Caps, baseball caps and snapbacks: why shouldn’t these terms be considered synonymous?

Often, when talking about sports headwear, the words “cap”, “baseball cap” and “snapback” are used in the same sense, although, in fact, these concepts are different and have different histories. But there is one thing they have in common: they, like most items of men’s clothing, didn’t just come about for beauty, but for convenience in their main fields of endeavor – warfare, engineering, and sports.

Eventually developments from each sphere combined into one accessory – a baseball cap, of which the snapback is a variation. How to wear this headwear today? Let’s sort it out with a stylist.

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In the 2021 collections, the baseball cap has become one of the main trends!

How did the cap come about?

The first headwear with visors appeared in the early XIX century in the British army, and later they were called pilots. But the first hat, which was called consonantly cap – kepi – was born in 1830 in France and was part of the uniform of French soldiers. Kepi became an alternative to military kivers – uncomfortable cylindrical headgear with a visor. At first these visors were rounded, then – square, as the round one was faster soaked by rain.

The word “cap” refers to this flat cap with a small visor, often made of wool, sometimes of leather, which today is most often found on cab drivers.

The flat cap has always been associated with laborers. The first such hats appeared in Italy, and later became very popular in England. And not only workers wore this cap. Expensive models could wear and the rich. At the beginning of XX century flat cap became a fashionable accessory for young men, and not always noble, who rode on the first race cars and sat days in the workshops. So the association of flat cap with roads, cars and repair gave the cap another name – “chauffeur’s”.

What are baseball caps and how did they become part of athletes’ uniforms?

Baseball cap is an ordinary cap that each of us has in our closet. It is usually called differently, because this model of headwear was invented specifically for baseball players. Thanks to the wide visor and the shape of a five-dollar orange, the sun does not block the athlete’s view of the field, and the baseball cap is tightly held on the head.

The first hats with visors similar to modern baseball caps were worn by the Brooklyn Excelsiors baseball team in 1860. But until 1940, baseball players went to the field in hats of various shapes and styles. The main element remained, of course, visor, protecting from the sun, but there was no common standard – many teams performed in straw hats and jockey helmets.

Athletes can still take to the field of play wearing baseball caps, as they are part of the equipment. But these hats are more popular among fans who spend several hours in the stadium under the bright sun. In this way they protect themselves from heat stroke and express support for the team, as emblems and logos are often embroidered on baseball caps.

History of snapbacks

The history of baseball caps called snapback started in the mid-1990s. It is a type of sports baseball cap, which is characterized by a spade-shaped large visor of a more rigid shape. Fashionable headwear has found particular popularity in the music scene among rock and rap artists, it was worn by both sexes.

The next wave was taken up by sports stars. As a result, the snapback replaced the traditional cap with a long, curved visor, leaving its place solely as a sports accessory. The straight visor hat has been around for two decades.

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In summer, caps not only protect the head from the sun, but also become the final detail of many stylish images. For example, girls combine them with mini dresses and shoes without heels or unisex variant with shorts, sneakers and oversize jacket. In autumn, a baseball cap will help to reduce the degree of severity of a classic pantsuit or will be the perfect addition to a casual look with jeans, cozy knit cardigan and loafers. As for caps in the style of Lev Yashin, they are not at the peak of fashion today, but are still an integral part of, for example, the classic hunting style in England. But fashion is cyclical, and there is always the possibility that next season designers will rethink this accessory as well.