Warm days are here, and we're in full swing of enjoying the season of fun in the sun. 

While you may be fully aware that it's generally a good call to wear a hat, (check out our "Why You Should Wear a Hat During Summer" blog for some further details,) not everyone is a fan of brimmed hats--and that's okay! A good cap will still keep the top of your head covered, and help give a little bit of shade over your eyes, which is still a win.. 

Here at Hats in the Belfry, the new selection for this year's summer season has us sufficiently covered in caps, so let's sift through some of our new favorites to get you started!

The Cuts

Ivy Leagues

For our Ivy Leagues, we have hats like out Belfry Tizano, Belfry Claudio, and the Wigens Lowe.

The Belfry Tizano showcases a brilliant unsolid crosshatch design that teases little touches of other colors amidst a main raspberry body. It is a hat that demands you have some fun with it, whether being a bright pop to accent your look, or finding creative ways to pull up the blues, oranges and creams hidden throughout the weave!

Meanwhile, the Belfry Claudio offers a more neutral pallete with its ivories, tans, and dusty blue. That doesn't mean it's a boring cap, though! Far from it. Its plaid pattern builds visual interest and contrast without being "loud," granting it a fair range of flexibility to how you want to wear it. 

Like the Belfry Claudio, our Wigens Lowe has a plaid pattern, but comes toting a more classic cut if you wish to take a nod toward more vintage styling. Unlike the Tizano and Claudio which are more streamlined in their fit, the Lowe has a touch more volume in material at the sides in its paneling. If you're a fan of 1920s period shows like The Peaky Blinders, this is definitely the cut for you!

Pub Caps

Slightly more casual counterparts to the Ivy Leagues, our Belfry Gianluca and Wigens Penny are perfect pubs for any venture you plan on partaking in. 

The Belfry Gianluca gives its pub cut a little extra sporty oomph with its contrasting solid and plaid panels. With its cool toned palette, you can beat the heat capping off your look in its mellow sage, gray and blue tones. 

In counter to that, the Wigens Penny is considered a more neutral option with its navy and blue tight-knit plaid patterning on an cream base. This is definitely a perfect pub for someone who doesn't want to rely on a solid color for their "Go with Anything" cap choice. 

Newsboys

Be it a six panel or an eight panel, newsboys are a cap staple we love. There's just something inherently classy and fun about them, so you know we had to feature some of our seasonal favorites here, too!

Our Belfry Mariano is part of our brand new cotton canvas collection meant to cover your cap needs from the first blooms of spring to the warm colors of fall, especially with its leather accents at the bill and the button on top. While it boasts a neutral taupe color, depending on the lighting you may find yourself in or what you pair it with, it almost shifts toward a very gentle greener tone, which can be a lot of fun to play with.

Suede? For the spring and summer season? You better believe it! The Belfry Pienza is another brand new venture for us, bringing suede to the warmer seasons. Like the Mariano, it'll definitely carry into the fall easily, but its incredibly thin and perforated suede is so incredibly light and buttery it's hard to believe unless you're handling it yourself. … You can probably tell we were immediate fans, huh?

For our eight panel newsboy fans, it's hard to beat the Wigens Hale. With its vintage cut it imbues class with any look you might be wanting to pair it with, and with its plaids pattern of creams and browns and charcoals it covers pretty much any base to give it a lot of flexibility to add to it. 

Quick Cap Quips

Now that we've covered some of our new seasonal picks, let's look at some basic cap knowledge to help you find your way to your own new summer cap!

A Matter of Materials

Sometimes we get questions about what dictates a cap to be meant for the spring/summer season as opposed to the cooler months during the fall and winter seasons..

The most blatant difference between the two seasons is the materials they're made. Fall and winter caps are generally heavier in wool tweeds, cashmere, leather and suedes, while for the spring and summer, you see cotton, linen, silk, hemp and summer versions of suede to help you not get overheated during the peak of the season. 

Linen is derived from the flax plant and is naturally moisture wicking and hypoallergenic, making it a prime choice. For the ecologically minded, we've started doing linen and hemp blends like our Belfry Borbera, and while not a cap, the Belfry Morla is 100% hemp for a breathable bucket!

Hemp itself continues to be moisture wicking like linen, but is also anti-microbial helping it hold up against mold and mildew if you're rocking your hat at the beach. 

Silk caps like the Belfry Claudio we discussed earlier have a wonderfully light and smooth texture, while also being resistant to bacteria and mold, so it's safe to say a lot of the spring and summer orientated materials are focused on making sure you're covered and the hat's integrity isn't compromised rain or shine!

Our cotton canvases and summer suedes will span easily from spring to fall, so if you're looking for multi-seasonal wear, definitely check out the Belfry Lambro and Belfry Locone that came in with our Belfry Mariano as part of the cotton canvas collection. 

Quick Fit Tips

As for fit, in regards to caps there are a few things to be mindful of and consider when trying on your cap:

Firstly, you don't want any gaping of the material at your temples. That's usually an indicator that the cap is too big! You'll want the material flush against your temples, instead. 

With that said, consider too whether it looks like the material is pulling at the stitches where it's tacked along the bill, or if it feels that the bill of the hat is digging into your forehead. These are signs that the sizing is too small, and we definitely don't want that, either! There's nothing worse than buying a nice quality hat and not being able to wear it because it inevitably gives you a headache!

The rule of thumb for any hat remains that you want it nice and snug, just not constricting. While the wind may not fight you for it, you'll remain comfortable wearing it for any amount of time. 

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Cap curious still about the different styles of caps? Check out our blog "Style Guide: Cap Styles & How to Wear Them"! 

If you have any further questions on these styles or more, always feel free to contact our Customer Service at 1-888-999-HATS or check out our store in Annapolis at 103 Main Street!