Understanding your Mens Top Hat Sizes

Brands from different countries, use different sizing. North American brands use North American sizing, which varies from traditional UK hat sizing. All Hats from our hire site www.dress-2-impress.com are UK, but many of our customers are International. For this reason we hire our Hats by their cm sizes, as centimeters are the same all over the world. If you are International and know your USA Size, please do check it's cm size, so you are not ordering a USA 7 1/2 instead of a UK 7 1/2. Many manufacturers do now label their hats in the UK Size, USA Size and cm size to make things easier, but do check if you are ordering based an an existing hat of another type.

Measuring your Head

Measuring for your head size precisely is both an art and a science. You can get a good idea at home though using a tape measure or a length of string that you will have to hold against a ruler to find the length. Some Men I've spoken on the phone with have taken off their neck tie, wrapped that around their head, then measured that against a ruler. Place the string / tie or tape measure around you head about 1" above your ear, across the mid-forehead, completely circling your head. Hold the tape snug, but not too tightly. Essentially measure your head exactly where the hat brim will sit. If your measurement falls between sizes, choose the next cm size up, and padding can be used inside the brim band to reduce size.

Top Hats for Royal Ascot Races

The Top Hat remains a requirement for all Men attending Royal Ascot in the Royal Enclosure, and optional for those visitors to the Grandstand (Queen Anne Enclosure), or the Village Enclosure.

Only Black or Grey are permitted for the Royal Enclosure. Those wearing other colours (including Navy) will be refused entry, so do be sure to wear the correct attire. Black and Grey Wool and Furs, and a limited number of Vintage Silks are available to hire from www.dress-2-impress.com, where we operate a collect and return on the day service, from the Tennis Club on the opposite side of the High Street to the Grandstand.

The question many men ask when booking their hats is which is the most appropriate? Black or Grey? When the Grey was introduced, there used to be an Ascot suit too – a grey frock-coat suit, and the Grey was designed as the perfect match. Nowadays, though many opt for a black top hat with a grey suit while others favour a black suit and grey top hat. Many will mix and match further going for the coat in Black, and both the waistcoat and hat in grey. A lot of smaller men often select the grey hat as optically it appears smaller, thus more suited to their frame. So the answer to the question is either. It's really is personal preference, you will look dapper however you choose to mix and match the coat, waistcoat, trousers and hat. Just ensure you only wear Black or Grey.