Don’t wear your hats too small. No big woman should look like a pyramid. On the other hand, don’t ever allow your hat brims, when you want to look alluring, to extend beyond your shoulders. Just inside is wide enough and more becoming. Medium sized hats are best at all times. Pokes are taboo if your head sets close to your shoulders. Let the facings of your hats be of a becoming color. This is an ideal way of emphasizing the color of your eyes. But don’t let the facing show prominently, for if you do your height will seem to terminate with the bottom of your hat and you will lose in appearance in consequence.

The evolution in woman’s habits of living has made the enormous hat perched on top of a high pompadour an utter impossibility, and no woman needs to move farther away from such a fad than the big woman. Her hat must fit her perfectly, in head size and in width and height, and at the same time must be comfortable, smart, and becoming. It is essential that the hat be worn correctly, “rightly set,” for it is easy to lose dignity if the hat appears to be hung on a corner of the head instead of being placed so as to become, apparently, a part of the head.

HAT SHAPES TO WEAR AND NOT TO WEAR

In the category of shapes we have the flat sailor, with brim from 1 inch to 5 inches wide; the drooping or mushroom brim; the even roll brim; the irregular roll; the coronet brim; and the toque. The round plump face should never be framed with an even rolling brim which suggests the moon with a ring around it, but should have its roundness lengthened by an angular curve or broken line that will give height at the side, or a diadem coronet effect, giving height in the direct front. The crown should be at least as broad as the cheeks and continue that width, or spread a little wider at the top, but never assume a cone shape.

The plump woman lives through a period when a sailor line is most becoming of all. Then comes a time, and she, herself, cannot tell why, when the sailor proves a disappointment. It is then that she turns to a larger hat or to a turban type, either of which can prove just as unflattering as the sailor if it is too large or too small. You need to watch both size and shape for the big hat can make you look top heavy, the little hat old.

A short, stout woman should avoid a squatty mushroom hat, because it exaggerates her lack of height, and adds years in appearance. She should choose a narrow brim and high crown, calculated to add length of line and absorb some of the rotundity of her features. The woman who is proportionately larger than the average will find the drooping mushroom with rather broad sides and a medium size crown that conforms to the shape of the head, trimmed in an even compact arrangement, decidedly becoming.

The stout woman of medium height can wear this same type of hat with slight alteration on the brim line; that is, instead of the sides drooping down midway from the head-size on both sides, the brim assumes a slight upward curve which continues around the back while the crown may be from one to two inches taller than ordinarily. This depends upon the prevailing fashion.

If the chin recedes, never wear a hat that flares up and forward from the brow, for it would emphasize the line of the chin. A hat with a tiny brim and a high, straight crown seems the best style. Accordingly, the large woman with a protruding chin requires a counteracting forward effect in the brim; therefore, she will find a small hat, with an abrupt upward turning brim, in the style generally known as the Russian effect, smart and becoming.

The double chin is another problem that the large woman has found difficult to solve. For this type, the rather high hat, or a top-heavy turban, if it conforms to the vogue and is in good taste, is desirable. A scarf or veil craftily arranged around the neck will do much to hide this unbecoming roll of flesh. Nowhere is a thorough knowledge of the laws of optical illusion more necessary than in your selection of hats. Cheap hats are a false economy, especially for the large woman. Do not, therefore, spend your good money on any hat unless you are sure it will add the desired lines to your appearance. This, as you must realize by this time, is really quite easy to do.

HAT COLORS TO WEAR AND NOT TO WEAR

To avoid harsh and trying colors in hats should be the principal aim of the big woman, for they tend to emphasize the bigness we are trying to make less conspicuous. The staples, dark navy and black, are always equally suitable for blondes and brunettes, and carry smartness for street wear. Grays, too, provided the skin permits them, are in good taste. Silver-gray, platinum or zinc are good choices for the large woman. While you need not be overwhelmingly conventional, you must appreciate your limitations about the extremes in shapes, color, and trimming arrangement.

Trimmings for our hats should never be heavy nor “bunchy,” but at an angle and more perky than anything else. Avoid small ornaments, too. A bow or ornament on a hat can make a great deal of difference in its height-giving advantages.

First, beware of fur coats. Even though rich and luxurious, they are bulky and heavy in appearance. Trim, tailored coats are more flattering and less expensive, so think twice before you buy a fur coat. Buy lovely soft fabrics that are rich in quality and soft enough to “cling.” Remember that word and think of it every time you buy anything but hats. Let your coat be unbroken in line and untrimmed. A big button set on the stomach can destroy more art than you can plan out in a month. Oblong buttons at the side or string ties of the material of the coat are best.

Have your coat long or hip length. Watch the line carefully. There is a point that is becoming in length; make sure you find it.

If you are square shouldered you may find capes very becoming, but generally they add size rather than reduce it.

Long fur or fabric scarfs are desirable. Ostrich or ruffly scarfs, of course, are to be looked at with admiration for their softness and color, but rarely worn by anyone desiring a slenderizing effect.