The Cap Faction

[Blackthorn]

This cap feels like a 1930's somehow, but it may be earlier. Really nice mustard/black/cream tweed. And no, it's not for sale.
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Nice looking cap, Stuffsmith. I'm a newbie to all this, so I'm just curious, if it may be earlier than the 30's...how far do these caps go back? When did they come into fashion?

 

[Stuffsmith]

Nice looking cap, Stuffsmith. I'm a newbie to all this, so I'm just curious, if it may be earlier than the 30's...how far do these caps go back? When did they come into fashion?

I'm far from the most knowledgeable about this, Blackthorn, I'm sure others will chime in with more info, but from my experience, caps of this basic type were in fashion from the 1890's forward. The earliest examples I've seen were quite blocky and thick-looking, and they tended to pancake out to larger diameters by the mid-1910's. This particular style could be seen as early as 1914 or so (maybe earlier?) and remained in fashion right into the 1940's with slight derivations.

 

[ManofKent]

Lovely fabric Keith

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

RLK would be able the age factor of when the design came into style for sure. I the late teen's would be my guess. With the 20's to the 40's being their hey day for regular use. Sort of the Baseball cap of the day but with out the logo's.

 

[Stuffsmith]

I've seen several ads from 1908-ish that had caps - blockier, as I said, but the same basic style. Yes, where's Robert when we need 'im?


Keith Lo Bue.
Jeweler, Artisan, Stuffsmith.
http://lobue-art.com
http://keithlobue.com

 

[Stuffsmith]

Here's a 1913 crowd shot, so they were already quite large by then.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The woollen cap as a head covering is very old indeed. Not very far removed from these caps. The alterations of widths and brims/bills etc. over time as fashion dictated, but still basically what we call the newsboy cap.

Maurice Garin victorious in the 1903 Tour de France. Chap behind has rather more interesting hat.

Same chap in a crowd scene w/ other riders and helpers.

Joe Darling and Stanley Jackson losing the toss at Trent Bridge in May 1905. The baggy green is already the preferred headwear of the Australian team.

 

[seabass]

Great info being shared here guys.

I was confused dating this cap I posted over a month ago due to its large button.
twotypes posted these 1916 Canadian catalog pics & I see large buttons on the bottom row
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?23684-The-Cap-Faction&p=1734323&viewfull=1#post1734323
Alex (ofcoursemyhorse) gifted it to me & he found it in England.

I have caps with similar linings & sweats & have dated them to the late teens by the store addresses in the cap labels
most made in San Francisco.
Any way there are just so many variables to vintage caps for accurate dating..

bottom line is we have some great cap makers that received there inspiration here
as well as great guys that find vintage caps & make them available to us.
be it hobby or passion to get us the real deal cap of days past....Vintage or Bespoke

I Salute you all !

Finding a huge stash of crazy vintage fabrics would help
& as I see when our cap makers (novice,hobbyist or pro) do make a bespoke of true vintage fabric the results are amazing...

Man when I was Mocos age 2. I must of had some killer caps as my grandpa clothed me in vintage only attire
back then simply called 2nd hand clothing.

Im 4 in this pic

che

 

[ManofKent]

Che - great photo of Moco (and your fine self )

 

[Chepstow]

Indeed, great pics Che. You both are sporting Caps excellent !



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[herringbonekid]

Seabass, that fabric looks like a 70s version of the jazzy teens - 20s fabrics.
there was a lot of 20s inspired fabric around in the 70s.

not saying i'm correct; i would like it to be an early cap too. but my fabric instinct says not.

 

[DamianM]

Seabass, that fabric looks like a 70s version of the jazzy teens - 20s fabrics.
there was a lot of 20s inspired fabric around in the 70s.

not saying i'm correct; i would like it to be an early cap too. but my fabric instinct says not.

This is true, Very difficult to date this one. I would love this to be early but I cant say!
What is the lining material?
any tags?

 

[mikespens]

The blues-boy is back! Che, I'm tip'n some Apple Pie to that and 2nd hand too.

 

[seabass]

Thanks for the feedback guys....ahhhh sippin applepie in a big apple cap...while boppin the blues. nice thought !

