A cap is a flat

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal settings, and are seen in sports and fashion. They are typically designed for warmth, and often incorporate a visor to block sunlight from the eyes. They come in many shapes, sizes, and are of different brands. Baseball caps are one of the most common types of cap.

Types

The only known example of an original 'Monmouth Cap',dating from the 16th century

* Ascot cap * Ayam * Baggy green * Balmoral * Beanie (North America) * Bearskin * Beret *

Biretta The biretta ( la, biretum, birretum) is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three-peaked biretta is worn by Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. A four-peaked bire ...

* Busby * Canterbury cap * Cap and bells * Cap of maintenance * Casquette * Caubeen * Caul * Coif * Combination cap (also known as a service cap) * Coppola * Cricket cap * Deerstalker * Do-rag * Dutch cap * Dixie cup, an enlisted sailor's cap, also worn by first-year midshipmen at Annapolis * Fez * Flat cap (also known as a Kerry cap in Ireland (slang of Paddy cap – see also Caubeen), longshoreman's cap, scally cap, Wigens cap, ivy cap, golf cap, duffer cap, driving cap, bicycle cap, Jeff cap, or in Scotland, bunnet, or in Wales, Dai cap, or in England or New Zealand, cheese-cutter) * Forage cap * Gandhi cap * Garrison cap * Glengarry *

Greek fisherman's cap A mariner's cap, variations of which are known as skipper cap, Greek fisherman's cap, fiddler cap or Breton cap, Lenin cap and Mao cap, is a soft, flat-topped cap with a small visor, usually made from black or navy blue wool felt, but also occas ...

(also known as a Breton cap or a fiddler's cap) * Juliet cap * Karakul * Kepi *

Kippah A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the c ...

(also known as yarmulke or skull cap) — worn by Jewish males *

Knit cap A knit cap is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often made of synthetic fibers. Found a ...

(also known as a Tuque, stocking cap, wool cap, watch cap, ski cap, bobble hat) * Kufi (also known as a kofia; an African cap worn with a dashiki) * Lika cap * M43 field cap *

Mao cap A mariner's cap, variations of which are known as skipper cap, Greek fisherman's cap, fiddler cap or Breton cap, Lenin cap and Mao cap, is a soft, flat-topped cap with a small visor, usually made from black or navy blue wool felt, but also o ...

Meyrick Helmet The Meyrick Helmet is an Iron Age bronze peaked helmet, with La Tène style decoration, that is held at the British Museum in London. It is one of only four Iron Age helmets to have been discovered in Britain, the other three being the more famou ...

* Monmouth cap * Newsboy cap * Nightcap *

Nurse cap A nurse's cap or nursing cap is part of the female nurse's uniform, introduced early in the history of the profession. The cap's original purpose was to keep the nurse's hair neatly in place and present a modest appearance. Male nurses do not ...

Ochipok The ochipok ( uk, очіпок, also намітка, ''namitka''; перемітка, ''peremitka''; серпанок, ''serpanok''; рантух, ''rantukh''; склендячка, ''sklendyachka''; хустка, ''khustka'') is a married woman' ...

Papakhi Papakha (; , ; ; ce, холхазан-куй, holhazan-kuy; , ; ) is a wool hat worn by men throughout the Caucasus and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of Turkic origin (''papakh)''. Styles Ther ...

* Patrol cap * Peaked cap * Phrygian cap * Rastacap * Sailor cap * Shako * Shower cap * Sindhi cap * Sports visor * Square academic cap *

Stormy Kromer cap The Stormy Kromer cap is a wool hat manufactured by Stormy Kromer Mercantile. The hat is popular in the Midwest region of the United States and with hunters and outdoorsmen. It is named for George "Stormy" Kromer (1876-1970), a semi-professional b ...

Swim cap A swimming cap, swim cap or bathing cap, is a tightly fitted, skin-tight garment, commonly made from silicone, latex or lycra, worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers. Swim caps are worn for various reasons: they can be worn to ...

* Tam o' Shanter * Taqiyah, worn by Muslim males * Toque * Tubeteika * Ushanka * Utility cover * Zucchetto

Baseball caps

* Baseball cap *

Fitted cap A baseball cap is a type of soft cap, hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of releva ...

* Snapback * Trucker hat

Present day depictions of caps

Caps might have started off as a way to keep people shaded from the sun, but now they are much more than that. Caps have made a staple in the both the sports and fashion industries, one leading into the other.

Sports

Like previously stated caps are typically designed with a visor which makes it perfect for keeping a person cool from the heat and sheltering a person's eyes from the sun, so it was a matter of time before they made it to the sports industry. The first sport to adopt wearing caps was baseball, the hats was made out of straw and were worn on April 24, 1849, by the New York Knickerbockers. However, within a few years time the team began to wear a cap made of fine merino wool, that featured a crown and an attached visor. This design became the prototype for caps of that time and still the most popular in present day. It's also not the only design for baseball hats but other sports as well, such as cricket, golf and tennis.

Fashion

Sportswear found its way to fashion in the nineteenth century and on the contrary to what many believe it began to actually cater to the wants and needs of women. Sports cap however made an impact on the fashion industry around the 1980s when the company New Era, who had been designing hats for sports teams, began designing and selling hats to the general public. Baseball caps, fitted caps, snapback caps and truckers hats would then be seen in music videos, films, runways and even on Princess Diana's head, which helped nurture her appearance as the "people's princess." Along with hats, sports jerseys also became available in the 1980s as well, and now licensed apparel is a multi-billion dollar industry.

References