The Cap Faction

[Adnamira]

Most factory caps seem to be fastened these days, Wiser Hatter. I wear my caps centred pretty much, but yes, it restricts you from wearing it any other way. I think I also prefer Wigens Ivy style to the Gatsby, because I think the Wigens Ivy design is a well resolved one, but this will get plenty of wear. The three snaps are an unusual feature, but one snap would have made this cap a very good little Gatsby shaped cap I reckon - it's got some structure and is a nice fabric. Going to be interesting when the Retro Sport I ordered arrives... a beige colour in one of those would be good too I reckon.

 

[St. Valentine]

Now that´s a nice one, Adnamira! Guess I need to find me one of those Wigens too.... :eusa_clap

Frank

 

[Adnamira]

There's a lot of Wigens on the net, Frank. I've heard a lot of criticisms of Wigens being pricey, and read a few bad reviews in regards to their linen caps, but I would have been happy to pay retail price for the two I have. If you hunt around on the net, you can usually find mark downs. My main reason for buying my first Wigens was to have a earflap cap. One thing I forgot to mention with the Gatsby is that it is labelled as size 60 but is looser on me than the size 61, which is rather strange. The cap was also a bit mishapen with an crease on one side, inspite of being sent in a box, but that is not unusual with newsboys style caps - they often require a bit of attention and wearing to get them to look right.

 

[St. Valentine]

The earflap variant is definitely something to think about in the next winter. It can be pretty windy around here when we walk the dogs.

 

[Adnamira]

The earflap variant is definitely something to think about in the next winter. It can be pretty windy around here when we walk the dogs.

I don't have any other caps with earflaps, but the ones on the Wigens are well designed... they have elastic that cups around under your ears. I have rather large, long lobed ears, and they manage to cover mine, so I'm pretty impressed with them. A friend on youtube has an Eddie Bauer cap that is very similar to the Wigens with earflaps, except it was a Newsboy. Don't think they sell them anymore though.

 

[Adnamira]

Retro Sport cap from Brigitte turned up today (pics tomorrow). Very pleased. Nice quality, fits perfectly - true to the metric sizing. It's a very comfy cap and has enough room in the crown for me to pull it down the way I like. The one place that caps often irritate me is at the back seam - I seem to be very sensitive to pressure on the back point of my skull and the seam on this cap is very smooth and sits in just the right place for me. Comfort is a priority for me. I don't know how the style will work for me yet, but I give it a thumbs up and it fills a niche in the seasonal range. I don't want hundreds of caps, but I want to be always find a cap in my collection for any occasion - from knock about to good casual to formal, and from tropical heat to freezing winds. I'm not far off that now. There's probably room for a half a dozen more caps if I buy wisely - there's a place for a silk cap and a formal summer weight cap - I'm thinking another Retero Sport may fill that niche.

Anyway, all I can say about the sizing with the Retro Sport Caps is measure your head with a metric tape, and I reckon you won't go wrong.

 

[St. Valentine]

I don't want hundreds of caps, but I want to be always find a cap in my collection for any occasion - from knock about to good casual to formal, and from tropical heat to freezing winds. I'm not far off that now. There's probably room for a half a dozen more caps if I buy wisely - there's a place for a silk cap and a formal summer weight cap - I'm thinking another Retero Sport may fill that niche.

Hahaha... that translates pretty much into "I need hundreds of caps" to me. Well, don´t we all? My count is just up to five right now, but that´s just what covered this winter. Now for the summer caps....

Frank

 

[Adnamira]

Hahaha... that translates pretty much into "I need hundreds of caps" to me. Well, don´t we all? My count is just up to five right now, but that´s just what covered this winter. Now for the summer caps....

Frank

Summer caps are the trickiest ones I reckon. They're are out there, but summer fabrics rarely look as good as the tweeds in a newsboy style. I'm thinking the eight dart, French style cap has potential in that regard - I have the impression that flatter plane, one piece design will work better for lighter worsted wool fabrics than those fabrics do in the eight panel caps.. Linen is always challenge - super comfy and breathable, but much more wrinkly than wool. Silk I have no experience with. I'd like to see someone wearing one of those silk City Sport Caps, to see whether the weight and fabric looks alright in that newsboy shape. Like you said, it makes sense to wear a felt a or straw hat in summer, for the shade, but a light cap is always nice for casual wear if you going out in the evenings or night.

 

[Adnamira]

This I reckon would be a brilliant summer cap. The wool blend may shape better and wrinkle less than linen... and well if you are paying the same price, you might as well go for a fine wool fabric than a linen. Be interesting to know what percentage blend it is though, in that regard.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CASQUETT...tements_AccessoiresHommes&hash=item2a111be586

I like the way they ebroider Retro Sport label... much nicer than the plasticky label inside the city sport caps, though in all other regards the two 'Sports' brands seem very comparable in quality.