Damian,
as for the lining & the sweat, hmmm I am no expert on fabrics but the lining compared to caps I have closely dated to the late teens seems the same under a magnifying glass & feels the same ,,,,smells the same toooo.
meaning cleaner compared to synthetic fabric which I've found gets funky with time compared to natural fabrics
the sweat is not grosgrain but petersham ? as it has no border & it has the potato sack stuff behind it.
the wool is very strong & tight for its big weave.
no labels or markings of any kind.
Say I do dig the Crazy vintage fabrics you have used in your caps....very nice...

hbk,
you may be correct as that was my assumption as well,
there was some very cool stuff made in the early 70's & some real scary stuff as well.
as this cap coming from England & its bespoke qualities , its very well made & just nice materials used....
the bill being wider ( starting at more than half the cap but not long outward ) is very similar to some caps I have that are very old
& of American origin, that had my curiosity going...

Boy the Jazzy teens ,ahh cool stuff & very rare
ill bet that the majority of that era was Bespoke for the younger set as was the later American Zoot suit era
both inspired by music & young minds changing with the times......
both cuts in clothing of each period going against the grain....but a bigger body cap would look better with the tapered shoulders of the Jazzy teens era & not so cool with the wide shoulders & long length of Zoot...

ok back to caps
anyway just a great cap & Thankful for bespoke doing it right then & now....

maybe Alex (ofcoursemyhorse) can add some fun facts.

man there were some real scary caps during the 70's big body mod hippy ......................

 

[DamianM]

It could very well be a rare fabric teens cap.
Thanks you by the way. Those crazy fabrics are original to the period,I am just lucky to have found them.

Ive seen other examples of that cap in similar fabrics.
Could the lining be silk? or pure rayon?

 

[seabass]

feels like super strong silk ,
my wife thinks so too & compared to some vintage clothes she has...

cool how the liner has a swirl & a few pleats in the back

bill is sown to the edge no snap

& can the button back solve the mystery ?

the bill is wider than longer... I have some very old 6 panel caps like this bill & a HH leather as well

sure looks hand made & well done.

sure looks cool on Moco & I noticed he wont take it off like he does with some of his synthetic fabric caps

 

[Stuffsmith]

Wow, Che, what a cap; what a set of posts. Your comments about this thread really sum it all up. Thanks for the perspective, mate.

The pic of you at 4 is unreal - you have truly lived a life with an appreciation of this stuff, and you're instilling the same in your grand kids. Curious, are your son(s)/daughter(s) into the vintage thing?

Whenever the origin of that cap, it's a killer and it suits Moco to the ground - no wonder he can't take it off!

 

[TheDane]

Fantastic pics as always, Che! I'll be the first dedicated buyer of "Sonny Boy Moco's" first album. A bluesy version of "So come on, come on. And do the Moco-motion with me" ... simply can't wait!

 

[seabass]

Ole,
sounds like you have the Beat ! that's catchy !!!!! kids do love the Blues

Hi Keith
I see your doing a terrific job with your son !
& that last vintage cap that you posted is Amazing.....

I have 5 adult kids my oldest Che is 30 & wears vintage daily,
Actually my son has most of my vintage clothing that I wore when I was younger the he is now ,
stuff don't fit me as ive grown wider...
Hats as well as he prefers Caps over fedoras but wears my vintage stingys as well....
My 5 grandkids wear vintage that I saved when my first 2 kids wore as toddlers to about age 10
and cool stuff that I have the good luck to find....
its amazing to see this stuff still going strong as the saying goes

"they just don't make en like they used too...."


so do a kid a favor all sport em a cool vintage cap or bespoke vintage style cap....

This cap was a gift from our very own "ofcoursemyhorse"

heck I got a ton of caps, I really don't know what I have historically wise...
Gracias che

 

[Blackthorn]

Very interesting posts on the history of these caps, thank you all. And I find it very interesting that they are still in vogue in many European countries. Just this afternoon I saw a news show called European Journal. It had news clips on Turkey, Belgium, Spain and other places that escape me at the moment. But in each clip, at least one man came across the camera in a flat cap of one kind or another.