Thoughts on fur felt caps?

[MattJH]

I never even knew these existed until I won a black, fur felt Borsalino ivy cap last night in my size. It was an impulse buy and after I actually won it, I wondered why I bid -- every ivy cap I've ever seen has been made of linen, cotton, or some form of wool. How could fur felt work on a hat like this? I partially regret winning it, but there's no turning back now. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I hope I am, at least.

After I won the auction and my curiosity was piqued, I did a few Google searches and found this - a Borsalino fur felt baseball-shaped cap with a sort of horseshoe-shaped porkpie bash? That's... UGLY. Wow.

Thoughts? Is fur felt practical for caps?

 

[czack]

I have a Jaxon fur felt ascot, have had it for a few years. I haven't had any problems with it. Granted I don't wear it in the rain( caps don't keep the water from going down your back), it has held up.

 

[MattJH]

Ah, that's what I got! Not an ivy cap, but an ascot cap. I've never heard of an ascot cap before but, after doing a few image searches, it's obviously what I won.

What are ascot caps known for? All I could find was what Wikipedia states:

"The Ascot cap, also known as the Cuffley cap, is a hard men's cap similar to the flat cap, but distinguished by its stiffness and rounded shape. Ascot caps are typically made from felt and worn in the fall or winter, but straw Ascots also exist for warmer weather."

 

[Davidson]

Ascot vs Ivy

I don't know the history, but basically the ascot is the "derby" of the ivy cap style. It has a molded shape crown vs the ivy "lay flat on the table" shape. Most ascots are made of wool. There are also straw ones for summer, and leather ones. The leather ones are popular with bikers.

In wear, an ascot cap gives a height above your head that an ivy cap doesn't. It gives a little dressier look, although of course it is still a cap. Ivy caps don't look good on me at all, looking too flat, but I like a nice ascot. I've eyed the Jaxon one, but I had no idea Borsalino made one. Black is a great all round color, the cap is not as dominating as a big black hat can be, so you can wear it with just about anything.

So here's one FLer that would very much like to own what you came across. Great find, and I hope you enjoy wearing it!

 

[Joel Tunnah]

The jazzer Wes Montgomery wore one - green in the pics I've seen.

 

[Pilgrim]

That "fur felt baseball-shaped cap" reminds me of a European police-style cap. My first thought was the Italian Carabinieri, but I didn't find any pix of them wearing similar caps.

I did find their home website, where their evidently typical high-front cap is shown in the header. Reminds me of WWII high-front officer caps with a badge on the front.

Does that cap look familiar to anyone else??