A flat cap is a rounded cap with a small stiff brim in front. The hat is also
known as a cabbie cap, longshoreman's cap, cloth cap, scally cap, Wigens cap,
ivy cap, golf cap, duffer cap, duckbill cap, driving cap, bicycle cap, Jeff cap,
Irish cap, Crook cap, or a Paddy cap and in regional varieties: in Scotland as a
bunnet, in Wales as a Dai cap, and in New Zealand, as a cheese-cutter. Cloths
used to make the cap include wool, tweed, and cotton. Less common materials
may include leather, linen or corduroy. The inside of the cap is commonly lined
for comfort and warmth. History
The style can be traced back to the 14th century in Northern England and parts of
Southern Italy, when it was more likely to be called a "bonnet", which term was
replaced by "cap" before about 1700, except in Scotland, where it continues
to be referred to as a "bunnet". When English and Irish emigrants went to the
United States, they took the flat cap with them.
A 1571 Act of Parliament to stimulate domestic wool consumption and general
trade decreed that on Sundays and holidays, all males over 6 years of age,
except for the nobility and "persons of degree", were to wear woollen caps on
pain of a fine of three farthings per day. The Bill was not repealed until
1597, though by this time, the flat cap had become firmly entrenched as a
recognised mark of a non-noble subject, such as a burgher, a tradesman or an
apprentice. The style gave rise to the Tudor bonnet still used in some styles
of academic dress. In the 19th and early 20th centuries,
when men predominantly wore some form of headgear, flat caps were commonly worn
throughout Britain and Ireland. Versions in finer cloth were also considered to
be suitable casual countryside wear for upper-class English men. Flat caps were
worn by fashionable young men in the 1920s. Boys of all classes in the United
Kingdom wore flat caps during this period.
In the United States the caps were worn from the 1890s. The cap grew in
popularity at the turn of the 20th century and was at the time standard
boys' wear. They were worn to school, for casual wear, and with suits. Flat
caps were almost always worn with knicker suits in the 1910s and 20s. Both
flat caps and knickerbockers declined in popularity during the 1930s.
In Turkey, the flat cap became the main headgear for men after it became a
replacement for the fez, which was banned by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1925.
In the late 20th century and early 21st century British public figures including
Sami Zayn, David Beckham, Guy Ritchie, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Richard
Blackwood, and the Prince of Wales wore the flat cap in some situations.
Academic regalia One of the flat hats worn in academia is
known as a bonnet or Tudor bonnet and derives directly from medieval headgear
of the period of the original 1571 Bill. It remains essential ceremonial wear by
members of the academic community in many countries, usually as the headgear
of doctoral graduates. Commonly it has a soft round crown and a stiff flat brim.
The bonnet is often made of black velvet and trimmed, between crown and brim with
gold cord and tassels. Some universities opt to trim their bonnets with coloured
cord and tassels. Some stylistic varieties of this bonnet
include: the Canterbury cap, a flat-topped soft
cloth hat with a round headband deeper at the back than at the front;
the Oxford bonnet, which has a black ribbon between crown and brim;
the John Knox cap, a soft square cap made from black velvet and worn by the
Doctors of certain Scottish universities as well as Durham University in England,
the University of Calgary and Queens' University in Canada. It is also worn by
the holders of higher doctorates of the University of Liverpool;
The academic cap however is more widely used in academia.
British popular culture In British popular culture, the flat cap
is typically associated with older working class men, especially those in
Northern England, and the West Country, as personified by Fred Dibnah and comic
strip anti-hero Andy Capp. The flat cap's strong connection with the working
class and the East End of London is illustrated by Jim Branning of the
television soap opera EastEnders and Del-Boy Trotter of Only Fools and
Horses. Taxicab and bus drivers are often depicted wearing a flat cap, as
comedically portrayed by Gareth Hale and Norman Pace's "London cabbies"
television sketches. AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson, a native of Newcastle,
customarily wears a flat cap on stage and frequently off. The flat cap can
also be taken to denote the upper class when affecting casualness. "A toff can
be a bit of a chap as well without, as it were, losing face."
North American culture The flat cap hat is associated in North
American popular culture with city newsboys, the style sometimes being
called a newsboy or newsie cap. Current situation
The style has remained popular among certain groups of people in Europe and
North America. The cap is sometimes associated with older men, significantly
in South Korea, but has been popular among some segments of younger people:
for example, in cities such as Boston with a large Irish-American population.
They are also associated with skinheads and the Oi! and punk subcultures. It has
appeared in the hip hop subculture, sometimes worn back-to-front or cocked
to the side. It is also very common among men and women in San Francisco,
California. In Turkey it is highly popular amongst men, mostly working
class. Rugby league team Featherstone Rovers
supporters' nickname is "the Flat Cappers", due to the fact that
supporters in years gone by used to attend matches wearing them as did most
other teams supporters. The black leather flat cap is often
combined with a patched up sport coat or leather jacket and dark clothes in
popular culture to depict a burglar, mugger or robber, occasionally with a
domino mask. The comic book character the Goon is based on this archetype of
the flat-capped street tough from vintage cartoons and comics, as well as
the Mexican sitcom characters, El Chompiras y El Botijas, the former
interpreted by the famous Mexican comedian Chespirito
The Canadian team in the 1998 Winter Olympics wore red flat caps designed by
Roots in the opening ceremony parade of nations. In addition, the United States
team in the 2008 Summer Olympics also wore white flat caps designed by Polo
Ralph Lauren during the parade of nations.
In 2011 the flat cap increased in popularity in Britain, possibly
influenced by photographs of celebrities—men and women—wearing caps.
Clothing sellers Marks and Spencer reported that flat cap sales
significantly increased in 2011. References
See also British Country Clothing
External links "Cap fits for new generation". Express &
Star, July 2007. American boys' flat caps Historical Boys
Clothing