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The Cap Faction

ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
I am a fan of AmiCharnel caps. I have 3 of his with two more on the way. They are a fuller cut than the average Newsboy, great material and workmanship and you can specify the trim you want. I think they offer great value for the money.

Just curious how full their full cut is... Do you have a width measurement?

If it comes to that, please crop out anything below the neck; this ain't that kind of forum. ;)

Lol... yeah I'll keep it PG for ya!
 

ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
I'll do up some pics with a short review of how the cap is working out for me. I'll start out with my newer caps than work backwards. I'll do a separate post for each hat...

Goorin Bros. - Fortunato Liberati

Just recently got this cap from their winter sale. Hadn't bought a cap in a while and because of the wonders of youtube was led to Goorin Bros. They had a 50% sale so I figured why not. Picked up this cap along with another that really wasn't working for me.

I love the feel of this cap... the leather... the fit... the style... It's got a nice and comfy suede band. It has a really nice design. I know people give Goorin Bros. crap - maybe because it's not made in the USA, etc. but they knocked it out of the park with this one... My only regret I like the look of the 8 panel caps vs. ivy. My wife won't let me get another leather cap. Animal activist... glad I snuck this one in though.

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ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Stetson - Hatteras Patchwork 150th Anniversary Edition

Here's another new hat. Before I knew about this forum and the world of bespoke caps... I was looking for a wool newsboy on the bay and knew that Stetson was known for making fine headwear. I saw this patchwork in mostly brownish colors and it began to speak to me. I wasn't thinking of things like "how does it drape?" at this point. From some research, I noticed that the cap was a 150th anniversary edition and was pretty my 50% off from its original sale price... I jumped on it...

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My likes and dislikes about the hat... The wool and patterns are great. It has a little bit of everything. I had a patch work Ivy bought many years ago and I knew I'd like the aesthetic now. It's so comfortable. It has a nice cotton liner. It's form fitting but I had to do a tiny bit of stretching to get it to fit my 59cm noggin perfectly. You can tell it's got that Stetson quality. What I don't really like is its front is stitched down to the peak. Thus you can't shape it. I feel its too conservative for my taste. Not my fav, but I like it better than a typical ivy because it's sooooo comfortable.
 
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ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
B! Wear - Gatsby in blue tweed

Now this is my first bespoke hat. I found this forum after searching for newsboy caps - actually found Kevin from JJ first and this is how I learned about the different types of newsboys... which led me here. I saw some posts about B! Wear and took a gander at Brett's site. For the price, I couldn't hold back. Also he had the hats with the drape I was looking for. I went with a blue tweed because I wanted something versatile with my wardrobe - tees and jeans. It is what it is.

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What I like about this cap... 1) the price. 2) The look is *pretty* close to that vintage early 1900s newsboy look. It feels nice on the head. It took a few weeks to get it to wear in. It was a little tight at first. I wasn't sure if I'd like the suede band or not and it surely has grown on me. It has a nice drape to it. I've measured a 9.5" width so it's not quite a Big Apple style newsboy. For my tastes, it's best worn cocked to the side a little. I felt that when worn straight and with drape centered it does look a little weird for some reason. Maybe it's the shortness or width of the peak. Either way it's prolly my fav of the last 3 shown hats.

What I don't like... many others have pointed out there are basically two things they don't like. The first one annoys me a little more than the 2nd. The panels aren't the same as what is typical with a newsboy. The stitch seems to be straight down the middle to the peak for this type of cap. On this one it doesn't. Since these hats are typically custom I know you can ask for it be done the "traditional" way. The other thing is the peak is smallish or maybe isn't wide enough. This doesn't bother me as much. But I feel like the hat would get more old school style points if it had the larger peak. Again this can be remedied by ordering the "rocky" version of the hat from Brett. So you have to know what you're getting into before buying.

Next up are my older Ivys... ranging from Brooks Bros. to Kangol to maybe even a Bailey.
 
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ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
So here we go with my Ivys... I've been wearing Ivys for a super long time. I picked up my first Ivy from a Syms before the whole sub-50 yr old Ivy wearing craze started. My friends would give me hell for it. But I liked the style regardless and thus have stuck with it. I might have had 2 or 3 in the span of 10 years. I no long have 'em. The card board peaks must have worn out or lost 'em. Not sure. So I think my next foray was with a Kangol that I picked up at Daffys. Yeah they're out of biz too. Not sure how long I've had it, but I know it's one of my oldest.

