The Cap Faction

[Chepstow]

It does. I like it better than the previous versions.

Yes, definitely better. Maybe, the new brim could be more stiffness.

 

[Mario]

Pass that on to Bela's test laboratory.

The wider bill definitely helps the vintage look.

 

[Razzman]

Finally received my Gloucster Cap from Bookster! I must say it's very well made, and the fit is good this time. It's the second attempt, the first time they made the wrong cap, it the fit was a bit too snug. I've included some pics. Although I'm pleased they got it right the second time I doubt I will do business with them again. 8-10 weeks is a long time to wait for a cap, IMHO.

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[zetwal]

Finally received my Gloucster Cap from Bookster! I must say it's very well made, and the fit is good this time.[/IMG]

Looks well made. And I love the scarlet liner ... :yo:

 

[St. Valentine]

Oh well, it looks quite tempting but at the price and the lead time I am not sure....
But you surely have a mighty fine Tweed cap now, Razzman! :eusa_clap

Frank

 

[HatsWV]

Long waIt for sure but a fine cap you have there.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Love the cap . That bill is just right and they did a good job aligning the lines in the tweed. To bad about the time it took.

 

[esteban68]

great cap, I wouldn't worry about the wait just order well in advance of winter, MTM/custom etc usually requires a bit of a wait.
I just had to wait around 7 weeks for a pair of William Lennon boots, they did get em right first time though...I'll post pics etc soon.

 

[Razzman]

Thanks for the kind words gents. I do like the hat, the fit and the drape. It's definately well made. The bill is the largest of any of my caps so far. I have one on order from Hepville, can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I find that today's style is to minimize the bill of the cap. Where I like the vintage look where the bill is just as important as the body of the cap. Gives the cap
more punch.

 

[Razzman]

I find that today's style is to minimize the bill of the cap. Where I like the vintage look where the bill is just as important as the body of the cap. Gives the cap
more punch.

I agree Ed. The larger bill gives the cap more body, so to speak.

 

[Adnamira]

Nice cap though, Razzman. It looks to have plenty of depth in the back, as well as a good bill, which gives the look of a cap fitting over the head rather than perched on top.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Nice to see you post again.

 

[Razzman]

Nice cap though, Razzman. It looks to have plenty of depth in the back, as well as a good bill, which gives the look of a cap fitting over the head rather than perched on top.

Adnamira, you are correct. The cap does have plenty of depth and a relatively large bill. It's a Gelly Tweed, which is 100% wool from Lovat Mill, Cheviot 500 grams Medium Weight. Good to see you back!

 

[Flash Badger]

Hi Adnamira,
Would you know of anywhere in Oz that sells good quality Newsboys? I,ve ordered a couple from HP (after watching your review) but I am always keen to either buy Australian or Scottish (I'm a Scot living in Victoria) products when I can and if the quality is good.

Regards

Flashy

 

[Adnamira]

Hi Adnamira,
Would you know of anywhere in Oz that sells good quality Newsboys? I,ve ordered a couple from HP (after watching your review) but I am always keen to either buy Australian or Scottish (I'm a Scot living in Victoria) products when I can and if the quality is good.

Regards

Flashy

I'm afraid that I don't, Lord Flashheart. Very little gets manufactured in Australia anymore, and Australian retailers seem to sell only the cheap brands at exorbident prices. I do my shopping online for caps. My favourite cap at the moment is my Wigens, which is a surprise to me, because I saw them online for a long time and didn't think I would like them - I thought the brim looked too square and I was preferring newsboys to the Ivy style. I bought one because I saw it going for half price, and for the earflaps, and I'm really liking it as a winter cap. In spite of being an ivy shape, it's got a nice sized brim and the cap fits on your head and has plenty of depth. They are also blocked, so that the cap has a good shape, it has an almost Grecian Helmet contour to it. Wigens uses a lot of Harris Tweed and Reid and Taylor fabrics from Scotland. I think the Wigens Ivy is a better design than their newsboy style, a lot of them have the tuck away ear flaps, and although some people like to spend time fiddling with their caps to get a certain drape and stuff, it's good sometimes just to be able to chuck on your cap and go, without spending five minutes in the mirror making sure it is sitting right - the oversized Ivy style is working well for me in that regard. Wigens are a bit pricey though, and I've heard some quality issues with their linen caps. Hepcat.se is good to deal with, and Delmonicco Hatters aren't the cheapest online retailers, but they are not he dearest eithers and have a good selection.

