Published: Thursday - July 26, 2007
Words by Arnold T. Pants
Hats are never out of style, but specific types come in and out of favor. Sure, a fresh New Era repping a local team never drops out, but there are times when that crisp Yankee (or whoever) fitted just isn't turning heads. In the early to mid 90s I was heavy into Game hats. The joints with the bars, and even the circle logos were available in so many colors and a ridiculous amount of colleges and teams were represented. Some d-bags, usually lacrosse players, favored "Beavers" (Oregon State) or "Cocks" (University of South Carolina) caps. Me? I rocked a Quebec Nordiques joint, the next best thing to my then hometown's Hartford Whalers option. At the time, Starter Jackets and accompanying hats were also big, but those went by the wayside and with the next big wave of professional sports gear (not to be confused with sports or casual wear, more on this in a future edition) the cap of choice changed again.
Later, when the jersey craze hit hard, Pinwheel hats followed suit. While nothing beats the Iverson jersey from Mitchell and Ness (the throwback Phila jawn he rocked on the cover of slam), I wasn't really feeling the pinwheels. Whatever, that was five or six years ago, and in 2007 the fitted market is flooded with a massive array of options.
Team hats are, and will always be available, but for the cats who really like to stand out, exclusive collabo New Eras are where it's at. Frank's Chop Shop has put out some ill caps, and King Stampede is wild with the motifs and embroidery. Supreme twisted some classic caps lovely as well. The recent Helly Hansen New Era may very well be the best hat of all time, but you're lucky to find one... I've been trying for months. For my money (and I say my money because this is the ONLY cap I have purchased in the last 10 years), MAJOR DC is coming with the illest and most consistent line of New Eras. They have two in-store varieties, as well as some incredible one off hats repping the local Nationals. Aside from hats, MAJOR has a great selection of adidas, Nike, New Balance, LRG, hundreds and a gang of other shit that makes a trek to Georgetown worthwhile. For those outside the "urea" I believe they also do phone orders.
On another note, Gritz loves pubs. In particular he loves the Cross Keys, which is located within spitting distance of some of London's finest spots, including SIZE? and Offspring. In his hand he carries a bag from Maharishi, one of the illest spots in the BIG SMOKE and the dons of dope camouflage. Gritz and I went straight from Maharishi and the Cross Keys to an incredible exhibition on the history of camouflage (more on this in a future blog) and also managed to catch the Nike sponsored MADE FOR SKATE exhibit at the Truman Brewery.
Not only was I excited to get this 1of50 Made for Skate tee, prominently featuring a Jordan I, but I was truly excited by the quality of the exhibition. One thing I didn't know about skate shoes that I know now: When Vans started, it was all made to order. How incredible! A skater, or surfer, could walk into the store in the morning, and by night fall have a pair of freshly minted Vans in hand. This makes the Nike id process seem stuck in the dark ages. We also saw great examples of all the earliest skate pro-models, from Etnies and Airwalk, among others. All in all, it was fantastic to see a well compiled exhibition of sneakers that actually got the history right and offered some new analysis on the development of the industry. I hope the trend of quality pop culture exhibitions that meld fashion, sports and music will continue and continue to get better.
Editorials & Columns Hustle Harder: A Cup Of Joe... I recently performed at S.O.B's and the night seemed to last forever. I had gotten there early (hours before show time) ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Comparison: NHL 09 Vs. NHL 2K9 Hockey games have had a seamless transition into the next generation, fueled by two solid products that are constantly ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
