The Cap Faction

[hatophile]

Ready for St Paddy's Day!

 

[Adnamira]

I've read a few people critisizing the linen newsboy from Hat People, but yours looks alright. The brim looks like it is holding its shape alright. It looks like it might be an alright work hat.

My new linen cap from Hat People (for the summer), this one is a full cut:







Here a photo to see the difference between the full cut and the extra full cut:

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I recieved my newest acquisition some time ago, and I've been meaning to post pics. Of course, I kept forgetting to take pics. When I did, I kept forgetting to upload them off the camera, and then I kept forgetting to... well, you get the idea. But, here we are. Better late than never. My first Full Cut from Hat People.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Nice looking cap waiting for mine should come soon.

 

[Adnamira]

Not-Bogart13, I don't know why, but I think that cap gives you a Gallic look. From that angle, at least, the full cut looks good on you

 

[Not-Bogart13]

My mysteriously red face probably adds to the ethnic blurring! lol

 

[Adnamira]

Cheapies!

My last twelve month cap buying adventures have included these two purchases. The first is a New York Hat Company newsboy. The outer shell is 100% wool, there are some courser fibres in it, but it hasn't pilled and is quite good except it doesn't have much shape or drape. The brim is quite a good shape, wide and a good size and it has a snap. The sweatband is huge, over an inch and a half wide. The lining, however, is atrocious and makes the cap feel like you are wearing a shopping bag on your head.

The second cap is a chinese made, UBI linen flat cap with a cotton lining. It is a better quality cap than many of the kangol caps I've bought. It isn't fancy, but it is what it is, and probably one of my better purchases after my hat people cap. I wanted a cap that wasn't too fancy that I could wear into rural merchant stores, and also one I could wear in summer and wouldn't matter if I got dirty and so on. It's a good cheapie and would go well with a t-shirt and shorts I reckon... oh, I probably shouldn't say that on the Fedora Lounge should I? Who let the rural bogan in here!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60192809@N08/5521285005/in/photostream/

 

[Adnamira]

Oh Gee, I thought I had worked out what the problem was with me posting photos, but no! My account on flickr is too new or something.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60192809@N08/5521277247/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60192809@N08/5521277577/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60192809@N08/5521285005/in/photostream/

 

[Zombie_61]

I recieved my newest acquisition some time ago...My first Full Cut from Hat People.

What is your opinion about the quality of your new Hat People cap compared to other Newsboy, Ivy, or other flat caps you might own (if any)? I know how I feel about my Hat People cap (one in-hand, my second currently on order), but I'm always interested in the opinions of others who might have more experience with various hats.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

What is your opinion about the quality of your new Hat People cap compared to other Newsboy, Ivy, or other flat caps you might own (if any)?

Oh, I'm a dyed-in-the-blood Hat People fan. By "first" I was referring to the Full Cut (my fault, that was unclear). I already own three Extra Full Hat People Newsboys. I have owned several other caps over the years - including Kangol, Dobbs, Capas, Dockers, and Hanna. I still have the Hanna, but I have never found a cap that I like better than Hat People. They are as well made as the Hanna, but with less structure and stiffness. That makes them handier for rolling up, and I think they look better on me than the Hanna. The other brands... the Dockers cap I had was the best-made of them, and still didn't hold a candle to Hanna or Hat People. I may get a linen one this summer.

 

[univibe88]

I recieved my newest acquisition some time ago, and I've been meaning to post pics. Of course, I kept forgetting to take pics. When I did, I kept forgetting to upload them off the camera, and then I kept forgetting to... well, you get the idea. But, here we are. Better late than never. My first Full Cut from Hat People.

Awesome! Which fabric is that?

 

[Zombie_61]

Oh, I'm a dyed-in-the-blood Hat People fan. By "first" I was referring to the Full Cut (my fault, that was unclear). I already own three Extra Full Hat People Newsboys. I have owned several other caps over the years - including Kangol, Dobbs, Capas, Dockers, and Hanna. I still have the Hanna, but I have never found a cap that I like better than Hat People. They are as well made as the Hanna, but with less structure and stiffness. That makes them handier for rolling up, and I think they look better on me than the Hanna. The other brands... the Dockers cap I had was the best-made of them, and still didn't hold a candle to Hanna or Hat People. I may get a linen one this summer.

Ah, okay. Well then, how do you like the Full Cut compared to the Extra Full Cut?

Like you, I'm a dyed-in-the-blood Hat People fan. I currently own three Newsboy caps--the aforementioned Hat People in a white, gray, and black Herringbone wool, a Capas Headwear in a dark gray Herringbone wool, and a no-name "Made in U.S.A." brown faux Tweed (no idea what the material is).