 

[Woodfluter]

This I reckon would be a brilliant summer cap. The wool blend may shape better and wrinkle less than linen... and well if you are paying the same price, you might as well go for a fine wool fabric than a linen. Be interesting to know what percentage blend it is though, in that regard.

Farther down, they say 55% polyester, 45% wool. I'm not so keen on than much polyester, myself.

Summer caps are the trickiest ones I reckon. [...] I'm thinking the eight dart, French style cap has potential in that regard - I have the impression that flatter plane, one piece design will work better for lighter worsted wool fabrics than those fabrics do in the eight panel caps.. Linen is always challenge - super comfy and breathable, but much more wrinkly than wool.

Hmm, I was thinking the other way around. Not that lighter weight fabrics look bad at all in that French style, but that they benefit somewhat from the stiffening given by the seams of an 8/4. That's what I think I'm seeing in the Retro Sport pictures on the mannequin's head anyway. I liked the way the medium-weight wools draped vs the cotton or poly/wool ones.

My linen City Sport seems to get some "seam stiffening", plus it's made from that stiffer, more tightly-woven linen that I like. If I pinch mine, it forms a wrinkle; but if I pat that with my hand, the wrinkle goes away. A different linen cap I have wrinkles way more easily and stays wrinkled until you dampen it.

 

[Adnamira]

Farther down, they say 55% polyester, 45% wool. I'm not so keen on than much polyester, myself.

Ah, that is disappointing. Maybe it is vintage polyester though the hottest cap I've worn is one with a polyester shell.

 

[Adnamira]

The Retro Sport Cap

 

[zetwal]

The Retro Sport Cap

Nice look ... :yo:

 

[Razzman]

Very nice! I like the look of that cap on you. I also like the color and pattern of the cap. Great choice!

 

[Adnamira]

Very nice! I like the look of that cap on you. I also like the color and pattern of the cap. Great choice!

I actually don't think blue caps are an ideal colour for me, but I liked the look of the fabric in this one, and it's a suitable autumn weight. Now that I've recieved it, I can say the fabric is very nice.

 

[Johnny J]

I actually don't think blue caps are an ideal colour for me, but I liked the look of the fabric in this one, and it's a suitable autumn weight. Now that I've recieved it, I can say the fabric is very nice.

Nice one! So what kind of fabric is this? And now that you own a Retro Sport, what are your thoughts on it?

 

[seabass]

A
That looks great on you ! I see you have it pulled down, its cool
i also like that tan cap you have with all those snaps
Johnny J i have the retro sport that i had the leather sweatband put in whole new cap major improvement....
Ill get some pics to you soon
che

 

[Adnamira]

Nice one! So what kind of fabric is this? And now that you own a Retro Sport, what are your thoughts on it?

It's 100% wool - a worsted wool fabric. The pattern is very nice and it is a good weight for a cap. I made some comments about my thought on the cap on a previous page, so I didn't make much comment with the photos. It's a good cap. It's not blocked like a Wigens or City Sport, but I think I need to wear it some more to decide how much I like. It's got a bit of a bread loaf look about it at the moment. Very comfortable cap and easy to store... lies very flat. It's got a convenience about it that is good with caps, in that it is easy to carry with you and sit down anywhere - that's something that would worry me about a leather sweatband in a cap... that the cap becomes more like a felt hat and less convenient to take around in vehicles and such.

 

[Adnamira]

A
That looks great on you ! I see you have it pulled down, its cool
i also like that tan cap you have with all those snaps
Johnny J i have the retro sport that i had the leather sweatband put in whole new cap major improvement....
Ill get some pics to you soon
che

I can imagine what you mean by an improvement with a leather sweatband, even though I hate the things. I think Zasu achieves the same kind of structural look by by putting an wide elastic band inside the lining - it looks like they don't have a headband, but I think they do.

 

[Johnny J]

It's 100% wool. I think it may be what someone else referred earlier as a Gabardine fabric with those diagonal ribs. The pattern is very nice and it is a good weight for a cap. I made some comments about my thought on the cap on a previous page, so I didn't make much comment with the photos. It's a good cap. It's not blocked like a Wigens or City Sport, but I think I need to wear it some more to decide how much I like. It's got a bit of a bread loaf look about it at the moment. Very comfortable cap and easy to store... lies very flat. It's got a convenience about it that is good with caps, in that it is easy to carry with you and sit down anywhere - that's something that would worry me about a leather sweatband in a cap... that the cap becomes more like a felt hat and less convenient to take around in vehicles and such.

I have a vtg 30s newsboy w/leather sweatband and a Mister Freedom w/leather sweatband and both lie flat also. Personally I really like the leather sweats in the caps than just a grosgrain band. Cap holds onto your head better.