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 A paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined or coated paper, coated with plastic-coated paper, plastic or wax paper, wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of paper recycling, re ...

, an enlisted sailor's cap, also worn by first-year midshipmen at Annapolis *

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

* 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 The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

* Greek fisherman's cap (also known as a Breton cap or a fiddler's cap) * Juliet cap * Karakul (hat), Karakul * Kepi * Kippah (also known as yarmulke or skull cap) — worn by Jewish males * Knit cap (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 suit, Mao cap * Meyrick Helmet * Monmouth cap * Newsboy cap * Nightcap (headgear), Nightcap * Nurse cap * Ochipok * Papakhi * Patrol cap * Peaked cap * Phrygian cap * Rastacap * Sailor cap * Shako * Shower cap * Sindhi cap * Sports visor * Square academic cap * Stormy Kromer cap * Swim cap * Tam o' Shanter (cap), Tam o' Shanter * Taqiyah (cap), Taqiyah, worn by Muslim males * Toque * Tubeteika * Ushanka * Utility cover * Zucchetto

Baseball caps

* Baseball cap * Fitted cap * Snapback (hat), 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