Whilst my favourite posts have been about music, Web 2.0™ and pie, strangely one of this blog’s most frequently read articles is one that I wrote earlier this year about flat caps. It has put me in touch with several fantastic flat cap fanatics who I never even would have known existed had I not accidentally appointed myself as their unlikely poster child.
As unintentional as my flat cap fame is, I still must bear the fashion responsibility that it bestows upon me, and when serious issues strike the flat cap community, I need to respond. Recently I have noticed that some flat cap owners seem to not understand how to properly wear them. Granted, it can be rather confusing, as they easily fit on the head in up to as many as two possible positions. My beloved grey Kangol didn’t even come with instructions!
With this in mind, I have prepared the following diagram to illustrate how to properly don your flat apparel without looking like a twat*:
* Please note that Samuel L. Jackson is the only human being in existence allowed to wear his flat cap however he chooses without being guilty of twattiness. This is because no one who values their life should ever consider calling Samuel L. Jackson a twat.
lol! Good article. If you can do a piece on chavs as well, that would be great!
I always wear my flatcap FORWARDS in public as backwards does not only make the wearer look cheap and nasty but its also disrespect for those who wear them the appropriate way. The 1st picture I would proudly tip my cap in a friendly gesture and say hello but the backwards way would cop a dirty look and I would walk away feeling like tearing out my hair.
You look awesome with it on forwards pal. I would be proud to meet you that way.
BTW Samuel L Jackson is just showing off like a typical rich person as rich idiots can devaule trational fashion and get away with it which is sad and pathetic. Hes a great actor no doubt about it but his fashion sense blows ass end of story.
God bless you fellow flatcapman. Its gentlemen like yourself that gives me hope and the strength to keep wearing my beloved style.
Best regards Sir
A flatcapman till the day I die.
Lloyd.
Heres an extra word on flat caps
A flatcap can be worn forwards at a slight tilt much like a fedora. Jan Jurewicz wore his green turnio slighlty tilted to the left. It is an old styled way to wear a flatcap and is rather comtable. I find my cap slides on my head to a tilt when my head sweats. I never wear mine backwards in public, cant stand the sight of those who do (esp. older guys who should know BETTER) and feel discusted by those who ruin a decent style that way (backwards wearing can turn a flatcap into a nasty oval shape)
The wearing of a flat cap either forward or backwards is a given point. Forwards is the way forward, backwards is steeped in dipshittery and lessons in mediocrity. Sam Jackson is an actor, not a tasteful flat hat wearer. The problem is that he is a public figure and doesn’t take his haberdashery responsibilities seriously.
I do prefer a fedora or a trilby to a flat cap (the flat cap is still an option though). There is no debate as to wear it forwards or backwards, they are often of a neutral color matching more outfits and provide shade from the sun.
Sorry Pat but beg to differ. Sammual L Jckson should take responsiblty as a public figure as a lot of younger people do look up to him. A flatcap was originaly made to be worn FORWARDS there is no ands ifs or butts about it and as for shade from the sun they were not quite bulit for that purpose either as they dont protect the back of the neck from the suns rays. I wear one because its my style I love the style and it makes me “me” I dont wear one for sun protection and I refuse to wear anything else.
I respect you wear a ribly or fedora and thats cool with me as its your style but flatcaps will always be a part of me
I am very fond of flat caps but lose them with monotonous regularity because I fold them and stuff them into a side pocket from whence they slip never to be seen again - so it’s back to the Charity Shops for another!
Any tips on where in London (E3) might I find a particularly good place to buy a Flat Cap?
Regards,
Andy.
There are great places in the UK. Failsworth, Greenwoods and Scala make sweet flatcaps but for London go to Jermone Street as they have mensland shops there and have a range of gentlemans hats and caps plus I have seen photos of flatcaps and they have some very sexy looking and regal tweeds and turnios there. Im getting an Everton flatcap soon from someone I know which I proudly will wear even thou Im not a soccar fan. Its a blue and white summer cap with a logo on the top
if i were to wear a flat cap i agree with you and i would wear it properly but i think you care too much about what other do, wear you cap how you like and if someone else wants to wear their arse, fuck it, let them wear it how they prefer man.
you sound like you going down the wrong road in life, get on the road to your own zion.
what i was meant to say was…
I remember when i was young, 9 years old maybe, and i was on holiday in america and i saw a kangol flatcap and i spent all my holiday mony on it, all 12 dollars and i loved it. i wore it backwards because it was an evolutionary trend, but i had it for one day and someone took it from beside me without me knowing and it was never to be seen again.
