A flattering hat: a history of the Flat Cap
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2022
- Long associated with the working class of cities and rural areas, particularly in England and Ireland, the flat cap, also known as golf cap, bunnet, or sometimes erroneously newsboy cap, has endured and spread to elegand upper class country estates. It has known a revival in recent years.
Version française: • Tout un plat: l'histoi...
The caps I wear in this video come from Barbour, Wigen's and Dobbs
Title sequence designed by Alexandre Mahler
am.design@live.com
This video was done for entertainment and educational purposes. No copyright infringement of any sort was intended.
It is a perfect cap for those of us with sparsely populated head hairs.
The follicley challenged.😅
Yes
Why? What does it do, that's any better than any other hat, for thinning or bald folk?
@@assininecomment1630 fits snug like a glove, covers the shiny patch like a hair piece , can be worn inside.
@@ddr8215 Wearing a hat indoors is banned in the UK, unless you are female, or a small child. It's just _not done!_
The Flat Cap is wonderful. It stays put in a wind and when you go inside, fold it, and it fits in a coat pocket.
All neat, tidy.
Indeed.
And some of them have a useful earflap that can be tucked away when not needed. So cozy!
i forgot about that! i like billed tobogans for the same reasons
Sin é.
_Wonderful?_ You need to get out a little more often, squire. 😐
Living in Ireland, I can tell you firsthand that the flatcap tradition is very much alive and well amongst the irish farming community. It would be odd to see a tractor driver without one
I am very happy to hear that!
and a lad walking the streets of old milwaukee wisconsin usa not wearing one as well. hee hee.
Make more videos because your videos are amazi like them
I live in Hampshire in England and I would say every third man wears one in the winter.
@@MattM-ce3qe Same, as a Cornishman
I grew up in Ireland 🇮🇪 and my father wore one for most of his life but switched to baseball hats later in life. Rest in peace Jack.
I picked up a flat cap at a thrift store. I have a photo of my grandfather wearing one, and it gives me a sense of connection.
I started wearing flat caps 40 years ago and almost never go out without one.
Tell that to your profile pic!
@@seansoccer100 got him 😂😂😂
I had two. One from an American friend in Japan that didn't want that present from his wife and one handmade by a vendor at the Saturday market in Eugene Oregon. I started wearing one to work and was laughed at and ridiculed. Never one to care about the opinions of others, i continued to wear. Still have them both.
why were you laughed at and ridiculed? how silly
Good for you.
Hi from Eugene
Really strange reaction, isn't it?? Very American, it seems. Very conformist behaviour @@nozrep
I get comments on mine. But I feel and look silly in baseball caps. My friends joke about it, kindly. My kids (my own and my students) line the style and wear mine when they can get it away from me. I take that as a compliment. And the opinion of 3rd graders is worth considering!
Finally I understand the difference between the Newsie cap and the Flat cap. Thank you.
I’m 66 years old just started wearing one love it 😊
This channel is one of the hidden gems of TH-cam
I’m wearing one right now. We are bringing it back baby!
What's good enough for Fred Dibnah is good enough for me.
Big love fi Dibnah
I love that there's a photo that shows both a horse and his rider wearing matching Flat Caps at 6:45
And the horse is wearing a tie?!
A matching tie, shirt, trousers and jacket! Together with the cap none of which I noticed on first viewing, how is that possible?
Excellent observation!
My grandfather called them “going down the road caps” probably because a lot of sports car drivers wore them. That’s what I called them for years not knowing the flat cap name.
I started warring them for cycling because they didn’t blow off easily, shielded my eyes from sun and rain and my Grandfather’s name seen to fit. I did switch to a bike helmet when they became more available but carried my flat cap in a bike bag for when I got off my bicycle.
Over all a very practical hat.
Cycling caps have a similar construction to the flat cap with a short stiff brim, but the body of the cap is more form fitting so it fits under a bike helmet.
Huh? "going down the road caps"..?
Was your gramps already going senile by then?
