The cap, how we like it… or not!

David

1. Why I like it

First of all, I want to clarify that by "cap", I am talking about a baseball cap . I don't wear a flat cap.

Between the cap and me, there was a big ellipse.

I wore it for a bit as a teenager, then not at all until quite recently.

I found that it had a slightly too juvenile connotation , at a time when I was trying to assert myself as an adult, when I was more likely to wear blazers, shirts, dress shoes, etc.

Last year, an event pushed me to take a new interest in this accessory: the release of our first caps .

I was able to try on some models that we had at the office and I said to myself: “ hey but this actually suits me ”.

For me, this accessory has two main uses.

First of all, a cap makes an outfit denser. It's almost a separate item of clothing since you wear it on your head, it's quite visible.

A cap can have its own style: there are more casual, more sporty, more dressy caps, etc. The choice of color must be considered in relation to the rest of the outfit.

In short, I find that it has the potential to provide interesting stylistic depth.

More pragmatically, it is also an excellent hair concealer .

With the successive confinements, I got into the habit of doing my hair less. So when my hair is messy, I put on a cap and off I go, neither seen nor known.

2. How I like it

I let myself be guided by my tastes in terms of caps even if I think that we could establish categories of caps that I like:

• Plain caps in beautiful colors . My preference is green, which I find very versatile

A mouse green linen cap. Perfect for summer. Varsity Headwear

• Patterned caps . Not all of course, but while wandering around e-shops, I sometimes come across some pretty fun models

Would I wear this? Not sure. In any case, I find it funny and rather pretty. Beams+

On the other hand, I am not very fond of caps with large logos or inscriptions . Attention is diverted: we look more at what is written on the crown than at the cap itself.

I see successful looks with such caps, but I think if we removed the inscription it would be better.

It's not for me. Portia1924

3. How I like to wear it

I currently have two hats:

• An olive green from Monoprix which was given to me and which I wear a lot because the color fits very well into my outfits

• A Norse Projects in small check linen/cotton, which is a little stronger visually and requires a little more thought to wear it well

These two are enough for me for now. I don't plan to have others even if I don't stop myself from being pleasantly surprised, especially by a more creative model.

These two caps are consistent with my style, so much so that they fit into many of my outfits without worrying too much.

Below is an example of an outfit. The idea was to have a simple color base: gray t-shirt, blue shirt, white pants.

Then, we densify everything at the ends (top and bottom), with burgundy moccasins, a beige bandana but also with a checkered cap.

For some further inspiration, I love how Swedish brand Berg&Berg incorporates caps into dressier outfits.

4. My favorite brands

I wrote an article listing a dozen brands of caps, ☞ you can discover it here ☜

Here are three brands that I often look at:

1. Norse Projects which has beautiful things every season, both on simple and more creative models
2. Officine Générale for the beautiful choice of materials
3. Beams+ for more creative and fun caps

Jordan

I counted. I have nine. But I only have one head.

I haven't worn caps for a long time. Since I was around 30 years old.

Before that, it wasn't worth it. Even though I looked a little younger than my age, I didn't want to add another element to the adolescent's outfit.

Now that I have hair on my chin and dark circles that justify having a little bottle, I can afford it.

1. Why I like it

It is a popular accessory , which transcends generations and styles too, an accessory that is modest in its form, easy to access and which is not purely aesthetic since it protects from the sun.

Beyond that, I especially like it when my hair doesn't look like anything or I don't have time to style it, the cap comes in handy.

2. How I like it

I like the dad cap . Now that I'm a father, I feel legitimate.

The dad cap is soft, six-sided with a rounded visor. It is cotton, lined or not and preferably faded by the sun. It must have lingered a little in the corners. A spider web on the visor? It's better this way.

Ben Affleck wears a Boston Red Sox cap in New York City in October 2007. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

It can cost €5 at a thrift store or around fifty when it's adorned with a cool logo.

I like the caps claiming to belong to a group. They benefit from a certain hype and I am probably a victim of it. I'm talking about caps that say: "Golf Club" with the name of a city, or "Book club". Or with the name of a fashionable cocktail embroidered. Or the name of the brand for that matter, it doesn't really bother me.

And then, even if it's a Ricard, I like it too. Or a construction company, I’ll take it. Well, if I like the cap. If its color interests me, its shape suits me.

It can be ridiculous, I agree.

Especially when you're not part of any of these clubs. But that’s actually the point. The cap can be a little ridiculous, a little poorly worn, soft and worn out. It's the cap we found in a corner and placed it right on his head without thinking.

