Women's Straw hats

by Amy Bennett Williams | www.hatmonger.com

Southwest Florida's sun may be brutal, but it affords local ladies a top-notch opportunity to cover up with a fashionable accessory. Try a variety of women's straw hats on for size.

Talk about paradoxes - women's straw hats allow Southwest Florida women a variety of fashionable contradictions.

They can look charmingly vintage or up-to-the-minute fresh. They're literally cool and stylishly hot. They can be as dressed-down casual as they can be fancifully elegant.

And in prices that range from a few bucks to hundreds, women's straw hats can be made to work for almost every budget.

What's more, they can be an important shield against the sun's damaging rays, says Fort Myers dermatologist Charles Eby.

"It's a very good idea," he says. "In fact, I take cancers out of the parts in women's hair not infrequently. And on their ears, too." He hands out brochures for HealthyHats (www.healthyhats.com), a California company that specializes in stylishly shady straw hats.

Obviously, a hat with a very open weave (light visible between the spaces) offers less protection, he says, but some tightly woven straw hats are marketed to provide a sun protection factor (SPF) of about 30. Gloria Reilly, a Cape Coral mother of twin 6-year-old girls, likes them to wear hats when they go to the beach. "I figure if I get them hooked early, they'll stay in the habit," she said.

She recently bought all three of them pastel straw hats at the Kmart store in North Fort Myers.

"It's one of our summertime traditions," she said, spinning her plain wide-brimmed hat on one finger as Kaitlin (who chose lime green) and Kayla (clutching a yellow hat with a white bow) nodded in agreement.

"And best of all, none of them cost more than $10," Reilly said.

At the other end of the spectrum are the $100-and-up confections sold at Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Fort Myers and Naples.

On a recent afternoon, Laurita Thirion y Casas of Bonita Springs - already dressed in a white Panama - was trying to decide whether she should spend $300 for an airy, ribbon- and lace-trimmed ivory hat.

"We have a wedding to go to in Atlanta, and I think this would be perfect," she said, "but I'm not sure I'd wear it ever again.

"It's so pretty, though," she said with a sigh. In the end, she decided to shop around a bit more.

"But I'll bet I'll be back. Once I've fallen in love with something, I usually come back. And I'm addicted to hats."

Finding Your Size

Though hat size is based on your head's diameter (your cranial circumference divided by Pi), you don't have to remember any complicated formulas with this handy online calculator.

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HatTtips

• If it's not obvious which is the front and which is the back, look inside. The label always goes at the back of the head.

• If rain or humidity make your hat droopy, a spritz of spray starch will crisp it up again. If it gets really drenched, stuff the insides with white paper, fluff it back into shape and let it dry out of the sun for a few days.

• It's fine for women to wear hats indoors unless they're in a theater and it could block someone else's view. (Men, however, should always take their hats off indoors.)

• If you have long hair, you can even use a hat for a little styling. Wrap your hair in one direction around your head before topping it off with the hat. After an hour or so, your hair will come out smooth and gently waved.

• As a general rule, the more elaborate the hat, the simpler the rest of the outfit should be, though straw hats almost always look good with summery, floral fabrics.

Choosing a flattering hat

The crown of the hat should be at least the same width as your face. For example, if you have a broad face, a slender crown may not look best on you. Full-figured women may want to stick with larger hats that will suit their proportions; petite women may want to wear smaller hats that will not overwhelm them.

If your face is:

• Oval: You can wear almost any kind of brim, large or small.

• Round: Wear an asymmetrical brim to give your face a little variance.

• Square: Wear a hat with an asymmetrical brim and prominent crown to soften the edges.

• Oblong: Avoid tall, narrow shapes. Instead, wear a hat that has a horizontal silhouette - for example, one that has wide brims and crowns.

• Triangular: Wear hats that emphasize your eyes, not your jawline. These may include hats with upswept or asymmetrical brims.

• Heart-shaped: Wear hats that emphasize your eyes, not your jawline. Avoid heavy, overpowering shapes.