Warm and comfortable
I was brought up in the wake of Two Tone, by my grandfather in Coventry, who was a very old retired publican of a famous wartime pub who was very old-fashioned even when he was young, so I have been wearing fedoras, trilbies and flat caps ever since I was the only boy in my school during the 1980s to do so, and as a result my nickname of the best part of forty years has always been: 'The Hat'. From that time, I have consistently espoused the opinion that the decline of hat-wearing in England has much to answer for, as if in jest, but actually in sincerest earnest. It has been most gratifying to bear witness to the hat-wearing revival over the years since then, especially amongst the youth. Nonetheless, I unfailingly learn some fascinating new insight into the world of hats every video I watch on this channel. It is content of the highest quality. I doff my hat to you, Sir.
My Yorkshireman step-dad bought me one as a kid in the 80’s and I rediscovered them about 15 years ago which I wore ‘ironically’ in the trendy urban environment I then lived in given . Now I live in the Scottish Highlands and just wear it as cosy, less childish than a baseball cap and super practical in keeping the wind off my ageing bonce. I love that you can flip it on to your head one handed and there it stays come what may… Great history- thank you!
Libertines: Time for Heroes; 2002: "There are fewer more distressing sights than that, Of an Englishman in a baseball cap..." I have always heartily agreed.
Baseball caps, plain ones, are not childish.
Yorkshire the land of flat caps and ferrets
The Newsboy cap is also called a Yorkshire cap in the North of England.
@@geoffpriestley7310ahhhh, ferrets, the tubesteaks of the animal kingdom!
I was in Ireland in 2018. They were having a heat wave then. It was all of 80 degrees F. Not having as much hair as I did when I was young, I needed to cover my head. We were in the village of Cong. So we went into the gift shop and I purchased a flat cap. It was a bit warm but it kept the sun off my head. Still have it. It is a very good hat for winters in the northeast. Glad I bought it.
Irish caps can be a bit heavy in fabric, 95% of the year it's perfect 👍
Nice village Cong, The Quiet Man was partially filmed there in 1952, it's only about 40 mins away from me in Galway City
I have an Irish linin flat cap summer, cool and keeps sun out of my eyes, very practical. Only downside is it wont stop the tips of your ears getting sunburn
This has been my go to style of cap for years.
44 year old southern American here. I moved from a baseball cap to a bucket cap when I was in high school and then from the bucket cap to a flat cap after college. I still wear a flat cap daily!
I have fond memories of my grandfather wearing his to church every Sunday. He had 3 for the 3 different suits he owned. 😊
My grandson got me one from England, and it’s my favorite hat .
God bless you and your grandson
I have a heavy weight one for winter and a lighter summer one for best , then several corduroy ones as well.
Wore these since my teenage years in Detroit the mid 90s.
Loving the fact that there are so many more fabrics available now.
Ahh, the bunnet. Very popular in Scotland. Not just Northern England and Ireland.
I didn't realise my leather Stetson brand 'flat cap' is actually a Newsboy cap. Thanks for pointing out the difference. The reason I wear (both) is that they're so practical. Being short, the sun visor in my car doesn't come down far enough to shield my eyes from the sun when I'm driving towards it when it's low on the horizon (to and from work). My flat cap does that job. It keeps me head warm, and when I'm out and don't want to wear it, I can fold it up, like a Cornish pasty, and stick it in me pocket. So I call em 'Pastie hats'!
From the North of England, I endorse this message!
I'm really enjoying your series. My wife is a milliner, and she introduced me to the world of hats a couple decades ago. A flat cap is one of my favorites. In Japan, they're called "hunting" caps, and the newsboy caps are called "casquettes". I'm glad you pointed out the difference. Can't wait to see more.
I have one that I bought in Ireland. I love it as a classier version of a billed cap, which I wear daily outside in my working gear. My flat cap is warm, doesn't mess up my hair too badly and looks nice with my fall wool clothes.
I automatically think of my uncle. He was a faithful wearer of the Flat Cap . He had a everyday one and another that he only wore to Sunday services.Thank you for posting. ❤
On a recent trip back to Wales to visit my family, I live in Canada now, they had my dad’s flat cap proudly displayed, along with his Bowler hat. The flat cap was his daily wear. The Bowler for special occasions, funerals as he was a pallbearer when needed at our church. I have just found your Channel and I am enjoying it immensely . I am now looking for a flat cap or a newsboy cap for my self, as I now know the difference. Thanks John.
