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.
Where to buy a scally cap
Makers from our directory we'd send you to first for this style.
Hanna Hats of Donegal
Ireland
Family-run Donegal workshop hand-finishing tweed scally caps since 1924.
Boston Scally Co.
United States
Boston-born brand reviving the classic American scally cap with bold patterns.
Peaky Hat
United States
Specialist maker of Peaky Blinders–style scally and baker boy caps.
Sterkowski
Poland
Polish hatmaker since 1926, handcrafting eight-piece caps in wool and tweed.
Lock & Co. Hatters
United Kingdom
St. James's hatter since 1676, with finely tailored eight-piece caps.
Crow & Jester
United Kingdom
British maker of handcrafted flat and scally caps in distinctive cloths.
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.