I don't particularly like caps with technical properties. I won't surprise you here. For me, it blocks the sun, that's not bad. For the rain, all I have to do is take my chances, find a sufficiently wide tree, a suitable balcony.

If I'm hiking, on the other hand, I'd probably go for a technical bobsled. But irrelevant here.

3. How I like to wear it

Preferably on the head.

Hilarious.

I'm going to talk to you in JPEG, it's more meaningful.

To relax a gray summer suit, I wear sneakers, a t-shirt and a cap. And then, as the suit is gray, the cap allows me to add color and a little more relief.

Here the cap really makes sense. It's the same register of formality as the rest of the outfit. It's casual. So there, the cap confirms all that. And plus, of course, it adds a touch of color. A fairly sporty green that I particularly like.

And finally an outfit that isn't mine and that I love. The cap (on which it is written "What's funny?") is an element that adds authenticity to the outfit.

The construction may seem complicated with a message t-shirt, a blazer with gold buttons, a western belt and a 501. Well the cap says here: "these are clothes that I wear every day, I don't have them put it just for the photo."

The cap allows you to take ownership of the clothes. Not to give the impression of being a model that has been dressed.

When we engage in slightly more elaborate outfits, it's a way of deflating the aesthetic scope , of making us more humble and more down-to-earth ultimately, because the cap, as I said in the introduction, is popular and modest in essence.

4. My favorite brands

My very first cap came from Universal Works . But I don't wear it often because the cap is rigid, which I don't like. However, I mention the brand because it is a good lead all the same.

Norse Projects : already mentioned above but I have to mention it again because the first caps I liked came from there. You can easily find them on sale and the colors are always well seen. I must have three from them, including a beige one that I wear very often.

Berg&Berg : not that they are exceptional but the colors are well felt too. Like this one :

Rowing blazers : hard to find. But I had to mention them. Because it's exactly my kind of hat. A little offbeat. And then right in the Ivy universe that I love so much.

Novel Mart : What do you want me to tell you? I have a cap with “Novel Chess Club” written on it even though I don’t play chess or “Beaujolais”, I like it! Who knows why!

Kian

1. Why I like it

Personally, I love wearing caps, and I love the look of them in general. I think it's an accessory that adds a lot to an outfit, considering mine is quite casual. The cap also helps when I haven't styled my long curly hair or if I can't really manage it in the morning.

2. How I like it

I really like New Era's snapback caps and fitted caps, especially the 59FIFTY

I think that to wear a fitted sports cap, you need a fairly streetwear personal style, even a little vintage.

A fan of the 59 Fifty, Jay-Z wears one alongside Alicia Keys at Yankee Stadium in New York in 2002. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images)

3. How I like to wear it

During the summer, I wear my caps backwards, because I feel like they look better that way.

With a t-shirt, I think wearing a cap backwards is a great look, but on the other hand, I never wear it like that with a sweater or sweatshirt.

As I love streetwear, I wear my caps with oversized t-shirts and large pants. I really like the baggy look, and I think a cap ties the look together, thanks to its pointy shape that makes your head flat.

4. My favorite brands

I recommend New Era first. It's one of the biggest cap brands in the world, and they have models for everyone. It's also an iconic brand in the world of hip-hop and streetwear, and is now the exclusive brand of MLB.

I really like the Yankees cap that New Era created in collaboration with Aime Leon Dore . I especially like the style of the Yankees logo.

I also recommend the James Perse trucker cap. It's a cap that has a less streetwear look and it costs more.

Unlike New Era's fitted cap, James Perse's is in the shape of a trucker, so the back part is made of plastic mesh, and the size can be adjusted.

Pierce

Like Jordan, caps are a recent addition to my wardrobe. Indeed, being 21 years old, being Parisian and in the middle of a hair transition, I really didn't want to fall into the cap/AirPods/mid-length hair cliché.

However, beautiful caps had been catching my eye for a while, and as I scrolled through the pages of all the "cool dudes" on Instagram, I wanted to join the movement.

Because when you're 21, you want to bring people together while standing out. A nice balancing act. So after hesitating for a long time, I gave in.

1. Why I like it

Versatile practicality. Whether it's when a blazing sun threatens to transform my skull into a kettle, when my increasingly long hair refuses to be tamed, or as a headband to keep it out of my eyes.

When I don't want to carry an umbrella, a cap combined with a rain coat does the trick. Example below during the incredible but rainy BonneGueule 2021 team building.

