Here’s our guide to choosing the right cap for your face shape, so that you can confidently make the most of your accessories.

 

The Story of the Irish Cap

Here in Ireland, weaving has played a key role in our cultural history, and skilled craftspeople have been creating beautiful knitted and woven garments here for millennia. Fragments of woven cloth found in Ireland date back thousands of years, and the wool and crafting industries have sustained rural communities here throughout history. 

The most infamous of Irish caps, the flat cap, became a staple in the wardrobes of Irish men and boys when a law was introduced to boost the local wool industry in 1571. This made it mandatory for men and boys over the age of seven to wear caps or hats on Sundays and holidays, and embedded the flat cap as an emblem of the working classes. Although this law was only in place for twenty-six years, the flat cap has proved to be a timeless choice that is popular all over the world today. 

Derivatives of the flat cap have given us styles including driving caps, Newsboy caps, baker boy caps and pub caps, which means there is a design to suit everyone. Men and women all over the world love to accessorise with these styles, and we’re here to share our top tips on finding the best hat for your face shape and choosing a cap you love.

 

Finding The Right Cap

When you find the right style and size cap, you’ll know straight away. Getting it right can take a little trial and error, but our simple guide will help you to find exactly what you’re looking for. A cap that suits your face shape will highlight your best features and balance the proportions within your face, your body and your outfit so that your overall presentation makes the right impact. 

Hats are ideal for adding a little of your personality to your ensemble, and even a simple outfit can be transformed by the addition of a cap worn at a jaunty angle or a hat that complements your tweed jacket or vest. Many people love to wear hats because they feel more elegant or suave with the right headwear, and - of course - hats also play a practical role in keeping us warm and comfortable, which is great news here in Ireland, where the weather can be unpredictable. 

A great cap is more than an accessory; it’s a companion for your outdoor adventures and the perfect way to style up your look. Whether you’re dressing for a wedding or going for a walk along the beach, the perfect hat will ensure that you look and feel great all day long. Finding a style that flatters you and feels good to wear is the key to hat success, so let’s look at how to do this.

 

Figuring Out Your Face Shape:

The first step in finding a cap or hat you love is to work out what shape your face is. To do this, you’ll need to pay close attention while looking in the mirror and ask a friend or relative to help if you can. Notice the proportions of your face and ask yourself if your jaw is wide or narrow. Look at the widths of your cheekbones and forehead, and compare these with the length of your face. Face shapes are generally defined using the following shapes, and you can take your time to work out which shape you have:

 

•  Round

•  Oval

•  Square

•  Heart-shaped

•  Rectangular

•  Diamond

 

Once you’ve figured out your face shape, you can read on and find out which style best suits this shape. If you are undecided or think you may be one of two types, you can try both and see which fits you better - your personal preference plays a big role in how confident you’ll feel wearing your new cap!

 

Caps According to Face Shape: Our Recommendations

 

Round face shape

If you have a round face, you probably have a rounded jawline and softer curves, and the ideal cap for you will add a little height and structure to your face. The softer your features, the more you can benefit from definition in your headwear to balance this out. Our suggestion is the traditional flat cap, which has an angled brim and a structured body to add lines and definition to your appearance. 

We love the Donegal Tweed Flat Cap, which is a popular design made from top-quality Irish tweed. It’s handwoven and finished with a luxurious quilted lining, so you’ll be warm and cosy all day long, as well as looking fantastic! The Newsboy cap also works well for the rounder face shape, giving you a little more volume than the flat cap, which can help to balance and elongate your face. 

It’s a good idea to steer away from caps that are tight or rounded in style, as these can widen the face, which is not especially flattering for those who already have rounder faces. Stiff-brimmed caps and sharp silhouettes are your best friends, and tweed is a great fabric choice as it provides the structure you need to look and feel fantastic. 

 

 

Oval face shape

An oval-shaped face is longer than it is wide, with a balanced forehead and jaw. Oval shapes are likely to have softer, rounded features, and this may just be the most versatile face shape of all. This is great news, as it means you can wear almost any style of cap you like! Whether you are drawn to a flat cap, a Newsboy hat, a beanie or a baseball cap, you’re in luck - these are all likely to look great on you. You can take your time to consider your personal style and experiment with colours and patterns that are a little bolder than you might usually wear. 

