The Baseball Cap: Your Wardrobe MVP

Keen to hit a sartorial home run in 2020? The baseball cap is still your wardrobe MVP. 

The Brooklyn Style  
While we’re all now accustomed to seeing the humble cap emblazoned with overt political messaging, or rather conspicuously worn by celebrities going ‘incognito’, the baseball cap first made its appearance on the diamond pitch in Brooklyn. Designed to protect their players’ eyes from the sun, the Brooklyn Excelsiors first donned the cap in 1860. 

Still the progenitor of the modern baseball cap, the long bills and rounded-top design remained relatively unchanged until the 1940s, when latex rubber was introduced into the manufacturing process. The rubber ensured that the baseball cap stiffened, making a functional break from earlier, floppier renditions that were constructed with wool and leather. 

Soon, the so-called ‘Brooklyn style’ cap became a cultural heavyweight thanks to the televised broadcast of baseball games and the influence of TV stars like Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. 

Later, the airwaves began delivering even more sartorial relevance from beyond baseball’s sandlot. Hip hop savant and Brooklyn native Jay-Z pretty much patented the New York Yankees’ cap, and The Beastie Boys made a name for themselves wearing caps with blatant branding, while the denizens of Seattle grunge blared out the heterogeneous capacity of the cap. 

These days, the baseball cap has become so widely applicable, it’s not uncommon to see it paired with formal navy blazers or clean linen trousers. 

This is partly thanks to high fashion’s appropriation of the cap to signify streetwear legitimacy. Appearing on the runways of Louis Vuitton, implemented in the catalogues of Burberry and Gucci, and playfully reinterpreted by Balenciaga for the Bernie Sanders campaign, the humble cap has become a coveted high-end accessory. 

Knock it out of the ballpark! 
Still, you don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet to hit a home run with the baseball cap. Thankfully, the options are numerous. 

For starters, the aptly-named ‘dad cap’ opts for a cleaner, curved-peak design (often faded in colour and a little more structureless when it comes to the body). The dad cap is perfect when paired with oversized jeans and a pair of New Balance beaters. 

Another option is the 5 panel cap, which has its roots in performance cycling. Loved for its low-profile silhouette, the 5 panel cap has become a streetwear staple thanks to stalwarts like Supreme and Norse Projects adopting the design. Incredibly versatile, the 5 panel seems to hit its peak when paired with any kind of hoodie. 

In terms of performance-wear, sports caps still utilise the most contemporary tech and lightweight materials, while the flat peak six panel snapback has become more popular among hipsters and those mixing in hip hop circles.