When an American customer walks into our Newburyport shop and asks for "a British hat", nine times out of ten they mean a flat cap. Fair enough. It is the one everyone recognises. But it is not the only one, and a few of the others are better suited to a New England winter than the flat cap is.
This is a plain guide to the hats we actually sell and what each one is for, with the brands that make them properly. We have left the bowler and the top hat to the end, because nobody wears those to the shops any more.
The flat cap
A low, rounded cap with a short stiff peak, usually in tweed or wool. It started as working headwear in the north of England and never went away. Today it is the hat British men wear when they want to look like they made an effort without looking like they made an effort.
The classic version is tweed. Barbour's Wilkin flat cap is the one most people find us by searching for. The Cheviot is the heavier country version, in olive herringbone, brown check and charcoal check. Tweedmill does a wide range of tweed flat caps in herringbone, houndstooth and tartan, sized from M to XXL. For a lighter, softer take, Barbour's Westdale is corduroy.
One thing to know: flat caps are fitted, not adjustable. Measure your head before you order. The size charts are on each product page.
The wax cap
Barbour is the company that made waxed cotton famous, and the same fabric they use on their jackets goes on their caps. It is showerproof, it softens with wear, and it can be re-proofed with a tin of wax dressing when it dries out. If you already own a Barbour jacket, this is the cap that goes with it.
There are two shapes. The wax flat cap in olive is the traditional one, and there is a sage version if you want something lighter. The wax sports cap has a slightly fuller crown and sits closer to a baseball cap, which some people find more comfortable. The sports cap comes in olive or navy. The waterproof Beaufort flat cap is the one to buy if you are wearing it in rain rather than drizzle.
Trilby and fedora
People use the two names interchangeably. They are not the same hat. A trilby has a narrow brim, usually turned up at the back, and a shorter crown. A fedora has a wider brim that stays flat, and a taller crown with a pinch at the front. The trilby is the more British of the two.
Barbour makes both. The Craster trilby in dark tan and the Belford trilby are the men's options. For women there is the Flowerdale trilby, which is one of the most searched-for hats on our site, and the Heathfield in dusty pink. On the fedora side, the Tack fedora in cabernet and the Fairbourne are both women's.
The baker boy cap
Americans call it a newsboy cap. It is cut from eight panels that meet in a covered button on top, with a short peak, and it sits fuller and rounder than a flat cap. In the last few years it has become a women's hat as much as a men's one.
The one we carry is Dubarry's Collins baker boy cap in tweed. Dubarry is Irish, from Ballinasloe in County Galway, and better known in the US for its boots. The tweed caps are made to the same standard, which is why they cost what they cost.
The trapper hat
Not a hat people think of as British, but Barbour makes one and it is the sensible answer to January in Massachusetts. Waxed cotton outer, lined, with ear flaps that tie up or down. The Stanhope is the men's version and the Morar is the women's. Both are warmer than they look.
The tweed baseball cap
A baseball cap made from British cloth. It is the compromise for anyone who wants the fabric but not the flat-cap shape. Tweedmill's Harris Tweed baseball caps use cloth hand-woven in the Outer Hebrides, which is the only place Harris Tweed can legally be made, and have a leather peak. Dubarry's Dowd tweed cap is the Irish version.
Beanies and bobble hats
The British call a knitted hat with a pom-pom a bobble hat. Aran Woollen Mills, from County Mayo in the west of Ireland, makes ours in merino wool, in meadow green, slate grey and a button-detail version. Barbour's Kingsford Fair Isle beanie is the patterned one, and there are plain Guinness beanies for anyone who wants the harp on their head.
The Kangol 504
Kangol was founded in Cleator, Cumbria, in 1938 and the 504 is its signature shape: a flat cap with a rounder, softer crown that sits further back on the head. It is the cap you have seen on musicians and film characters for fifty years. We stock the wool 504 and the lighter Tropic Ventair for warmer months.
The ones we do not sell, and why
The bowler, the top hat, the boater and the deerstalker are all British and all real. They are also occasion hats now, not everyday ones. A bowler is for a costume party or a very specific kind of wedding. A deerstalker is for a Sherlock Holmes fan. We would rather sell you a hat you will wear to the shops.
Buying a British hat in the USA
Everything above is in stock at Best of British in Newburyport and Concord, Massachusetts, and ships across the United States. Orders over $50 ship free. The full range is in our British hats and caps collection, and if you are unsure of your size, ask before you order rather than after.
Common questions
What is the most common British hat?
The flat cap. It is the hat most Americans picture when they think of a British hat, and it is still the most worn traditional hat in Britain.
What is the difference between a flat cap and a baker boy cap?
A flat cap is cut from one or a few panels and sits low and flat. A baker boy cap, called a newsboy in the US, is cut from eight panels with a button on top and sits fuller and rounder.
What is the difference between a trilby and a fedora?
A trilby has a narrow brim, usually turned up at the back, and a shorter crown. A fedora has a wider flat brim and a taller crown. The trilby is the more British style.
Are Barbour caps waterproof?
The waxed cotton ones are showerproof and can be re-waxed. The Beaufort flat cap is fully waterproof. Tweed caps are not, though wool sheds light rain.
Where can I buy British hats in the USA?
Best of British has shops in Newburyport and Concord, Massachusetts, and ships British and Irish hats across the United States.
