sterkowski caps

[quikrick]

I’ll bump this thread with a new acquisition. Here is a Sterkowski Vigo 100% linen. I wanted a cap with a big enough crown to give my ears some sun protection, and I certainly got that. In fact, I feel this crown might just be a bit too big!

The cap is well-made. The linen doesn’t itch (of concern when purchasing since there isn’t a liner), the stitching is solid and proper and it fits exactly right (my head is almost exactly 56cm and this size 56 fits perfectly). It’s just a cotton sweatband but that’s possibly preferable for a summer hat (models with leather sweatbands are also available). Importantly, the crown is solid enough that it doesn’t shift around - it stays where I put it one side or the other or in the middle.

Also neat is that it came in a kind of nice pizza-type box. I mean, I ordered it from Amazon and expected it to arrive in a trash bag stuffed in my mail box. Not at all - I was very pleased with the presentation.

Not bad for $65. Is it worth that much? Well, nobody else I found other than bespoke makers are producing this kind of cap - and this is as good of quality as Stetson would make for $100. So I’d say it is worth it, even if I would have rather paid $50.

The question now is: is the crown too big?

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It looks great on you Nathan. That crown is not too big. It looks really cool tilted to one side… shows some attitude!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

It looks great on you Nathan. That crown is not too big. It looks really cool tilted to one side… shows some attitude!

Thank you Rick, that means a lot coming from someone like you who really knows caps! Who knows, maybe one day I will even get a Cordova - but baby steps first.

I am enjoying this one quite a lot already.

 

[Edward]

Thanks Rob!

And yes a new style always feels awkward until the light switch goes on. I remember the day it finally went on for me with homburgs.

I am definitely enjoying sitting around the house in this fellow.

I think the one that it took me a while to crack the confidence with was the beret. (I still don't dare wear one when I'm working in Paris, but I do in London without a second thought - and I would in the south of France where they are still regularly worn, rather than in Paris where I have seen them worn exclusively by tourists.

The proportions of this one look great on you (your headshots remind me a little of a younger Paul Simonon - he wears a cap very much like this a lot of the time these days). It's definitely a plus to have a fabric sweatband. I've come up against that with some of mine recently: my dry-cleaner won't take caps that use leather, which makes them a lot more effort to clean when they need it at the start or end of a season.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I think the one that it took me a while to crack the confidence with was the beret. (I still don't dare wear one when I'm working in Paris, but I do in London without a second thought - and I would in the south of France where they are still regularly worn, rather than in Paris where I have seen them worn exclusively by tourists.

The proportions of this one look great on you (your headshots remind me a little of a younger Paul Simonon - he wears a cap very much like this a lot of the time these days). It's definitely a plus to have a fabric sweatband. I've come up against that with some of mine recently: my dry-cleaner won't take caps that use leather, which makes them a lot more effort to clean when they need it at the start or end of a season.

Thanks Edward, the encouragement is much appreciated. He’s on my head again this morning so I’m taking that as a sign that he should stay.

I have one military style Akubra fur felt beret that I actually love, but of course it offers zero sun protection and is hardly ever worn. Other than that I don’t do berets because they are mostly wool and wool is too itchy for me. periodically I do search eBay for fur felt berets or leather berets but have not had any luck yet.

 

[Drzdave58]

I've got 4 Sterkowski caps. Excellent quality for the price. I will be ordering a couple more.

 

[rogueclimber]

I have one military style Akubra fur felt beret

The last time I wore a beret was when I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne back in the late 1900s...

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

The last time I wore a beret was when I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne back in the late 1900s...

Fort Benning? I went to high school at Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg - my older brother went through boot at Benning.

I never understood the US Army making the beret the standard uniform Army wide. I’ll never forget seeing those soldiers standing gate duty with the sun beating down on their faces under the black beret. Freaking insane.

I have not always made wise choices in life, but I was sensible enough as a young man to join the Navy (okay, standing guard duty in a dixie cup is equally asinine, but the Navy does much less of that sort of thing….)

 

[rogueclimber]

Fort Benning?

I was at Benning many times (Home of The Infantry) but the 82nd was at Bragg

I never understood the US Army making the beret the standard uniform Army wide.

Ditto, it was done so the 'non elite' units would feel better about themselves...

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I was at Benning many times (Home of The Infantry) but the 82nd was at Bragg

That’s right - it was so long ago and I did my best to forget my army experiences. My dad was Navy until I was ten then went to seminary and become an Army chaplain. I never fit into army life and longed for the sea.

 

[Edward]

Thanks Edward, the encouragement is much appreciated. He’s on my head again this morning so I’m taking that as a sign that he should stay.

I have one military style Akubra fur felt beret that I actually love, but of course it offers zero sun protection and is hardly ever worn. Other than that I don’t do berets because they are mostly wool and wool is too itchy for me. periodically I do search eBay for fur felt berets or leather berets but have not had any luck yet.

You might like the cotton Fear Naught berets they have at South Pacific Berets. I have two of those that get worn in Summer on either cloudier days or days when I won't be out in direct sunlight much (to be fair, I do try and avoid the sun whenver at all possible).

The last time I wore a beret was when I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne back in the late 1900s...

We have quite a few ex-forces in these parts who probably wore one at one time or another. Mine are all very deliberately civilian style as I was never inand don't want to be accused of being a Walt. All mine have the little piggy tail at the top (which I rather like as a visual detail anyhow).

 

[rogueclimber]

don't want to be accused of being a Walt.

I'm not familiar with that term?

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

You might like the cotton Fear Naught berets they have at South Pacific Berets.

I just had a look at their cotton and hemp options and I definitely plan to make a purchase in the future. Thanks for the recommendation!

I'm not familiar with that term?

