“I’m just not a hat person.”
We hear it every fall at the boutique. Usually it comes with a little sigh, as someone admires a hat on the display and then walks right past it. After years of watching women try things on, here’s what we’ve learned: almost nobody is truly “not a hat person.” Most of us just haven’t found the right hat yet.
Maybe the last one you tried flattened your hair. Maybe it sat too low and made you feel like you were hiding. Maybe it felt like a costume instead of a part of you. That doesn’t mean hats aren’t for you. It means that one wasn’t. One of our customers said it perfectly in a review of a cap she bought from us: she normally avoids hats, but now she wears that one all the time.
This season, we want to help you find yours. Below, we’ll walk you through how to choose fall hats for women that flatter your face, your hair and your everyday life. Then we’ll show you how to finish the look with gloves and scarves that feel pulled together, without looking like you bought a matching kit.
Key Takeaways
- Start with your face shape and proportions, not the trend of the moment.
- Height (like a pompom) lengthens the face; softer, rounder shapes ease strong angles.
- A soft lining makes all the difference in comfort.
- To coordinate, echo one colour and vary the textures.
- Fingerless mitts keep you connected, and full gloves keep you warm. Most of us need both.
Hats are easiest to choose in person, so come try them on Saturdays, 12–5 PM.
Start With What Makes You Feel Fabulous
Before we talk shapes and proportions, here’s the most important thing: the best hat is the one that makes you feel like the most confident, fabulous version of yourself. If you put it on and something in you lights up, that’s your hat, whatever any style guide says.
That said, if you’re standing in front of a mirror feeling unsure where to begin, your face shape can be a helpful starting point. Think of these as friendly suggestions to play with, never rules to follow.
If your face is rounder, you might enjoy styles with a little height, like a pompom or a crown with some lift. If your features are more angular, soft or slightly slouchy shapes can be a lovely contrast. If your face is longer, a lower-profile hat with a bit of width is worth a try. Heart-shaped faces often look beautiful in medium proportions. And oval faces tend to suit a wide range of styles, so feel free to experiment. This guide from 40+Style explores each shape in more detail if you’re curious.
Every face is beautiful, and there’s no shape you need to hide or correct. Some of the best looks we’ve seen at the boutique came from women who broke every “rule” and wore it with total confidence. So try the hat that catches your eye, even if it’s not the one you’d expect. You might just surprise yourself.
Then Think About Your Hair, Your Comfort and Your Coat
Face shape is just the beginning. The fall hats for women that get worn the most are the ones that feel good, and that comes down to a few practical details.
Look for a soft lining. A fleece-lined knit is gentler on your forehead and far more comfortable over a long afternoon than a scratchy, unlined one. Try wearing your hat slightly back from your hairline, too. It keeps a little volume at the front and lets your face stay the star.
Think about your coat collar as well. A big puffy collar paired with an oversized hat can add up to a lot of volume around your face. A sleek ultralight jacket, on the other hand, can easily carry a bolder pompom. And if you wear glasses, a hat that sits a touch higher keeps your frames from feeling crowded.
Which Hat Personality Are You?
Once you know what flatters you, the fun part begins: choosing a hat that feels like you.
If you love a little shimmer, meet the Sarah Winter Hats. They feature a luxurious faux fur pompom and an eye-catching metallic pattern, with a soft fleece lining for warmth. They come in Navy with Silver, Dark Grey with Silver and Black with Gold. That pompom is also a lovely trick for round faces, since it adds height without any fuss.
If you’re more of a cozy classic, the Knit Pompom Winter Hat is pure comfort. It has a cable knit, a playful contrasting pompom and a plush fleece lining, in Ivory/Brown or Taupe/Hickory. Those warm, earthy tones work with almost every fall coat you already own.
If one pompom simply isn’t enough, you’re our kind of woman. Our new double pom hats from Woolk, made in Poland, bring twice the personality. The Bebe Double Pom Hat has a soft ribbed knit with a comfortable stretch and two oversized faux fur pom poms, in Black and Grey, Black and White or Ivory and Beige. For the truly chilly days, the Mikki Fully Lined Double Pom Hat adds a cozy full lining and a classic fold-over cuff. It comes in Navy, Burgundy, Mustard and Black. That Mustard is a gorgeous little burst of sunshine against a black or navy coat, and the Burgundy feels made for fall.
