Style guide
The Scally Cap
Also known as: bunnet, paddy cap, Irish cap, Peaky Blinders cap
The scally cap is a soft, rounded eight-panel cap with a short stitched-down brim. Most often cut from wool, tweed or herringbone, it's the cap most people picture on a Dublin docker, a Glasgow tram driver or a Peaky Blinder. The name comes from "scallywag" — slang for the rough lads who wore it in the late 1800s. Today the same cap is worn by everyone from streetwear designers to retirees who never stopped wearing one.
History
The cap rose out of the British 1571 "Cappers Act", which required common men to wear a wool cap on Sundays. Centuries later it had become standard headwear across Ireland, Scotland and the industrial North of England — cheap, warm and rain-shedding. Irish and Scottish emigrants carried it to Boston, New York and Sydney, where it became part of the immigrant working-class uniform. The Peaky Blinders television series triggered a global revival from 2013 onward, and small makers in Donegal, Boston and Kraków have been the main beneficiaries.
How it's made
A proper scally is built from eight wedge-shaped panels stitched into a domed crown, lined with cotton or silk, and finished with a short brim that's sewn flush to the crown — never snapped down with a button. The classic cloth is Donegal tweed (a flecked wool woven in County Donegal since the 19th century) or Harris Tweed (handwoven on the Outer Hebrides and protected by UK law). Modern makers also use boiled wool, melton, herringbone, corduroy and waxed cotton.
How to wear it
Sit it level on the head with the brim just above the brows — not pulled low like a baseball cap, not pushed back like a newsboy. The scally is the most casual cap in the family and pairs cleanly with a denim or chore jacket, a peacoat, or a knit and overcoat. Avoid suits unless you're committing to a full vintage look.
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 scally 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
Boston Scally Co.
United States
A modern, collectible scally with a sports or city theme
Peaky Hat
United States
Going full Shelby without ordering from the UK
Sterkowski
Poland
A genuinely handmade cap with European tailoring at fair prices
Lock & Co. Hatters
United Kingdom
A heirloom-grade tweed cap from the original London hatter
Crow & Jester
United Kingdom
A handmade British cap in cloth you won't see elsewhere
Common questions
- What's the difference between a scally cap and a flat cap?
- They're closely related. A flat cap has a flatter, lower-profile crown made from one or two panels. A scally cap has a rounder, fuller eight-panel crown that sits taller on the head.
- Is a scally cap the same as a Peaky Blinders cap?
- Yes. The cap worn by the Shelby family on the show is a scally — typically a six- or eight-panel tweed cap with a short brim. Many makers now sell explicit "Peaky" versions.
- Are scally caps still in style?
- Yes. They've been part of menswear continuously since the 1500s and are currently in a strong revival driven by heritage menswear and the Peaky Blinders effect.