I was part of a 70’s pop band. I wore a flat cap and sunglasses 😎
Was it a look? Did the other band mates dovetail to that?
surly not 'curiosity killed the cat'...🙄
@@Alienalloythat was the 80s
I was wearing mine only the other day. I live on a narrowboat on the UK canals and it's the perfect piece of headgear. My family is also from Ireland, so there's also the familial tradition of wearing them. Great video by the way.
Terrific job! Interesting and informative! In my family, these hats are a bit of a family tradition. My 3rd great grandfather, an immigrant to the US from Waterford during the Great Famine, wore more of a newsboy cap while working in a brownstone quarry. His son wore a flat cap. My great grandfather became a Chief of Police and wore a Fadora when not in uniform. My grandfather wore a variety of hats including a flat cap. My dad has been wearing a flat cap for as long as I can remember. So it was only a matter of time before a picked up the family tradition--been wearing a flat cap for the past 3 years and love it. Now I'm trying to get my 23-year-old son to join the fun; so far, no luck there!
I Love Flat Caps and I like History a lot so I never expected to find a channel like this
I have a very fine example of a 'baker boy' flat cap ( like the news boy but with a curved peak) in Harris tweed with eight panels from Earland & Sons Leicestershire hatters. I've had it for years and it ages gracefully; it is lovely and warm in cold weather and, being Harris tweed, reasonably waterproof. I've been told it's flattering to my face by more than one lady so naturally I'm delighted with it.
I bought a lovely tweed flat cap to wear when driving my Mazda Miata with the roof open. All I need now is the Miata !
My great grandfather was a bit of a pack rat. He came to America from Westmeath in 1903. He had one hat, a greyish green plaid flat cap hand made of wool by a relative in Westmeath. Being a packrat, when it got a bit too worn to wear he retired it to his closet and obtained another from that same relative, this time in a solid dark forest green. Some years later he obtained yet another one in a brown plaid from that relative and then he got his last one, a solid grey made by the daughter of that relative around 1950. So in his adult life he owned four. They must have been extremely well made because I have all four and while they all have wear, there are no holes. He died when I was five years old and I expressed an interest in them so he gave them to my mother to hold onto until I was old enough to wear and fully appreciate them. He may very well have had others but I only know of four. An uncle of mine obtained his Irish flat cap in 1970. His was made in a herringbone pattern. He passed away about 20 years ago and nobody wanted his cap so my aunt gave it to me and it too fits. When another aunt visited Ireland she brought back three for me and that was around 18 or so years ago. The only one I have that was not made in Ireland of Irish wool is one cousin got for me from Paris which is nearly identical in style and construction as the three most recent ones I got from Ireland but it is solid black and has the added feature of fold up ear flaps which none of my others have. That was for some years my go to winter hat until I moved to Florida though I still occasionally wear it. It goes quite well with my black suit and overcoat paired with a black scarf. That's about as formal as I get. I'm sure someone in Ireland makes them but I have never seen one from Ireland that was all black. Recently I ordered one through Amazon that is a bit brighter shade of green though not quite a Kelly green. From the oldest to the newest there is little difference in design. I have dozens of hats from various periods. But my favorite is my flat cap. It is the one I feel I look the best in.
Kelly, my favorite shade of green!
Incidentally, the name of the girl who took my V Card🤣🤣🤣
I wore various flats during the 70's disco era. Now that i'm over 60 and bald, I got a nice one from Louisiana to wear. Welcome, old friend!
honestly that's my plan if ever I should start balding. No hair? Hats're the next best thing or even better
I grew up in the States but have worn flatcaps and newsboys since I moved to Canada many decades ago. The newsboy has become my favourite cap though I still wear the Ivy. The newsboy worn by Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders did grab my eye.Very practical and yet stylish.
It appears that the fedora is having a bit of a resurgence in popularity.
The fedora is popular amongst neckbeards and hipster douchebags. I've refused to wear mine ever since those fat bastards soiled the reputation.
