Stylish Men and Their Caps
Danny Dooreck
Ceramicist | 
The Hat
I got it from my friend Jordon Onia from @rrrewearrr, a vintage supplier in Costa Mesa.
Lifespan
So far, I’ve had it for about six months now.
Backstory
I rarely wore hats because of the shape of my head, but once you find your ideal shape, it’s hard to turn back. I found the perfect one that fits—a camo pattern with the Rewear logo.
The Conversations
It hasn’t sparked too many conversations so far, but my family pokes fun at me saying I’m a hunter or I look like I’m “from the Bayou,” ha!
Chris Olberding
President of Gitman Vintage |
Chris’s Kooyong Lawn
Tennis Club hat.
The Hat
My favorite hat is from the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Kooyong, Australia.
Lifespan
Since 2019 when I was there on the first stop on my Grand Slam tour as part of the project Gitman Vintage was doing with New Balance.
Backstory
Kooyong is a suburb of Melbourne and is where the Australian Open was played from 1972 to ’87 (although the club was established in 1892). I was fortunate enough to play at the club while I was in Melbourne, attending the finals of the Australian Open. Although the GV x NB collaboration came to focus solely on the US Open (following Coco Gauff’s success at Wimbledon, beating Venus Willams in the 4th round), I proudly wore the hat throughout the year.
The Conversations
My favorite conversation while wearing it was when I was waiting for an Uber outside Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx after watching a US Open warm-up match. Whenever my car pulled up, Sam Stosur walked up and stopped just a few feet away. I recognized her immediately. I said hello and thanked her for giving us such a surprising but impressive routing over Serena Williams in the 2011 US Open Final (6-2, 6-3). Being the fellow Aussie that she is, she kindly thanked me while adding in the same tone, “Nice hat, great club.”
Marcus Allen
Stylist and Founder of The Society Archive |
The Hat
I actually just customized a plain hat at LIDS.
Lifespan
Four years.
Backstory
It is the first-ever The Society Archive sect cap (in loden green with bone logo). I wanted to make a hat quickly to shoot in an editorial.
The Conversations
I guess the most intriguing conversation happened while swimming at the Soho Roc House—they wondered why I was swimming with my hat on. I wanted an authentic salt fade. So, the wear and tear on the cap is years of hard work!
Bijan Shahvali
Founder of Intramural |
Bijan’s Bay Cities Deli hat.
The Hat
This hat is from Bay Cities Deli—a West Los Angeles staple and what I believe to be the purveyor of the best sandwiches in the country. I grew up going there and still make time to go when I visit home.
Lifespan
I bought this about ten years ago or so, shortly before making the move to New York.
Backstory
It’s the hat that the Bay Cities staff wears. For many years, I would always ask if they would sell me one, but they would always turn me down. There must have been many people asking because one day, I came in and saw that they had them available for purchase at the registers. Since then, it’s been my favorite hat—both for nostalgia and the black/white/green underbrim color combination that goes with everything!
The Conversations
I get a lot of people yelling from across the street, “Godmother!”, which is their most popular sandwich order (highly recommended). Sometimes, it leads to chatting with the person, and you end up meeting someone else from LA.