In addition, it is an easy accessory to master. As Benoît and Nicolò said in their respective summer videos, you shouldn't put style on the shelf. And the cap is the ideal accessory to enrich a summer outfit, with a utilitarian bonus.

2. How I like it

Colored and/or textured. I am very tall, I am talkative, and my voice carries. So even if it means being noticed, you might as well be noticed for its headgear with its colorful “flare” and unusual design.

I am therefore a fan of caps in pastel colors and/or a vintage look, with a logo or original embroidered writing. I also prefer the strapback adjustment system, aesthetic and practical for my taste.

3. How I like to wear it

My first, and only cap (for now), is from Holiday Boileau . It is simple, friendly, and sweet (I have exhausted my stock of alliterations). Yellow is a color that I love more and more, and on the head of the big stake that I am, it really energizes the top of my look.

I only have a few photos with it, but it enhances a simple look (sneakers, jeans, white tee, striped shirt) and makes it brighter.

Enjoying the summer with this chick on my head, I will wait until the start of the school year to treat myself to a more workwear cap and try a more sophisticated look, as Nami and Jamie do perfectly:

4. My favorite brands

I go to thrift stores, to Vif Vintage (101, rue Boileau Paris 16). And I like the Namiman and Holiday Boileau brands.

Jerome

1. Why I don't like him very much

You can search: you won't find a cap in my current wardrobe. Oh sure, I've already worn a few, mainly in summer, and for more utilitarian than stylistic reasons . That is to say that the sun and me are very complicated.

Over the years, I have tested several caps, often cheap, with different shapes and materials . Being of rural origin, it is even possible that I proudly went as far as John Deere models. But let's move on: it was never really love at first sight between the cap and me and I finally got over it.

My last time with a cap dates back to spring 2019. That is to say that I still persevered for a long time, not so much for the style but for practicality. Until 2017, for example, I spent my summer holidays on the roads and by bike. This was still the simplest and most obvious headgear for this activity. But it was also a default choice.

Since then, the bike is well stored and I motivate myself every summer to find something that suits me more than the cap. Hat ? Not sure. However, I don't think I have any particular contraindications: head circumference of 59cm, nothing very unusual on paper except a stubborn feeling every time I wear something on my head - even a hat.

I am probably one of those who have difficulty projecting themselves with it, and no matter how much I try: there is no rational explanation for this phenomenon. However, I have a hypothesis, which is worth what it is worth and which is more a personal feeling than a scientific observation.

From my point of view, the cap rather hardens my face, and this is not something that is particularly pleasant for me. A link with hair loss, perhaps? It is an idea. Except that I have already tested long hair, short hair and even a shaved head with a cap and it has never resulted in anything unforgettable.

Another hypothesis: perhaps the caps tested so far were simply not of extraordinary quality or fit. To carry out the investigation to the end, it would therefore be necessary to try the experience of a high-end cap . But do I really want it?

On the other hand, I completely appreciate the cap in others, in old school hip-hop for example and I will mention this point a little later this summer in the Pochette series.

2. My alternative to the cap, the bucket hat

I found an alternative, the bob or bucket hat in English .

I now own three and they suit me well: cooler than the cap, more flexible and more protective too and it's almost as important as sun protection.

Bobs in linen, cotton or velvet . In linen because it is probably the most suitable material for high temperatures. Last year, I added this pretty ecru Lock & Co model to my shopping list, and I don't despair of adding it to my collection one day.

In the meantime, I have set my sights on the cotton bucket hats produced in France by Brut Clothing and inspired by French workwear from the 50s. The sculptor Brancusi apparently wore similar ones, and that is typically the type little detail that I like. For the colors: ecru and indigo. I have something to amuse myself with.

But imagine that I didn't stop there. You may have noticed that I also love velvet. To go further, to anticipate the return of autumn, I found a model in beige velvet, vintage and without a brand .

To find what I'm looking for, I look in thrift stores or at Brut Clothing , Universal Works , Norse Projects , Lock & Co , Engineered Garments

3. How I wear the bob

For this summer, I'm considering the bucket hat with next to nothing: a shirt with a Cuban collar, plain or patterned, loose pants, sneakers or soft moccasins like my pair of Quoddy . If the days are cooler: a t-shirt over a military-inspired shirt and my trusty light parka in Ventile Cadot .

For fall and the velvet model: same thing, with a few additional layers - round-neck or turtleneck sweater, boots and fatigue pants for example. For something a little dressier, I'll probably wait for the white beard to introduce myself to the style of Sean Connery in "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade" - a model, in that genre.