If i were to wear a flat cap i agree with you and i would wear it properly now but i think you care too much about what other do, wear you cap how you like and if someone else wants to wear theirs hanging out their arse, fuck it, let them wear it how they prefer man.
Dave Knapik you sound like you going down the wrong road in life, sitting at a computer all the time, a website like this must take alot of dedication and alot of your time if not all if it, get on the road to your own zion and you’ll get there.
any replys will be appreciated.
Elliot
Wow, it’s been ages since I wrote this post and since then it has exploded into the most popular post on my wee little blog. I guess there’s a lot of flat cap fans out there!
Thanks, Lloyd, for helping out with the questions and giving your sage advice. If you have a link to a picture of you wearing one of your many flat caps, do post it!
As for Elliot, actually, a web site like this takes shockingly little time to produce. I mostly ignore it and then every few weeks (or months) I pop in and say something silly. Someone took your cap when you were little, and for that I am sorry. It seems to have emotionally damaged you somewhat and that sucks. If you hadn’t been daft and worn it the wrong way round, however, you might still have it today.
Elliot you dont get it man. Wearing a flatcap backwards damages it over time as it turns it into an ugly oval shape. People who wear them like that may be their choice but it looks disrespectable plus most people I have seen wearing that style look like they are poed all the time esp. seeing me doing the right thing cap wise. Plus on an elderly guy like that its simply looks as bad as seeing a mini skirt on an elderly lady. (no offense to the ladies). A guy I know wore his flatcap backwards in public and hes 72 years old and I nearly died of shame. It was worse when he asked me to try one of mine on backwards and I did and he said “ohhhhh that look is so you” I wanted to tear out my hair hearing THAT and replaced it forwards VERY FAST. Im sorry to hear you got robbed of your cap as that def was a low blow. Hopefully you got another later on.
Dave I have a picture of myself on You Tube or My space. Just put in flatcapman on You tube and my profile should come up with one picture
lol ure all a bunch ov fukin nerds wtf, wat kinda person gets instructions on how 2 wear a hat…faggots, u wear it how u want, if u got no sense ov fashion or style this is a site 4 u…loosers!!
Trigga what kind of person wears one backwards? A MORAN thats who. If you call that fashion then your the sad loser who jumps when socity calls. Flatcaps were made to be worn FORWARDS and people who wear them backwards should be shot thou the fukin head at dawn.
If you dont like our site then why dont you SOD OFF then and allow flatcap loving guys like us enjoy the syle like the way we do???
I wear my cap forward if the sun is in my eyesw and backwards if the sun is on my neck!
Before some muppet replies in what if i am on a round-a-bout, i wear my cap at work brickieing, so in the words of Fred Dibnagh, fuck you it’s my cap (well i think he said it, and if he didn’t he should have.
Thanks for the comment, Trev. I would have to say that wearing a flat cap as you do, for a very practical purpose, you need to wear it however it helps you the most! I’m no cap cop, just a silly piss-taker.
Wear some sunscreen out there, too!
Well thats your choice Trev but at the end of the day I will have a flatcap that has lasted me years. I choose to wear mine forwards as thats the reason they were made
Trev British vets wear the cap backwards to deliver a cow but like yourself its for a practical reason but I still hate the look because people think it looks “trendy” and I simply dont. Its a matter of choice and if I wear mine forwards I always have sunscreen on the back of my neck. Like Dave Im no cap cop myself but the look does draw either a dirty look or I simply ignore the person. So the simple fact about me is a flatcap forwards gains respect and backwards simply gets the cold shoulder from me. Its the way I have been brought up and if it makes me a “stick in the mud” then so be it and like you said “its my cap and my life and if you dont like it then fuck off and fuck you”
There endith the lession
An interesting site. I think many people here have a point. Wear your hat as you like; especially for practical purposes.
It always strikes me as rather odd that people get so hung up on such trivial matters.
However, I do agree that said headgear was designed to be worn in one fashion. It would seem to me that wearing it in the opposite fashion renders the wearer illiterate (what say you TRIGGA?)
If we’re going to get so pedantic over headgear fashion then perhaps we should all lead by example and check our grammar and spelling? Sorry to be provocative, but we should all either apply the same standards to the rest of our existence, less be judgmental of others?
Shotgun I simply dislike the backwards look and hate the people that do it. Oh and by the by my grammer and spelling should be the least of everyone elses worries. I have every right to be judgemental as if someone is doing something wrong then it should be noted NOT ignored.
My POINT is if you wear a flatcap backwards then you get a cold and nasty response from me. I respect those who do THE RIGHT THING
“THANK YOU”