CHICAGO – So many women are wearing hats these days that the Headwear Information Bureau, a New York-based trade group, estimates they will have spent $992 million on them in 2002-03, up from the $972 million in 2001-02.

Frigid temperatures fuel the trend, of course.

But hat-wearing incentives go beyond protection from the cold – and the sun – says Ellen Goldstein, head of the accessories design department at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

Hats instantly kick a bit of character into a world of clothing that may appear so homogenous.

Hats also can serve unofficially as a cosmetic, said New York-based milliner Eugenia Kim, whose hats can be found atop the heads of celebs across the country.

“I don’t wear that much makeup,” she said. “But wearing a hat really brightens up your face.”

They also fit well in a less-than-robust economy.

“Maybe you cannot afford a new coat, but you can afford a new hat because it usually (costs) less than a coat,” said milliner Eia Radosavljevic, an instructor in the fashion department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Expect hats to turn more heads in 2004.

In March, the Goodman Theatre brings “Crowns,” a much-praised musical based on the book celebrating black women and their church hats, to Chicago. And in April, National Geographic is publishing “Hats,” a photographic look at the evolution of headgear from “purely functional garments of protection to highly individualized statements a tribute to the wonder of human expression.”

Face shape I: “A woman with a longer face should have more of a square crown and little bit more of a brim,” said milliner Linda Campisano.

Face shape II: “A woman who has a round face could use a round crown, and she could have no brim, or a medium-sized brim,” she said. “A really tall woman can go with a really big brim.”

Heads plus ears: Milliners can contour a made-to-measure hat “to the shape of the woman’s head and where her ears are,” said Campisano, figuring out the best hat shape for warmth and style.

Materials: Felts, furs, leathers and plush fabrics (velvets, fleece) are among the fabrics showing up in hats these days. Keep the weather in mind when choosing. “We do beaver and rabbit, but mostly rabbit fur felt,” she said. “You can wear it in the rain. We clean it and block it at the end of the season.” Some wool felts may not hold up to rain and snow.

Construction: Are seams sewn or glued? Glues may not hold up to winter snows.

The coat: Will the hat’s brim clear your coat collar? The styles should be complementary.

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