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Photo by DJ. Scammell

Fashion For Men—A Great Hat

Published 12:12 PST, Fri February 14, 2025

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One item that can be very useful in the gentleman’s arsenal is a great hat. Whether it is a baseball cap, fedora, flat cap or the newsboy cap.

This article I would like to discuss specifically the newsboy cap, also known as the newsie cap, jeff cap or baker boy hat ... where I will talk about its history and how it is still popular in modern times.

It is a great stylish hat that looks great if you wear it formally with a suit or casually with bomber jacket or Polo shirt.

The hat will keep your head warm during cooler weather and during summer will help block the sun. There are many different fabrics this hat is made out of.

For winter months I recommend the wool, herringbone, tweed fabrics. During the spring and summer, I recommend the linen fabrics that are lighter and will reflect the heat.

The Newsboy cap has a similar overall shape and stiff peak (Visor) in front like the flat cap, but the body of the cap is rounder, made of eight pieces fuller, and paneled with a button on the top.

History

This style was very popular in Europe and North America in the early 20th century among both boys and adult men.

As the name suggests, this headwear was predominately worn by working class boys especially newspaper boys. The style was also preferred by the middle-class businessmen who disliked the bulkiness of top hats that were also popular at the time.

While the Newsboy cap was worn by working class and middle class business men they were also popular hats with upper classes primarily for leisure activities and the style became associated with well to do country sportsmen, drivers, and wealthy golfers.

Photos by DJ. Scammell

Resurgence

The Newsboy Cap eventually died out in the mid to later part of the 20th century but began to make a come back going into the 21st century. They are now seen in many retailers. Modern day fashion icons and celebrities are often seen wearing this hat from Singer Brian Johnson of the band AC/DC to athletes like David Beckham.

The hit British TV series Peaky Blinders really made it cool to wear the Newsboy cap once again, thanks to the character Thomas Shelby played by actor Cillian Murphy who looks great wearing this iconic hat.

Hat History

During the early 20thcentury, a hat was a staple of men's fashion and would be worn in almost all public places. However, as a social custom and common courtesy, men would remove their hats when in conversation with women. In addition, the ability to own a hat was considered a sign of wealth due to fashion being recognized as a status symbol. Only those with few economic resources would venture out without a hat.

The Fedora

The introduction of a new line of felt hats made from nutria, an animal similar to beaver, helped establish the fedora as a durable product.

In the 21st century, the fedora has made a reappearance in the fashion world along with other types of classic hats such as the homburg. In addition, the fedora has appeared in recent portrayals of movies and television shows that are set in the past, such as Mad Men 2007 to 2015, Shutter Island 2010 and Boardwalk Empire 2010 to 2014. Michael Jackson also frequently wore a fedora while performing on stage.

By the early 21st century, the fedora had become a symbol of hipsters, referred to in the early 2000’s as a ‘fedora renaissance', with celebrities like Johnny Depp wearing the hat.