I had also never heard “Walt”. Google gave me this:

“So, I see it as coming from the Book, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which I haven't read but seems to be about a fantasist, Wikipedia says it also is used in the armed forces to describe chaps who pretend to have served.”

What is a "Walt" ? - Page 1 - The Lounge - PistonHeads UK

Interesting term for the perpetrator of “stolen valor”.

 

[rogueclimber]

Interesting term for the perpetrator of “stolen valor”.

I was assuming that was the meaning, but never heard it before. But with this being TFL of course there is a wonderful literary reference!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I was assuming that was the meaning, but never heard it before. But with this being TFL of course there is a wonderful literary reference!

The Brits have so much slang I’ve never heard - the only thing close that we have is hip-hop culture, but even it can’t hold a candle. British slang is bewildering.

 

[Edward]

I had also never heard “Walt”. Google gave me this:

“So, I see it as coming from the Book, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which I haven't read but seems to be about a fantasist, Wikipedia says it also is used in the armed forces to describe chaps who pretend to have served.”

http://[URL]https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=210&t=1868012

[/URL]

Interesting term for the perpetrator of “stolen valor”.

Funnily enough, I had always assumed it was an Americanism I'd picked up somewhere online, but it seems it might be more of a UK military term in origin. The concept of 'stolen valor' doesn't really translate over here - on the whole, even in Britain (and much moreso back in Ireland, on both sides of the border) there isn't the same mainstream culture of default respect for the military as there is in the US. There is, however, a strong dislike of fantasists, most strongly held by people who have actually done whatever it is the fantasist is promoting themselves as. For the military that might be somebody playing dress up soldier (a lot of them actively hate reenactors and the likes, even), for me, as an academic, it's people who receive an honorary doctorate and then go around calling themselves "Doctor" as a title.

but yeah... the short of it is a Walt (after Walter Mitty) is someone who goes around pretending to be what they aren't. Those who pretend to have been military when they weren't tend to be really quite unpleasant people, often with some very nasty opinions to boot.

The Brits have so much slang I’ve never heard - the only thing close that we have is hip-hop culture, but even it can’t hold a candle. British slang is bewildering.

I think dialect is something you become much more aware of an an outsider. I was already fairly familiar with a lot of London dialects when I move here because of the nature of UK media, though I've found in recent years I've been making more of a conscious effort to preserve my own dialect rather than lost it entirely to the British / English terminology I'm surrounded by all the time. I've not remotely lost my own accent in the twenty-five odd years I've been in London, but that's as much an act of cultural belligerence as anything; when I first cam here, it still got me followed round shops, and pulled over for *all* the "random" security checks at airports. Funny old world.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Funnily enough, I had always assumed it was an Americanism I'd picked up somewhere online, but it seems it might be more of a UK military term in origin. The concept of 'stolen valor' doesn't really translate over here - on the whole, even in Britain (and much moreso back in Ireland, on both sides of the border) there isn't the same mainstream culture of default respect for the military as there is in the US. There is, however, a strong dislike of fantasists, most strongly held by people who have actually done whatever it is the fantasist is promoting themselves as. For the military that might be somebody playing dress up soldier (a lot of them actively hate reenactors and the likes, even),

This is interesting commentary. I would have never thought to hold reenactors in contempt but I would also not have thought it was as large a culture in the UK as it is here. We US Americans are still (largely) fond of our history. Possibly WWII reenactment is a big deal there - possibly on display now as we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day?

“ people who receive an honorary doctorate and then go around calling themselves "Doctor" as a title”

This made me laugh out loud.

 

[Edward]

This is interesting commentary. I would have never thought to hold reenactors in contempt but I would also not have thought it was as large a culture in the UK as it is here. We US Americans are still (largely) fond of our history. Possibly WWII reenactment is a big deal there - possibly on display now as we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day?

“ people who receive an honorary doctorate and then go around calling themselves "Doctor" as a title”

This made me laugh out loud.

There's a fair bit of re-enactment over here, though probably not to the same level as in the US. Tends to be more in the "living history" variety the more modern it gets - you don't tend to see simulated combat for anything 20th century, for instance. I get the impression there's significantly less in the way of Axis re-enactment in the UK as well, for a whole bunch of reasons.

 

[Doctor Strange]

So, getting this thread back on track...

I just received a Sterkowski "Elvis" cap in graphite gray. This is my first exposure to Sterkowski, and I'm quite impressed with the materials and build quality. I paid $62 plus $8 shipping, and it arrived in 10 days. I ordered my usual size (57) and it's just a hair large; I assume the sweatband will tighten up with a few sweatfests.

Anyway, quick selfies:

 

[Doctor Strange]

I liked wearing that Elvis cap so much that I got one of Sterkowski's "Fiddler" (as in "On the Roof") caps in gray wool for winter. It was 20% off for Black Friday, and arrived in NY 15 days after purchase. The materials, build, and sizing are all really good.

A quick selfie:



Anatevka, here I come!

 

[Edward]

I liked wearing that Elvis cap so much that I got one of Sterkowski's "Fiddler" (as in "On the Roof") caps in gray wool for winter. It was 20% off for Black Friday, and arrived in NY 15 days after purchase. The materials, build, and sizing are all really good.

A quick selfie:

View attachment 663926

Anatevka, here I come!

Nice - works well with that overcoat, too. I have a soft spot for hats this shape: the first hat that I ever wore on a daily basis, back in the mid 90s, was one like this - a Kangol branded model, in corduroy. (The Kangols are a nice version; I had them both from the last years of manufacture in England and after they switched to China; indistinguishable, really.)

What's the peak like on the Elvis model? I've had hats like that from other suppliers before with plastic peaks - I'd prefer something a bit softer, and leather. Is there something in the band to push the front up, or does the cloth hold its own shape? I like the grey colour. Also been tempted by their take on the Union kepi.