Kangol - Tropic 504 Ventair

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This one of one of my all time favs. I know people knock on Kangol, but for me I think it's the perfect work wear / spring summer type flat cap. I like that the peak is some sort of bendable plastic. Love it!

What I don't like: I sweat a ton on my head and this one can be easily tossed in the wash with no issues. Only issue is that even with washing, I can't seem to be able really 100% clean the band. It has a slight sweat smell to it. Perhaps, it's the detergent used. Any ideas on what to use to really clean the band? OxiClean?
 

ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Next up is my 2nd Kangol... picked this one up at Century 21 - another one of these discount dept. stores. Not sure if they're nationwide, but we have a few in the NYC area. Might have picked this up for $15-20.

Kangol - Bamboo Clery

This looks different than a normal 504. It's at least 10 years old so perhaps the design has changed.

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After buying this one for the first 3 or 4 years I had it I barely wore it. There was something about the style that I didn't like. In my opinion, the color of the hat didn't really work for me in terms of what clothing I was wearing with it. It just sat in a closet. Then a few years ago, I found it again and wore it for a bit, then washed it. It finally took this form and it clicked for me. The hat was a bit more puffy and the way it settled after washing I like it much better. It kind of reminds me of a thin cut 8 panel. I think it works with certain blues and purples in terms of color coordination.
 
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Messages
12,005
Location
Southern California
...Kangol - Tropic 504 Ventair...What I don't like: I sweat a ton on my head and this one can be easily tossed in the wash with no issues. Only issue is that even with washing, I can't seem to be able really 100% clean the band. It has a slight sweat smell to it. Perhaps, it's the detergent used. Any ideas on what to use to really clean the band? OxiClean?
I've read comments about OxiClean discoloring/bleaching some materials so I'd proceed with caution. We use a product called Zout that we get at a local supermarket. Spray it on and let it saturate the material, then wash as desired. If stains are set in it might take two or ten washes for them to completely disappear, but we've never had any problems with Zout discoloring any of our clothes.
 

ScottyD

Familiar Face
Messages
87
@drmaxtejeda really like the cap. Which fabric is that? Looks like it could make a nice spring, early summer, fall cap. I have yet to order a cap from Cordova. It's on my list though.

Just curious if you guys like to add a nice curve to your peak on your hats. I'm more of a curve and tip to the side kind of guy.
 

drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,354
Location
Mexico City
@drmaxtejeda really like the cap. Which fabric is that? Looks like it could make a nice spring, early summer, fall cap. I have yet to order a cap from Cordova. It's on my list though.

Just curious if you guys like to add a nice curve to your peak on your hats. I'm more of a curve and tip to the side kind of guy.
This is my first cap. I thought I would never like them. I don't even know what the parts of caps are called. I might buy some more later.

Jonatán told me about it being for summer and spring, but I live in Mexico City, so I can wear it year-round.

I picture hell as a place where you can only wear wool clothing. I hate it! I don't know if I'm allergic or not, but it itches as if I were.

The name of the silk cloth is on the picture.
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Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
10,832
Location
vancouver, canada
@drmaxtejeda really like the cap. Which fabric is that? Looks like it could make a nice spring, early summer, fall cap. I have yet to order a cap from Cordova. It's on my list though.

Just curious if you guys like to add a nice curve to your peak on your hats. I'm more of a curve and tip to the side kind of guy.
Yes, I prefer a severely curved brim then pulled down low with enough material in the hat to push to one side....beret like.
 

The Wiser Hatter

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,765
Location
Louisville, Ky
@drmaxtejeda really like the cap. Which fabric is that? Looks like it could make a nice spring, early summer, fall cap. I have yet to order a cap from Cordova. It's on my list though.

Just curious if you guys like to add a nice curve to your peak on your hats. I'm more of a curve and tip to the side kind of guy.

The plastic used in the bills of custom cap can be worked with. I would talk to Johnny when ordering to understand how to do it. I just where mine in the vintage style with the cap tilted to one side. I know it’s hard to go from ball caps to wearing vintage caps. [emoji3] Bit it will give you a style that is yours. Get ready to be more memorable. Wearing Fedora’s,Caps and Beret’s makes people remember you and you will get treated better because of it. [emoji3][emoji106]
 

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