Designer Baseball Caps
Your favorite flat-brim hat gets a high-end makeover this season
Whether it’s box-fresh with the stickers on or a trusty worn-in snapback, there are a million beloved ways to wear a baseball cap. Fitted or adjustable? Flat- or curve-brimmed? The rules go on, but this season’s batch of designer caps break as much as they follow them—focusing on innovation, but never straying far from tradition. From futuristic plastic to vintage logos, established and emerging fashion labels put their unique stamp on the eight hats below.
Raf Simons
Raf Simons mastered minimalism at Jil Sander and took haute couture by storm at Christian Dior, but his eponymous label is as street-inflected and youth-centric as ever. The Belgian designer slightly tweaks the flat-brimmed, six-paneled cap—made in a wool-mohair blend—with elastic ruching for a comfortable fitted look. It just dropped at Très Bien in green or blue for $80 (20% off for US customers).
Aldies
Gaining a name for its boldly multi-colored and multi-patterned bags, accessories and clothing, cult Japanese brand Aldies has been around since 2004. For those wanting to ease their way into the mismatched look, its current lineup of caps—including this snapback in a cherry blossom fabric with polka dots peeking out from under the lid—will do the trick. Buy it directly from Aldies for about $60.
Acne Studios
Since 1996 Stockholm’s Acne Studios has built a reputation on both solid denim and streamlined, one-step-ahead riffs on sportswear. With its blue perspex visor, the Harrison Twill Cap is a directional interpretation of the snapback. It’s selling out fast online, but Mulkholm still has it in stock for $140.
Ami
Alexandre Mattiussi cut his sartorial teeth at Givenchy, Dior and Marc Jacobs before striking out on his own in 2011 with his Paris-based menswear label, Ami. Topping off its understated spring range, Ami’s ornithological-inspired, unstructured ballcap makes a casual yet dapper wardrobe addition. For $110, it’s available to purchase at Mr Porter.
Y-3
Yohji Yamamoto continues to push the form and function of athletic apparel in his longtime partnership with Adidas, experimenting with volume, silhouette and fabrication. In a sporty cotton-elastane mix, the BB Cap features the dynamic detailing that sets Y-3 apart from the activewear pack; the crown’s seams curve in precision to meet the bill, complimented by angular accents. Find it on Revolve Clothing for $60 in your choice of khaki or black.
Ebbets Field Flannels for J Crew
Founded by baseball enthusiast Jerry Cohen on his quest to find the perfect vintage jersey, Ebbets Fields Flannels is passionate and exacting in its reproductions of early- to mid-20th-century team paraphernalia. The company’s collaboration with J. Crew is a throwback to the minor leagues of yesteryear, representing the likes of the Brooklyn Bushwicks and Homestead Greys. Constructed from brushed cotton twill with an adjustable leather strap, the five team hats sell for $50 from J. Crew.
Soulland
Soulland made its mark in contemporary menswear with its hand for Scandinavian craftsmanship and eye for the unexpected—think quirky all-over prints and hybrids like a bathrobe-inspired jacket. Playing up these strengths with the Krath Cap, the label modernizes and spiffs up the baseball hat in a formal felt wool. Made in Denmark, the Krath is available in light gray or black from Works Unltd. for around $160.
Yestadt Millinery
Childhood friends Molly Yestadt and Jane Pincus established Yestadt Millinery five years ago in New York’s Lower East Side, where their refined but free-spirited hats are designed and produced today. Making a playful departure from their typical range of exquisite, high-fashion fascinators and formal showpieces, the casual cap featuring polka-dotted denim and an exaggerated pony hair bill still exemplifies the designer’s attention to detail and craft. Order it from Opening Ceremony for $275.
Images courtesy of retailers
