"Rules" for newsboy caps use?

[rgraham]

******

Wow, Really? In my opinion, I'd say the reverse was true.

It seems to me that a newsboy cap is a working man's cap and encompasses a rugged make due nature.

My impression of the flat cap it seems more in line for the elitist, like the college prof in his sports car, or suggesting the picture of the quintessential yuppie, networking in the old boys club.

I could be wrong but that is the impression I usually get from the flat cap.

Me too.

 

[indycop]

******

It seems to me that a newsboy cap is a working man's cap and encompasses a rugged make due nature.

My impression of the flat cap it seems more in line for the elitist, like the college prof in his sports car, or suggesting the picture of the quintessential yuppie, networking in the old boys club.

I could be wrong but that is the impression I usually get from the flat cap.

I agree with this, especially when the newsboy is tilted over on one side.

 

[John in Covina]

Flat caps makes me think of the one college professor in the movie "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield. The standout is some of the pro-golfers can get away with a flat cap.

 

[pistolpete]

Caps are not.....

....the commitment that hats are. When I wear a sport-coat or suit I like a hat. Sweaters worn with trousers etc. newsboy.
However I agree with Matt that you can create different feels with a cap and a suit.

 

[Torpedo]

Hi,

It could be the reason some people see newsboy caps as more femenine is that, as a fashion article, designers have, on the main, targeted women for the newsboy style; and so you see them with femenine design ideas as far as colour and ornaments are concerned. BTW, they are often worn with the crown unsnapped and pushed back to the nape, which personally I find horrible.

But of course we know otherwise

 

[Edward]

It seems the difference in perception here re masculine / feminine is a culture difference.... The eight panel, newsboy style is much rarer in Britain, where the dominant cap for a long time has been the flat cap. Especially in the North of England, the flat cap has long outlasted the brimmed hat as an item of mainstream headwear, and carries a long association with the working class man. Newsboys just aren't seen as often.... and yes, in mainstream fashion in recent years they have most commonly shown up as a less rugged item aimed at the female market. Personally I like and wear both - the newsboy has more of a 'vintage' look to me, but both are grand.

 

[Pat_H]

******

Wow, Really? In my opinion, I'd say the reverse was true.

It seems to me that a newsboy cap is a working man's cap and encompasses a rugged make due nature.

My impression of the flat cap it seems more in line for the elitist, like the college prof in his sports car, or suggesting the picture of the quintessential yuppie, networking in the old boys club.

I could be wrong but that is the impression I usually get from the flat cap.

That's my impression also.

I used to wear Kangol flat (touring) caps a fair amount, and have owned several. I liked them, but my main reason for wearing them is that I couldn't find newsboys locally. Now that I can order a newsboy, I've abandoned flat caps.

 

[Pat_H]

Hi,

It could be the reason some people see newsboy caps as more femenine is that, as a fashion article, designers have, on the main, targeted women for the newsboy style; and so you see them with femenine design ideas as far as colour and ornaments are concerned. BTW, they are often worn with the crown unsnapped and pushed back to the nape, which personally I find horrible.

But of course we know otherwise

That's a good point.

Nearly every item of male attire has been used by designers for womens' clothing. They must feel it makes some sort of statement. I've seen everything from Boy Scout shirts to the old fashioned Navy Dress cap used in that fashion.

 

[Pat_H]

It seems the difference in perception here re masculine / feminine is a culture difference.... The eight panel, newsboy style is much rarer in Britain, where the dominant cap for a long time has been the flat cap. Especially in the North of England, the flat cap has long outlasted the brimmed hat as an item of mainstream headwear, and carries a long association with the working class man. Newsboys just aren't seen as often.... and yes, in mainstream fashion in recent years they have most commonly shown up as a less rugged item aimed at the female market. Personally I like and wear both - the newsboy has more of a 'vintage' look to me, but both are grand.

A certain type of flat cap, that being the relatively large one made of tweed or heavy wool cloth, is quite masculine, and if I could find a nice one, I'd likely get it.

The felt touring cap, on the other hand, is an okay cap, but to my eye has a certain sort of elitist look. That's likely an erroneous impression, but apparently others here also share it.

I'll note as an aside that for some odd reason Kangols were picked up by the rap music crowd for a while, and they sported them backwards. By that time, I was no longer wearing them, I'm glad to note, as I didn't like that look at all.

 

[John in Covina]

The co-opting of menswear by the fashionistas does not make for feninisation of the same on men.

In Annie Hall, Diane Keaton did the suit and tie bit and there was a trend in many places where women followed suit as it were but it did not feminize mens suits. Ditto Marlene Dietrick in a Tux, it did not feminze the tux on men.

The juxtaposition of menswear on women is to make the woman more female by the incongruity of menswear on a woman. (Here, we may also note, is where the opposite does not have a similar effect of making a man more masculine in female clothing. Why? Viva la difference!)

 

[Edward]

I'll note as an aside that for some odd reason Kangols were picked up by the rap music crowd for a while, and they sported them backwards. By that time, I was no longer wearing them, I'm glad to note, as I didn't like that look at all.

I noticed that round my way too.... I guess it just became a trendy label in that crowd, much like the Adidas gutties were at one point as well. A few high profile figures adopting them would have been a big factor too. Samuel L Jackson sports that look a lot, though he's not a rapper of course..... I can't name any of them myself, though - not my genre. In my day, wearing a flat cap backwards equated to (pop group) Curiosity Killed the Cat.... lol

Other designs in the Kangol brand (including their corduroy greek fisherman / traindriver style caps, which I still wear) were trendy here on the Britpop scene when that was around - the patronage of Liam Gallagher being the reason. Wasn't thrilled about that myself as I wore them (still do have mine, still wear em) and didn't much care for that comparison. Still, a much smaller logo on that design - I think the market forf those was less attracted to a big logo than the hip hop scene seems to be. [huh]

Although many of their designs are rather more modern looking than many folks on FL would tend to go for, the Kangol caps are, in my experience, quality pieces. Back in university days when I used to wear a black one as an only hat, every day, 3/4 of the year, I used to get three or four years out of one, and I wore them hard. Redying helped extend life far beyond that (have a black one at the minute I must redye....). Production was moved from England to China some years ago, as I recall. A shame for those jobs lost, but I have to say that the quality of the product has not dropped at all.

My next hat purchase will, hopefully, be two or three B! Wear newsboys I have my eye on.

 

[Feraud]

It seems the difference in perception here re masculine / feminine is a culture difference....

Agreed.
I have never found caps to be particularly feminine but there are a lot of ladies who wear them.

 

[Burnsie]

One of my personal longstanding rules for newsboy use: Wear while drinking!