Style guide
The Ivy Cap
Also known as: ivy league cap, Jay Gatsby cap, duckbill cap
The ivy cap is the cleanest, most tailored member of the flat-cap family. The crown is low and rounded, made from two, four or six panels with no top button, and the brim is short, stitched and often snapped to the front of the crown. It earned its name from the Ivy League campuses of the 1920s and 1950s, where it was worn with tweed sport coats and chinos as a less rakish alternative to the newsboy.
History
The ivy cap descends from the British flat cap but was tightened up in 1920s America to suit collegiate dress. It became the everyday cap of golfers, university men and East Coast professionals through the mid-century, then quietly persisted as the cap your grandfather wore. Its current revival is driven by the heritage and Ivy/trad menswear movements that picked up steam in the 2010s.
How it's made
Most ivy caps use four or six panels rather than the scally's eight, giving a smoother, less puffed crown. The brim is short — usually 5 to 6 cm — and stitched cleanly to the front. Cloth is typically wool, tweed, cotton twill or linen depending on season.
How to wear it
The ivy cap is the most versatile of the bunch — it works with a sport coat, a chore coat, a chunky knit, or even tailoring. Sit it level and forward. Because the silhouette is so clean it can read modern, which is why you'll see it just as often on Brooklyn architects as on retired golfers.
Where to buy a ivy cap
Makers from our directory we'd send you to first for this style.
Stetson
United States
An American heritage brand since 1865.
Lock & Co. Hatters
United Kingdom
St. James's hatter since 1676, with finely tailored eight-piece caps.
Kangol
United Kingdom
Iconic British headwear brand with an extensive scally and newsboy line.
George's Caps
United States
Small-batch maker featuring the Old Mill collection of wool and tweed caps.
Capwrights
United States
Independent cap maker focused on classic eight-panel and baker boy styles.
Harrington & Co. Hatters
United Kingdom
Modern hatter producing tailored eight-panel caps in classic British cloth.
Common questions
- What's the difference between an ivy cap and a flat cap?
- Functionally they're cousins. "Flat cap" is the broad British category for any short-brimmed soft cap. "Ivy cap" specifically refers to the low-crown, snap-front American version popularized at Ivy League schools.
- Is an ivy cap the same as a duckbill cap?
- They overlap. A duckbill is an ivy cap with the brim curving slightly downward at the front, like a duck's bill — a popular variant in the 1960s.