Of the three, I like the color and pattern of the Capas Headwear cap best, but like the cap itself least--the material is quite stiff (though it's rather thin) and doesn't drape or shape easily (not at all, actually), and the cap itself has that "wedge" shape usually identified with Ivy caps (i.e., the back is more "angular" than "rounded"). Second place goes to the no-name cap--the faux Tweed pattern reminds me of caps from the 20s and 30s (though it probably bears no real resemblance), it shapes well, and it's quite comfortable; I only wish it were a bit darker. First place, needless to say, goes to the Hat People cap--I wish it were darker as well, but that's an extremely minor quibble. It's comfortable, soft, drapes and shapes well, and IMO looks great!

If anything, I would prefer Hat People had a wider variety of materials and patterns to choose from. But I understand why they operate the way they do--a reasonably small operation in a niche market--and I'll take the quality of their products and that personal touch they provide their customers over a wider selection any day of the week.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi, To be truthful here, I'm not a cap kind of a guy. This morning I did see a 60-80 year old gentleman wearing a tweed cap (gray I think) with a green tweed sport coat, maroon tie, white shirt and dark brown wool pants. He looked good, and it all matched. I was impressed, most guys I see in caps don't look like it belongs on them. On this old boy, it belonged. In fact, a fedora would have looked out of place on him, and for the life of me I can't imagine why.

Later

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Ah, okay. Well then, how do you like the Full Cut compared to the Extra Full Cut?

So far, I like the right-left dimensions of the Full better, but I still prefer the front dimension of the Extra Full. However, I find their caps drape and sit differently after they soften up and break in. My assessment may change.

Of the three, I like the color and pattern of the Capas Headwear cap best, but like the cap itself least--the material is quite stiff (though it's rather thin) and doesn't drape or shape easily (not at all, actually), and the cap itself has that "wedge" shape usually identified with Ivy caps (i.e., the back is more "angular" than "rounded").

My Hanna has that same problem.

If anything, I would prefer Hat People had a wider variety of materials and patterns to choose from.

In case you don't know, they often have fabric that isn't posted (usually because they don't have very much of it). You could inquire after something you're looking for and get a sample. Or send them fabric. My last cap was made out of a jacket that didn't fit me right.

Awesome! Which fabric is that?

It's the "Herring Bone brown and black".
http://www.hatpeople.com/tourshop/blkwht/herr2/coarse.html

 

[Zombie_61]

In case you don't know, they often have fabric that isn't posted (usually because they don't have very much of it). You could inquire after something you're looking for and get a sample. Or send them fabric. My last cap was made out of a jacket that didn't fit me right.

I wondered if they offered this service (the customer providing the material, that is), but hadn't gotten around to inquiring about it...or finding a preferred material, for that matter. Maybe one of these days... Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[Adnamira]

[video=youtube;Rn1LzNxvcCY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn1LzNxvcCY[/video]
I've noticed a number of people in this thread and others asking whether a certain coloured cap would match a certain shade of clothing - that they want to match a cap with the same coloured shirt or jacket or whatnot. I don't really have a clue on how to match colours, but I think that actually matching all your clothes in the same colour can often be a mistake. One surprise I have had with my br/gr/blk Hat People Cap is how well it works with navy and darker shades of blue. It seems to work well with any dark colour, but not so well with whites or light blues. I just uploaded one of my amateur singer songwriter videos on youtube that demostrates this. I work on a farm, and I record these videos on the fly many times. I use the caps to disguise my untidyness a bit; I'm probably going for a bit more of a folky, bohemian look than most of the Fedora Lounge. But here I am wearing the HP cap with a home knitted wool vest of grey blue over a dark blue workshirt. I think the colour combination works quite well, which is good, because I have a superfine wool suit in a charcoal blue colour for those occasions I do need to dress up.

By the way, I don't usually wear the cap at the angle I am in the video. I wear the brim differently probably every time I wear - I think the non-stiffened brim makes it that sort of cap. It is by far my favourite cap to wear, because it is so comfortable. I think it will be one of those items of clothing that when it becomes old and tatty, you will want to guard from anyone who will want to throw it out. I had an old woollen football gernsey like that once that used to be my brother's. It had holes all through it, but I didn't want to part with it *sobs* Wool seems to be one of those kind of fabrics - it gets a certain smell and feel and drape about it that holds memories. You can see this cap is starting to get a shape about it - the shape has as much to do with the way I put it on then it does with the way I style it. I've stopped worry about how to style it and just let it make up its own mind now.