Born and bred in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, reaching a certain age, and following in the footsteps of my late father and grandfathers, I recently felt inclined to buy and wear a flat cap myself. And it feels great...
Same. I have quite a few these days, as a Geordie it's a way of commemorating my ancestors as I think you are to. Pride. 😊
Have both Summer and Winter versions of the Sicilian 'Coppola', which I wear most days here in Sicily. It's both stylish (my opinion anyway) and very much a necessity here. Great presentation. Thanks...! :)
I've been trying to find a flat cap to try locally. Still looking.
Your video was great! Keep up the good work
It’s one of my favorite too!!!!🤗🤗🤗
My wife and I love your videos.
Very old Texan here. Sure, I wear Stetson cowboy hats, but I'm equally comfortable in one of my flat hats or newsboy hats. I am somewhat of a hat wearer who has no boundaries. I enjoy many styles. 🤠
I never thought i could have Enjoy hats so much …. Thanks !
My grandfather was a dairy herdsman in England from the 1930s through to the late 1980s and I spent much time in an agricultural environment as a child as a result of his work. He always wore a flat cap, as did my father and uncle. In old photos I can see that my great grandfather, also a dairy herdsman, also wore one.
As a child in the 70s and 80s, I dont think I ever saw an agricultural worker in the south of England that wasn’t wearing one at work.
My grandfather’s flat caps were usually brown tweed, often in a dog-toothed check pattern. He wore a smart looking one to church and a slightly more worn one on the farm. When his Sunday cap started to look a bit old, and his work cap started to wear out, the church cap was demoted to everyday use and a new, smarter, cap would be purchased for church. After he retired he still wore a smart flat cap to church or when going out somewhere, with his older one being used as a gardening hat.
I own two, which I wear quite a bit. One is grey tweed, the other a brown dog-tooth check much like the one my grandfather wore.
I just realised that it's kind of a thing among older men of Turkish origin in Germany. Makes sense with the Attatürk connection you mentioned!
I live in the US, but bought one in Dublin when I visited a couple of years ago. I like it a lot, and even get compliments when I wear it out and about.
I really enjoy your videos. They are informative, clean, and nicely presented. Good job!
Another perk, for me, is that I watch both, the english and french versions. I went to a french school for a few years, as a child, in Montreal.
It's amazing how much I still remember, but don't have the opportunity to speak french very often, as I live in western Canada now. Watching the french version is helping me retain french as a second language.
Merci bien. Continuer!
Merci! Heureux de pouvoir aider!
My flat cap is made of lovely harris tweed, its also got a curse on it, i go all 'northern' when i put it on, great vlog JC keep em coming!
I used to wear a flat cap to school as a child in the 80s. No idea why, just a bit odd I guess.
Well, so did I, so I understand. Embrace the oddity.
Same. I wore one on occasion and didn't really think anything of it. One of the band members of ACDC was shown wearing one.
Think back to the movies back then. The cool anti (insert plot of movie) guy wore one.
Very interesting as are all your vids.
@@martinholmes-ue9ko I concur.
I have worn both styles for over 50 years! Because of practicallity!
Wind? Rain? Driving convertible? Bicycle?…you name it….
IT STAYS ON AND DOES THE JOB!
I keep my dear dad's flat cap to remind me of him. He wore it for many years.
There was a hatter in Norwich, England; Rumsey-Wells, who was a well known maker of a wide variety of cap styles.
There’s a pub in Norwich called Rumsey Wells
@@sacredinstrumentals1360 Yup. It's in the building that was Rumsey Wells shop. 😁
This youtube suggestion is proof that our phones are always listening.
As a keen wearer of many different styles of hats, I’m pleased that only two weeks ago, I bought my first flat cap.
It’s not been off my noggin since. 😄
May I suggest the Welsh Hat as a possible for a video?
Great video. I used to wear hats when i was younger, when I was a traveller. The flat cap was my favorite.
I love these hats. I wear one nearly exclusively. In America I don’t think most know the history so thanks for that. I feel a lot of connection to my forbears the more I learn about them. I know I’m part Scot at least. Wearing the hat actually gives me the feel of an old world intellectual and sometimes an American hipster from mid 20th century somehow.
