Style guide
The Newsboy Cap
Also known as: baker boy cap, eight-piece cap, apple cap, gatsby cap
The newsboy cap — also called the baker boy, eight-piece, apple cap or Gatsby cap — is the fuller cousin of the scally. Eight wedge panels meet at a covered button on top of the crown, giving it a noticeably puffier shape, and the brim is stiffer and often snapped down. It was the cap of choice for the boys hawking newspapers on American street corners around 1900, which is where the name stuck.
History
The newsboy emerged in late-Victorian Britain as a more relaxed alternative to the bowler and was adopted en masse by working-class Americans by 1900 — newspaper boys, longshoremen, factory workers. By the 1920s it had jumped class lines: F. Scott Fitzgerald wore one, golfers wore one (it became the unofficial cap of the early professional tour), and Hollywood put it on every tough kid in every Depression-era picture. It returned in the 1970s on women through Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, and again in the 2000s through Brad Pitt in Snatch and the Peaky Blinders cast.
How it's made
Eight panels, a covered button at the apex, a stiffened brim with an internal snap so the brim can be worn down or fastened up to the crown. Linings are usually cotton or satin. Tweed and herringbone are traditional; wool melton, corduroy and linen are common modern options.
How to wear it
Wear it slightly tilted, never centered and flat. The button gives the cap a clear front, so set it forward over the dominant eye. The newsboy is dressier than a scally — it works with a tweed jacket, a long overcoat, or a knit and trousers. It also reads well on women, which is why it's been a recurring womenswear staple since the 1970s.
The buyer’s handbook
A better cap starts with the right cut.
A cap can look right in a photograph and feel wrong on your head. Start with the shape, then choose cloth for the weather and measure before ordering.
Eight-piece, duckbill or flat?
An eight-piece crown has wedge-shaped panels meeting at the top, creating a rounder, fuller silhouette; a newsboy often has a top button. An ivy or driver cap sits closer to the head with less volume. A duckbill tapers tightly toward the peak, while “flat cap” is often used as the umbrella term—check the side profile rather than the product name alone.
Compare the shapes →Measure before choosing a size.
Wrap a soft tape around the widest part of your head, roughly a finger above your eyebrows and just above your ears. Keep it level and comfortably snug; take the measurement twice. Compare the number in centimetres with the individual maker’s chart—letter sizes are not universal. If you fall between sizes, check the maker’s exchange policy rather than guessing.
See the measuring diagram →Choose fabric for the season.
Wool tweed is a sound starting point for cool, changeable days: the weave gives the cap texture and body. Linen and lighter cotton tend to breathe better in warm weather. Fabric weight, lining and weave matter as much as the fibre name, so check each product’s materials instead of assuming every tweed or wool cap feels the same.
Read the fabric guides →Make wool and tweed last.
After rain, let a damp cap air-dry at room temperature with its shape supported; avoid a radiator or tumble dryer, which can distort the crown. Brush away surface dust gently and spot-clean according to the maker’s care label. If the cap has a structured peak or delicate lining, ask the maker before washing it.
Where to buy a newsboy cap
Makers from our directory we'd send you to first for this style.
Hanna Hats of Donegal
Ireland
A real Donegal tweed cap with the woven label to prove it
Sterkowski
Poland
A genuinely handmade cap with European tailoring at fair prices
Kangol
United Kingdom
A modern, casual newsboy or 504 in unusual colors
Stetson
United States
A reliable, well-made cap from a name everyone trusts
Weavers of Ireland
Ireland
An Irish tweed cap from a wide selection at fair prices
Harrington & Co. Hatters
United Kingdom
A clean, contemporary British eight-piece without the heritage markup
Common questions
- Is a newsboy cap the same as a baker boy cap?
- Yes — same hat, different name. "Baker boy" is more common in the UK, "newsboy" in the US. Both refer to the eight-panel cap with a button on top.
- What's the difference between a newsboy cap and a scally cap?
- A newsboy is fuller and rounder, with a button on the crown and a stiffer, often snapped brim. A scally has a smoother, lower-profile crown and a soft brim sewn flush.
- What's an eight-piece cap?
- It's the technical name for the newsboy — eight wedge-shaped panels of cloth sewn together at a central point, finished with a covered button.