SUMMER FASHION Bucket-style hat flatters everybody

Don't wait for a special occasion to wear a hat. Wear one just for fun.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
ST. LOUIS -- Wide-brimmed straw hats, floppy buckets, newsboys and even visors all enjoy popularity this time of year as everyone from the cool to the coy want to stave away the sun and look stylish at the same time.
"The bucket hat is all over the place," says Marshalls' style expert Amy Gallagher. "It's a return to femininity and is available in all types of fabrics with ribbons and flowers."
Flattering look
But does the lampshade form of a bucket hat accommodate every head shape?
"I think it can," Gallagher says. "It can work with long and short hair. It really is very flattering on everybody, and, right now, top couture designers are coming out with the bucket hat."
Not quite a dinner hat, Gallagher says it would be quite apropos for, say, a cookout or at the beach.
Broad-brim hats that shroud the wearer take a bit more chutzpah to wear, says Ellen Soule, public relations manager for Neiman Marcus. Personality-wise, she says, it's "somebody who loves to be a dramatic."
Wear everywhere
Looking for more hat direction? Soule says search for hats that complement both body and face shape.
"The wider your face, the larger the brim," she suggests. "Oval-faced shapes can wear just about anything."
Don't wait for a special occasion. Just pluck up one and wear it, says Ava Battershell, special events coordinator for Dillard's. "It's appropriate in churches, for weddings and for fun. I always take at least two for the perfect tropical vacation. Not only do you look stylish but it is a great protector for your face and to hide less-than-perfect hairdos."
Soule agrees, adding that a hat is "a matter of personal style; it's a fun extension of who you are."