Such good hats. Easily fold it up to fit in a coat pocket. Perfect for holding whats in your pockets when ya sleep.
Just great.
I'm from the US and I wear both a flat cap and a newsboy cap unusual wear the newsboy cap when it's really sunny out cause of the wide viser and the flap cap when it isn't to sunny but I like them both just the same
Brian Johnson of AC/DC is who I always relate to this hat, enjoyable clip!
Your changing outfits cracks me up. Now you're upper class.
I wore baseball caps or welding caps for a number of years, and was given my 1st flat cap as a birthday present @30 years ago. My wife, along with a number of other female family friends, all told me that it fit my face and looked much better on me than the others, big surprise I guess as I'm of Irish/English heritage. I've worn nothing but flat caps ever since and have a fairly decent collection, with my main daily wearer being a rather battered leather one. Enjoyed learning the history behind it.
I really enjoy your videos and learning all about the different styles of hats. Having lived in tropical or southern climates all of my life and having wimpy Irish skin,, I've had considerable skin damage. Now that I live in Arizona, I always wear a nice stylish Stetson cowboy hat for sun protection.
My grandfather an engineer wore one basically to keep his hair clean at work , the cap was filthy with oil. And going back to then people didn't get bathed or showers as often so it would make sense to have a covering for your hair when worn with overalls meaning only your hands and face will need cleaning.
I hadn't thought of that
Still true today. I work in a dirty workshop with lots of dust in the air.
I like to wear a cap to keep dust, oil, grease, paint and glue out of my hair. (I have the kind of hair that don't want to be shampooed to often)
I prefer a short-brimmed cap, (sometimes called a five-panel cap or golf cap), as it fits my head shape. I also have to wear ear protection 99% of the time at work, wich requires a cap that fits tight on the head, and doesn't have that button on top of the crown.
My flatcap was made in Ireland by Hanna Hats. When the weather gets cold, I don't go outside without it. Thank you for this video!
I must have about 12 of those, very well made, and not really cheap once I think about it LOL
Bravo Jean-Charles - had no idea this flat cap went so far back. Great storytelling to your history presentations.
Flat caps are very comfortable and practical, I got one on a trip and wore it constantly till I lost it.
I will be getting another soon..
I appreciate your making a clear distinction between the flat cap and the newsboy cap. I am a big fan of the latter (and an old newsie myself). Ive had versions for decades, including white versions for summer and tropical wear. I've nothing against flat caps except the shape. They are too narrow for my head. The same is true for small newsboy caps, which are fashionable now.
Try looking for a Bond Cap as worn by Edward VIII, they are a round topped wool hat with a peak, wider and floppier than a flat cap, and are often seen but not discussed in this video although they are a big part of the evolution of the flat cap, don't have eight panels like the Tam O'Shanter ("Tammie") and are more like the original Blue Bonnet / Balmoral but with a stiffened peak.
Very well-done presentation. I have flat caps with ear flaps, great for extra cold weather, which you can either wear or tuck inside the hat if not needed. Flat caps with ear flaps are hard to find.
15 years ago I wore one in Birmingham and people associated them with Yorkshire because of Last Of The Summer Wine.
Now, when I wear one in Yorkshire, people associate it with Birmingham cos of Peaky Blinders.
The industrial working class used them as a portable glove for hot and dirty objects such as hot metal tools. In the original Ulster Defence Force it marked the social divides of the day with the men parading in flat caps, the senior NCOs in bowlers and the officers in soft brimmed hats. In the shipyards the foremen wore bowler hats and the workmen flat caps.
I remember when fedoras and flat caps were the style in my highschool, in 2010.
Still worn with affection and great utility by us in Yorkshire.
Well, again I am delighted to learn about another hat in a concise, informative fashion! I do have to ask however, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do the cowboy hat soon! I cannot wait for the deep dive, and it is on the intro art... even if not on the cowboy hat keep them coming!
Merci!
I swear it's coming, I wrote the script recently, but I have a few more that are lined up before it, so it might still be a little bit. But it'll come, I promise!