You may discover that a casual style, such as a beanie hat or a slouchy style cap, is the best choice for you, but there’s probably not a style that you can’t pull off. The Ladies Tweed Newsboy Hat is an excellent choice, ideally with formal or more relaxed outfits, and it’s available in a range of gorgeous colours with a stylish leather rosette to finish off the effortlessly chic effect.

 

 

 

Square face shape

The square face shape is often angular and striking, and if you think this is you, you probably have a broad forehead and a strong jawline. The forehead and jaw are equal widths in the square face shape, and accessorising often means softening sharper features to create a balance. For this reason, we often lean towards a fuller cap style, perhaps with a rounded design that provides the softness you need. 

If you have a square face, avoid especially structured designs and try fabrics that have texture, as these will help to soften angular features. We love soft wool hats, such as the Men’s Aran Super Soft Merino Wool Hat, as these complement square faces perfectly. A Newsboy hat is another great choice, with a full, round silhouette that complements the natural angles of the face.

 

 

Heart-shaped face

A heart-shaped face is fairly unusual and draws attention for its delicate impression. A wider forehead tends to taper down to a narrow jawline to create a heart shape, and stylists recommend softening the upper face by drawing the attention down and balancing out the appearance. Unlike the round face, a fuller hat that adds height may be a mistake for our heart-shaped readers. Taller styles tend to emphasise the forehead, which already stands out with this face type. 

If you have a heart-shaped face, you can flatter your natural beauty with a cap that sits close to your head, such as a flat cap that has a low profile. Darker colours and earthy tones can help to balance the proportions, and the Trinity Tweed Flat Cap in charcoal or grey with tan could be the perfect choice. This is a classic handcrafted style that suits both men and women, and it is a great option for those with round or heart-shaped faces.

 

 

Rectangular face shape

A rectangular face is longer than it is wide, and the jaw and forehead appear to be well-balanced. This is considered a desirable face shape, with slightly elongated proportions, and the face may be narrow in some people who have rectangular faces. Our advice is to avoid hats that add height, which rules out taller designs. Wider silhouettes are likely to be more flattering if your face is shaped like this, and a fuller 8-panel cap could be the ideal option for you.

Caps with shorter brims are a good choice for those with longer faces, as longer brims tend to further elongate the features, and patterned tweeds add an extra touch of interest and flatter this face shape. The Peaky Blinders 8 Panel Cap is a great choice, with its short brim and medium height. It’s a practical style that looks great on most people, and it’s sometimes known as a Gatsby Cap, a Baker Boy Cap or a Men’s Newsboy Cap.

 

 

Diamond face shape

The rarest face shape of all, the diamond face shape features a narrow forehead and wide cheekbones, along with a narrower jawline and chin. If you have a diamond face shape, you’re in luck, as it is considered to be a very attractive trait. Cillian Murphy, of Peaky Blinders fame, is renowned as a typical diamond face shape - and we all know that Irish caps look fantastic on him!

If your face is diamond-shaped, you’ll want to choose a cap that balances out your cheekbones, and a design with medium volume is the best choice here. Muted tones tend to flatter prominent cheekbones, while caps that sit too high will increase the unbalanced effect. A flat cap or newsboy cap that has a low profile will be a good choice for the diamonds out there, and the eight-panel cap is a lovely example. The Donegal Men’s Driving Cap in soft brown is the perfect style for those with this face shape, softening angular features and highlighting your natural assets. It’s handmade from 100% authentic Irish tweed wool and features a flecked pattern throughout the earthy fabric.

 

 

If The Cap Fits… 

Getting the style right is only part of the battle, and you’ll need to choose the right size to pull off the look you want. Measure your head using a flexible measuring tape, just above your eyebrows. Measure the widest part of the back of your head and use this to find the right size cap for your head. The right fit will be snug but not tight, and will feel comfortable to wear. The angle at which you wear your cap will change the way it looks and feels, so give yourself time to experiment.

 

Find a Cap You Love at Weavers of Ireland

At Weavers of Ireland, we have a variety of tweed hats and caps for you to explore, as well as beautiful Aran sweaters, cardigans, wraps and jackets. We believe that the traditional craftsmanship we share is a key part of Ireland’s heritage, and we source our products from skilled weavers and knitters across the country to help preserve these skills for future generations.