Write an article based on this "Measure your head. Draw a pirate's hat shape on a piece of paper. Stick or glue the hat together. Paint the hat black. Cut a band of card that fits your head precisely."
Use this measurement to get the size of the pirate hat accurate. This is the part that tends to make the pirate costume. Fortunately, it's very easy to make a pirate's hat. Use this as the template. If you're not confident in this, one can be found online. Place the template over lightweight card and trace around it. Do this twice, as you need two sides to the hat. Cut out the hat shape. Run glue or tape around the edges of the hat, leaving the base of the hat where your head goes in untouched. Let dry if using glue. Go over with at least two coats and let dry. Then paint on the skull and crossbones design in white. Again, if you're not super artsy, print this off the internet and glue on. If you're using paint, this may take two coats; white over black at first is gray. Be patient -- your hat is one of the flashiest parts of your outfit -- put the time in to make it right. Tape this together in a loop or circle. Slide this inside the hat and tape or glue to the hat. This will help to keep the hat shape open and keep it snugly on your head. If it's really windy out and you're forced to become an outdoor pirate, add elastic to keep the hat in place. Only do this as a last option though, as it can look a bit bulky and silly.