 

[Zombie_61]

A couple of photos to give an idea of the colour of my new hat people cap. It is the herringbone brown, black and green in the full cut. When it first arrived, I thought maybe I should have gone for the extra full cut as it seemed to want to sit straight up on top of my head, but now it seems to be getting a bit of shape and folding into a bit better bash.

I received my green, brown, and black herringbone Hat People cap yesterday, and had virtually the same experience with it as you had. First impression--perfect! In person it definitely has more of a predominantly brown hue than in the photos you posted (on my monitor, anyway) and it's color is almost perfect for the jacket I was matching it to.

Naturally, the first thing I did was try it on; a perfect fit, but the crown puffed up like an old train engineer's cap--not the look I was going for. The material is definitely stiffer than that of my other Hat People cap, and is more "resistant" to being shaped the way I want. I also thought perhaps the extra full cut might have been a better choice for this cap as the material seems just a bit shy of being able to cover the brim (the way most caps of this type are commonly worn). However, after "massaging" the material in order to "break up" the stiffness a bit, it began to settle into a more classic/traditional shape and I think, with a little more coaxing, it will soon become my "go to" cap.

I'd like to thank you once again for posting the photos that convinced me to get this cap! :cheers1:

 

[Adnamira]

I received my green, brown, and black herringbone Hat People cap yesterday, and had virtually the same experience with it as you had. First impression--perfect! In person it definitely has more of a predominantly brown hue than in the photos you posted (on my monitor, anyway) and it's color is almost perfect for the jacket I was matching it to.

Naturally, the first thing I did was try it on; a perfect fit, but the crown puffed up like an old train engineer's cap--not the look I was going for. The material is definitely stiffer than that of my other Hat People cap, and is more "resistant" to being shaped the way I want. I also thought perhaps the extra full cut might have been a better choice for this cap as the material seems just a bit shy of being able to cover the brim (the way most caps of this type are commonly worn). However, after "massaging" the material in order to "break up" the stiffness a bit, it began to settle into a more classic/traditional shape and I think, with a little more coaxing, it will soon become my "go to" cap.

I'd like to thank you once again for posting the photos that convinced me to get this cap! :cheers1:

No worries, would be great to see photos. My cap is getting better all the time - it is starting to get creases in the panels and losing the puffy roundness at the back now too. I think one of the reason the cap puffs up in the train driver position when you first get it, is the lining inside is in a cylinderical can shape and pushes the fabric out. The lining has now folded around my head and has a nice crease over where stitching of the two bits of lining are, so it sits close to my head now and doesn't push out. the lining has also developed a fold over my forehead, which I don't feel while wearing, but seems to have improved the way the crown sits on the brim.

 

[Zombie_61]

The main reason I haven't posted photos is because we need to buy a new camera. We've had our current one for several years now, and recently it's decided to choose when it wants to work and when it doesn't (which is most of the time). We're going on an Alaskan cruise in July, so we have incentive to get one sooner rather than later, but we haven't quite managed to get around to it just yet.

The lining is one thing I forgot to mention about my new cap. On my other Hat People cap the shape of the lining matches the shape of the crown almost perfectly. On my new one the lining is smaller, resulting in a noticeable gap between it and the outer material when I'm holding the hat in my hands. Compared to every other Newsboy cap I've seen or owned this is unusual, and initially I thought it might have somehow been the reason for the odd behavior of the outer material. Since yours appears to be made the same way I'd guess Hat People has their reasons for doing this, but it still seems a bit odd to me. The cap does fit comfortably and the outer material is beginning to "relax" and take shape, so I'm not overly concerned about it, but it does make me wonder. Maybe Carol or Jim from Hat People will read this and provide an explanation (unless, of course, it's a "trade secret" ).

 

[Adnamira]

Hmm, the lining in mine is quite roomy, but it is like a fisherman's cap shape, which means in the beginning it is quite square while the material over it is rounded. I saw someone post a cap on here that had an eight panel cotton lining, but I guess this would add to labour time and expense. This is my second newsboy style cap. The other one I have is a Newyork Hat Company cap, which has a huge polyester lining in it, which makes a noise when it shifts and is awful. Being in a warm climate, I have noticed very obviously that any caps that have synthetic linings make my head sweat like blazes, and sweat and polyester doesn't feel that nice on my skin... at least to me.

Maybe the reason that the hp linings are sown like they are is that cotton doesn't crumple to the shape of the cap like polyester/satin/whatever it is, so they need it quite trim. At any rate, I find my very comfortable and secure feeling. The only thing that will stop me wearing this cap in warmer weather I think is the sweatband, but this is always the hottest part of any hat I think. I'm waiting for carol to send me some swatches of some shirt weight wool material they have, which will be interesting.