Vive la Normandie, très bonne expliquation merci 🤝🏻
I like flat caps like irish tweed caps. Curly Howard of the three stooges wore a flat cap, its his favorite. He wears it like if he was a little boy back in Brooklyn lol. Thanks for sharing this history of the Flat hats. It was interesting. 😊
So much that I did not know. So much I still don't. Cheers. Many thanks.
Love the history! I'm looking for a British driving cap to go motoring in my modern Mini Cooper S...or flip it around for cruising in my vintage Model A roadster! Thanks!
I have three flat caps at the moment, and have worn them since I was 15. I prefer Harris tweed, but I also have one made from Donegal tweed. They go perfectly with my many tweed jackets, and especially well with my hand-made Yorkshire tweed suit. Living as I do in eastern Poland, my English look stands out a bit, but I've never been called scruffy. Nor have I been accused of being overdressed in tweeds (as the Poles say, "Dressed like a rat at the opening of a canal"). Long live the flat cap!
Back in the 1960's my dad wore a train engineer's cap on the farm. But when he and mom were going to town, he wore a flat cap. Always.
My most Aerodynamic cap! Great in windy conditions
My first flat cap was when I was 12. My mother bought it from L.L. Bean and the catalogue called it a British touring cap. That’s what I called them for forty years until I recently heard the term flat cap used.
Wasn't searching for this but the flat cap has always been one of my favorite hats and I happen to be wearing one now.
When I lived in England in the 70s and early 80s I never bought a flat cap, nor any cap at all. But in the late 1980s I was working in Rome. It was winter and my hair was thinner and the wind in those street canyons was biting, In a dedicated men's hat shop I bought an Italian made heavy wool navy blue flat cap with earflaps that folded up inside. I'd seen a couple men in the street wearing hats like that and it looked warm. I wore that cap for about 35 winters and then it disappeared last winter.
As an Irish American, it's a way to show where my ancestors came from. I love it. Wool in winter, cloth in summer.
What I always love so much about this channel is that not only do you show off such amazing hats, and answer a lot of questions I had about particular ones, but are always presented in the appropriate outfit to go with said hat. It is no small feat to do this on a regular basis and accurately represent every one of them.
I just found a new and interesting channel to watch with my husband over dinner...he loves different kinds of hats
Fascinating information. Thank you. ❤❤
Excellent video! Thanks!
I bought one when I lobbed in Britain years ago and wore it when I was driving around the countryside.
Much to the amusement of my mates.
I’ve taken to these hats now, especially in winter. They are somewhat warmer than baseball caps. They are also more comfortable than the latter which tend to grip the head more tightly. And yes, I like the look. There was a very nice lightweight summer one that used to be available called a firehose cap. Thank you for this informative video. Ivy and drivers are other names. As well as the Boston scaly cap.
Um, the Firehose Cap is still available at Deluth Trading Company. They are affordable, and VERY good caps. I have two, one in olive and the other in natural duck. I hesitate to call them lightweight, as the working canvas is pretty stout, but they are breathable and suitable year round, even in the dreaded summer of the desert southwest.
Great presentation. Enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks
I was adamantly against wearing any type of hat until about 10-15 years ago, mainly because I wanted to keep my hair (at least that was my justification for it) and hats generally do not look good on me. Then I was introduced to the flat cap by my wife. It is the only hat that looks good on me, and it has gotten to the point where it feels weird not having it on. Also, coming from the rural working class, this video just reinforced why it is a right fit for me. Thank you. :)
Growing up all the men in my family wore flatcaps, as I still do today. I have a modest collection. My latest acquisition was Buddy Murphy/ John Hanly-Fethard. The flat cap does stretch the gap between informal work wear, business casual & formal wear.
Hats off to you, sir! Fantastic video! Very informative!
One of my favorite.
When I first started wearing one about 40 years ago as a farmworker in the English Midlands it was locally termed as a 'County Cap.'
I knew it, Haha!
Next one is the beret, I think
I have a few flat caps and wear one whenever it's not too hot, which is most of the time here in England. My favourite is a Christy's Radnor which I bought back in 1975, though it is worn and holey.
I have three flat caps. Love them & just like the look. I’ve been wearing them for well over 20 years. Thanks for the history !