The number of options when it comes to hats is seemingly endless. But there are some broad, popular categories that most hat retailers will recognise: baseball caps, bucket hats, beanies, flat caps and fedoras. Baseball caps are the most casual, with bucket hats and beanies offering more weather dependent coverage. The more formal flat cap, meanwhile, can be worn with a suit or jeans, though it was originally designed as a practical workwear hat. For a range of irish flat caps, visit Shamrock Gift who sell irish flat caps.
The more structured bowler hat is less common, but this style has been making a comeback in recent years as more men are looking for a formal hat that will still be comfortable. A classic style, the hat has a rounded crown and stiff brim that curves up in front and back.
If you have a bit more confidence to pull it off, a cowboy hat is the ultimate men’s hat. From classic styles that are rodeo-ready to rolled, distressed versions more at home on a country rock stage, these hats are the embodiment of masculinity.
More casual options include the beanie, which offers full head and ear coverage in a soft cut-and-sew knit fabric like flannel or performance materials. The tam, which ups the slouch factor with earflaps and is often knitted in a crocheted style, is also gaining popularity. The Peruvian hat is another casual option that adds a woven appearance. And the dad hat (recently appropriated by streetwear culture) is an offshoot of the ballcap, but with a much more relaxed five-panel design and a curved bill.