I think Bela on here uses some Harris Tweed and Reid and Taylor fabrics too, but I don't have one of his caps yet. City Sport uses a lot of Donegal Tweed and some Harris Tweed, and are a pretty reasonably priced cap - polyester linings aren't as nice as the HP linings but they use nice fabrics and their bigger (extended) brimmed models look good. Retro Sport are also nice quality caps for the price, with a nice big brim, but the look doesn't seem to work for me - the way the brim sits seems to highlight the assymetry of my eyebrows and make me look drunk or half asleep - I don't think they use any Scottish Tweeds.

There is a New Zealand manufacturer of caps too, I think, but I don't know anything about them. Maybe someone on here might know of Scottish manufacturers.

 

[Adnamira]

Some of the prices that some retailers put on Wigens is too much, especially when you add postage. I think Delmonicco Hatters has the pricing about right for these caps, and they do have some specials. I'd love one of these Reid and Taylor Wigens, love the colours, but can't afford it at the moment. http://www.delmonicohatter.com/Wigens-Caps/9065P_912445.htm#.T6W4dVLbAXA
Postage to Australia from Delmonicco is about $20 if I recall correctly, which is pretty good. Hepcat.se is even better at $12, but don't have as big a selection. Not sure if they have the earflap caps in stock, but their communication is really good. If I hadn't spent money on a heap of other caps, I wouldn't be perturbed at all about paying a $125 for a Wigens Reid and Taylor, Harris Tweed or lambwools tweed cap. I think anyone who likes caps would find one of these caps with the earflaps a handy addition to their collection in winter - a practical, robust cap but not totally lacking in style either.... probably something you would wear out in the elements and saving your preferred dress caps for best.

 

[Adnamira]

This is me this morning before I went down to the Woolshed and loaded up some crutchings and rams wool to take to the wool buyer in town, so I am actually dressed in my work clothes. I just put the scarf on for the picture, but I wore the cap to town - it's my going to town cap for winter. The vests that my mother knits for me, I actually do wear around the farm - I find them good because they keep your body warm without restricting movement, and because I can wear a jacket or cotton pull over over the top the knit I can prevent them getting snagged in fences and stuff. When the day warms up I can take off the jacket or pull-over and just wear the vest - it's the thing I notice about wool is you don't get as hot as fast in wool as you do in synthetic garments, so you can leave it on when it warms up a bit and will still keep you warm if it cools a bit, so you aren't putting it on and taking it off as much. Oh, this thread is about caps isn't it. Well, it was one of my concerns about the Wigens caps with polyester linings, but I am not finding it too bad - I can wear the cap comfortably to about 24 degree C. Actually I love this cap, for the way it feels to wear - it's feels very sturdy and protective, like a helmet made out of wool. Looks come second, but I'm very comfortable with the way the cap looks, it's got more dimension and a more generous fit than most ivy style flat caps but it is not huge and bulky either - a very well designed, versatile winter cap that seems to work no matter what you are wearing. It's one serious winter cap!

Wigens Robert, lambswool herringbone tweed cap; Alpaca wool scarf; Bendigo Woollen Mills merino wool vest, knitted by my mum.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Looks like your fall is starting up now. That Wigens will see a lot of wear.

 

[Adnamira]

Yep, I live on the Western Slopes of the Great Dividing Range in Northern NSW, altitude about 620 metres, so we do sort of get the more temperate four season type weather here than some other parts of Australia. Actually we have a good climate here - Autumn and Winter days can be quite lovely. In winter we get cold nights and frosty mornings, but the days can be sunny and mild. We usually only get down to about -5 d C, but when we get the winds, they seem to have the ability to cut through you. In high school, there was a Swedish guy who was shivering himself silly. When I asked him how he could feel cold after coming from Sweden, he said, 'It's a different kind of cold.' I think it might have a fair bit to do with the fact that our homes and buildings don't have Central Heating like they have, so we are using our body heat to warm up, rather than getting dressed in the warmth and trapping the heat in before we go out.

Yep, I guess the Wigens for me is working like flat caps do for English farmers. I can see why tweed caps were favoured by them. If I'm going out, then I can select a City Sport, Retro Sport or Zasu Cap, but if I'm going to town to do business and I have to do a couple of jobs on the farm along the way, the Wigens has that bit extra sturdiness and durability that I don't have to worry about it, and when I'm dealing with farm suppliers in town, I don't feel I am as over dressed as much in the ivy style, but I still feel I look pretty cool and the cap still gets appreciative glances from people when I go up the street for a Coffee.

It's seems to be the thing with caps as opposed with felt hats, is that you tend to wear a different sort of cap for different occasions and different seasons, whereas with felt hats, you wear it year round and perhaps it's only the style and shape of the hat that changes for different occasions.