The right headdress supplies the extra oomph to any dance costume. Whether you’re out to dazzle for a show, an event, or a party, you can count on the headdress to cinch your look together.

Thus, it’s important to select the right headpiece for you. It’s not enough to automatically go for the most colorful or the one with the loudest pattern. You need to take a few factors into play: theme, show, type of dance, and your personality.

Every piece of your dance ensemble has to come together. An out-of-place clothing sends an off-kilter message to your audience, and you wouldn’t want that. This is why you need to adopt a brisk, businesslike mind-set to the act of picking your dancing headgear.

Stumped on how to go about the selection process? You’re in luck! This article will teach you how to select the perfect headdress for you.

1. Do thorough research.

The thing with dance costumes is you can use them to be whoever or whatever you want to be. Whether you’re going for a hot Latina persona or someone who leans toward the jazz side of life, you’re sure to find a costume that works perfectly.

When you’re well-informed of your chosen persona, you can make better, more fitting choices for your performance. Thus, you can discern better if this or that headdress will do your performance some good.

Dance comes in multiple forms and subforms. So do their costumes. Even the slightest detail counts. The smallest error—be it in the cut, color, style, or texture—in your costume can cost you a lot. Therefore, you need to pay attention.

Examine the elements of your theme. Say your performance has a Rio de Janeiro Carnival vibe to it. A Rio gay-pride headpiece can make a powerful statement. Or if your dance number has an ancient-Egypt feel to it, go for a Cleopatra-inspired headdress to add character and depth to your presentation.

In dance, knowledge, too, is power.

2. Consider your face shape.

After you’ve read up on the fine details of your dance performance, it’s time to focus on the person staring back at you in the mirror.

Well, okay, nothing that dramatic. We only need your face shape for this part, as it plays a significant factor in the overall look and feel of your chosen headpiece.

The right headdress fits your face shape to a T. You may have the most beautiful headdress around, but if it looks sloppy with the natural contour of your face, then it won’t matter much.

Picking a headdress that goes well with your face shape is a breeze. Here’s a nifty trick: select a headpiece the form of which is opposite to your face shape.

If you’ve a round or curved face, go for a headdress that’s long, elongated, and thin. This adds the illusion of length, making your face appear smaller and more angular. The higher the headdress, the slimmer the impression. You can also pick a headgear designed in points and spikes, to further the slimming effect.

On the other hand, if your face shape tends to be longer and sharper, you’ll benefit from round, wide headpieces. In this instance, width is key. Go for a headpiece that has accents or cuts wider than your face. This makes your face appear rounder and less angular.

Also, if your face shape is more on the long side, avoid high, towering headdresses. These only emphasize length further, and can make your getup look severe.

3. Factor in your dance costume.

A headdress isn’t the end all, be all of your dance garb. But so is your getup—whether it’s in gown, pantsuit, or bikini form. The point is the entire costume must go together from head to toe. You’ll look more polished this way.

Your outfit and headdress must complement each other. A simple garb requires a simple headdress. An intricate garb requires an intricate headdress.

These two pieces must, in the audience’s eyes, never compete. If either one cancels the other, your whole outfit gets thrown off, and could affect your performance in a less-than-desirable way.

Consider the color scheme and details in your costume. A shiny dress matches well with a crystal headdress. Study the material of your outfit, and pick a headgear that has a similar type of material.

Your dance costumes are friends. They must be in each other’s team.

4. Check your hairstyle.

As with your face shape, your hairstyle has a subtle role in your quest to select the right headdress.

The good thing with your hairstyle, though, is you can adjust it thoroughly to fit your desired headpiece. In other words, you can chop it off or color it. Hair grows back, anyway, so you aren’t stuck with said hairstyle forever.

If the idea of cutting off your locks doesn’t sit well with you, well, you can simply do it the other way around: adjust your headgear to suit your hair. This takes more effort than chopping off your hair, but at least you don’t have to do anything drastic.

Long, wavy locks usually look good when paired with a simple, fuss-free headdress. You get to show off your crowning glory without taking away too much attention from your fancy piece.

If your mane is short, and can be easily concealed, go for a detailed headdress you can show off. In this case, you want your gear to be the highlight of your dance costume, and with your hair out of the way, you can achieve just this.

Selecting the right headdress can be a stress-free and fuss-free experience. Just take these 4 factors into the selection process, and soon, you’ll be sporting a fun, dazzling headgear that’s just right for you.