Vintage Caps TUTORIAL

[Marc Chevalier]

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After a year of collecting vintage 1920s-‘40s caps, I’d like to pass on a few things that I’ve learned.



1. In the golden era, there seem to have been three main types of flat caps:


-- Eight-piece. In the golden era, these caps almost always had a small ½” button on top of the crown. In rare cases, the button was larger. More recent eight-piece caps almost always have larger buttons, but a few do have smaller buttons. Most of these caps were either fully lined in silk, rayon, or cotton, or their inside crown’s seams were skeleton-lined in rayon or cotton. Very cheap, disposable versions of eight-piece caps had no lining and no skeleton-lining. (See photos below.)

-- One-piece round (“British”). Once as popular as the 8-piece, these are difficult to find for some reason. Most of the post-1940s one-piece caps (also known as “driving caps”) are similar in construction, but their crowns don’t stick out so prominently at the sides. (See photos below.)

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[Marc Chevalier]

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-- One-piece octagonal. Also very popular in the golden era, yet vintage ones are a rare find. Octagonal, because of the eight vertically darted seams running down the crown’s sides. As far as I can tell, this kind is not being reproduced at all today. Sometimes, octagonal caps had a fancy pleated back. (See photos below.)

2. In the U.S., all three cap styles almost always had a brass or nickel-plated “nipple” button snap on their visor, and full or partial sweatbands made of leather, or sometimes cotton velour. (The partial sweatband would cover only the inner front of the cap.) The cheapest of caps had canvas sweatbands. (See photos below.)

3. The most ‘prestigious’ caps were made in England, Ireland and Scotland. (Below is the lining of a 1930s cap that belonged to James Oviatt, founder of Oviatt’s haberdashery.)

4. It was very common for mass-market “tweedy” wool caps –the kind sold by Sears and J.C. Penney– to be made of cloth recycled from old jackets, trousers, and even overcoats.


5. “One size fits all” caps existed in the golden era. They had a buckled strap across the point where the visor met the base of the crown. (See photos below.)

6. Throughout the golden era, cap visor dimensions varied a lot. It’s not easy to date a vintage cap by its visor size alone.


7. Golden era flat caps were made of wool, silk blends, wool/rayon/silk blends, linen, plain cotton, corduroy, canvas, leather, or suede.


8. Vintage ‘20s-‘40s caps can easily be stretched to a larger size. If you have a hat stretcher, it’s not hard to stretch a size 7 cap out to a size 7 ¼. I’ve done it often.


9. Golden era caps were almost always sized by an exact number. In other words, a cap's label would say "6 7/8"; it wouldn't say "Small". The labels on more recent U.S. caps tend to say, for example, "Size 7-71/8" or "Medium".


10. If you find a vintage cap with a small leather strap across the outside back, then you're looking at a 1950s or early '60s cap (or a modern repro), not a golden era one.



For many more photos of vintage caps, click here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=43774




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[Mysterious Mose]

Wow, that Rothschild's incredible !:eusa_clap
Never seen the octagonal caps, very nice !

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Wow, that Rothschild's incredible !:eusa_clap

11. Vintage cap prices vary widely on eBay, but there are still some incredible bargains waiting for you.


For instance, here's the Rothschild cap. Only one bid! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140375498291


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[Mysterious Mose]

You've got me crying again...

 

[buler]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial Marc!!

B

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You're welcome! I'll add information as I learn more.


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[Brad Bowers]

Thanks, Marc, great information!:eusa_clap

I really like the 8-panel caps, and wouldn't mind wearing one from time to time.

Of course, I also keep hoping to add a C&K, Dobbs or even Cavanagh to my collection someday. lol

Brad

 

[thunderw21]

Thanks Marc, excellent info.

You have some great caps!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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Thanks!


12. A very general rule of thumb says that 1920s caps were wider than '30s and '40s caps. However ... don't take this rule too seriously. I've found that a wide variety of cap widths were available within each of those decades. In the '20s, for example, you could find and buy a fairly narrow cap just as easily as a very floppy one. All tastes and preferences were catered to.


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[La Strada]

Excellent information, great looking caps and photos! Thanks Marc!

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Thanks for the tutorial, Marc.

I love caps and will be watching them, now, on Ebay.

karol

 

[Chasseur]

Great timing Marc, I was just about to start looking for a vintage flat cap!

Thanks!

 

[mike]

Are "nipples" really allowed to be referred to on the FL?


Seriously though - incredible thread consisting of unbelievable content! Some of the fabric here, especially the adjustable famous apple cap, are just awe inspiring! Do we just document a dying culture? Why can none of the nuances of yesteryear be (re)created today?


Don't mind me, I just finished watching a really depressing episode of Dr. Who lol

 

[djgo-cat-go]

Thanks very much for this valuable info.. the octagonal one-piece cap looks awesome.. it seems to me that it can be reproduced fairly easy?..

 

[Mysterious Mose]

Never seen the octagonal caps, very nice !

Ah well, it was on my head, never really looked at it:

In fact, it's new, from about ten years ago.

fftopic: This is my dearest vintage cap, eight piece, suede, size 5 7/8, from winter 1973. A present from my grandparents:

 

[Feraud]

Do we just document a dying culture? Why can none of the nuances of yesteryear be (re)created today?

I believe these (and other vintage nuances we like) can absolutely be recreated today. We've all seen bits and pieces show up on various garments. See my comment here for an interesting sighting.
The details of vintage clothing are not lost to history. There is no one (or hardly anyone) in America who gives a fig to do it.

O.k. back to topic... After all his time spent on the Lounge Marc Chevalier never fails to start an impressive thread. Thanks Marc.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

In fact, it's new, from about ten years ago.

Wow! An octogonal from only 10 years ago? That's great news: it means that they were still being manufactured fairly recently. :eusa_clap

The next step is to find out if your cap is still being made. Could you please post photos of the lining and the maker's label (if any)? Thanks!

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[Marc Chevalier]

Back and side

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13. Golden era U.S. flat caps tend to have a higher back than their later, modern counterparts. The high back makes the crown slope steeply downward toward the visor. Most modern caps do not slope so dramatically. Some 1920s-'30s examples:

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[mike]

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After a year of collecting vintage 1920s-‘40s caps, I’d like to pass on a few things that I’ve learned.

ONE YEAR of focusing on caps has resulted in this thread. Amazing m'man! :eusa_clap