If you’re the type who’s out walking on those bright, sunny October afternoons, consider the Crystal Daisy Ball Cap. It has a deeper profile for real coverage, crystal embellishments across the front and brim, and an adjustable buckle back. That adjustable fit is a gift if you’ve always found hats too tight. This is the cap our “I don’t usually wear hats” customer can’t stop reaching for.
The Art of Matching Your Accessories
Here’s our favourite styling secret: echo one colour, then change the texture. When your hat, gloves and scarf share a colour family but each brings a different feel, the result looks curated rather than coordinated-by-catalogue.
Warm and Earthy
For warm, earthy elegance, start with the Knit Pompom Winter Hat in Ivory/Brown. Add the Knitted Gloves in Brownie, which have a soft, heathered finish and a warm blend that includes virgin wool. Then finish with the Mottled Triangular Scarf with Rhinestones in Brownie. It’s a lightweight FRAAS scarf with tone-on-tone sparkle. Its 14 x 54 inch size makes it easy to tuck into a coat or drape over a sweater indoors. The three pieces share one colour story but bring cable, heather and shimmer to it. That’s the magic.
Prefer something softer? The knitted gloves and the rhinestone scarf both come in Pale Rose, a gentle tonal pairing that’s wonderful against a camel or grey coat.
Quiet and Modern
For a quiet, modern neutral look, pair the Bebe Double Pom Hat in Ivory and Beige with the FRAAS Cashmink Scarf with Geometric Colour-Block in Greige. The scarf is made in FRAAS’s signature Cashmink fabric, so it’s warm and cozy but still light and gentle against the skin. At a generous 35 x 200 cm, you can wrap it at the neck, drape it over your shoulders or style it over your coat. It’s even produced in a carbon-neutral way, which is a lovely little feel-good bonus.
Sleek and Glamorous
For a sleek, slightly glamorous mood, start with the Sarah hat in Black with Gold. Pair it with the Popcorn Magnetic Scarf. Its popcorn-textured fabric adds dimension without bulk, and a discreet magnetic closure keeps it perfectly in place, with no rewrapping every time you step out of the car. At 26 inches, it sits neatly at the neckline, which makes it ideal for those in-between fall days when a big wrap would feel like too much. Finish with the Faux Fur Fingerless Gloves with Chain Detail in Black. The black ties all three pieces together, while the metallic knit, the popcorn texture and the soft faux fur each bring something different.
A Pop of Colour
If you love colour near your face, try the Knitted Gloves in Blue and the Colourful Mottled Triangular Scarf in Morning Grey. That generous 50 x 200 cm FRAAS scarf can be wrapped, draped or worn loose, and it brings a cheerful mix of colour that brightens even the plainest coat.
Polished and Dramatic
For a polished, slightly dramatic finish, reach for the Fringe Faux Suede Gloves in Chocolate. Pair them with the FRAAS Cashmink Animal scarf in Camel and the Knit Pompom hat in Taupe/Hickory. The fringe adds movement, the animal print adds personality and the knit keeps it all grounded.
A Quick Word on Mitts and Gloves
Here in Canada, “mitts” tends to be our catch-all word for anything that keeps our hands warm. The truth is, most of us need more than one pair.
Fingerless styles, like our faux fur pair with the chain detail, let you check your phone, find your keys or hold a coffee without peeling off a glove. Full-finger gloves are the ones you’ll want on colder mornings and longer walks. And a dressier pair, like the fringe faux suede, is the finishing touch for a night out or a special lunch. Many of our customers keep a fingerless pair in their handbag and a warmer pair in the car, and we think that’s a pretty brilliant system.
You can browse every style in our Hats & Gloves collection, and find even more ways to add colour and texture in our Scarves collection.
Come Try Them On
If there’s one accessory that truly rewards trying on, it’s a hat. A tilt to one side, a slightly different angle, the right colour next to your skin... it all changes the picture. That’s why we’d love to see you in the boutique on Saturdays from 12–5 PM or from Tuesdays to Fridays by appointment, where we can help you find the hat (and the gloves, and the scarf) that makes you feel completely yourself.
Many of these pieces are available in small quantities, so if one catches your eye, don’t wait too long. This fall, give yourself permission to become a hat person. We have a feeling you’ve been one all along.
