Small beanie or bust: a lockdown necessity

DRAKE’S x AIMÉ LEON DORE FALL/WINTER ‘20

Having made it to February where cold weather gear is already prominent, beanies have taken on more importance this year. Those with mental scars of lockdowns gone by due to stay-at-home haircuts (so that's everyone right?) might be hesitant to reattempt a covid cut. Besides, while minus temperatures loom, a freshly shaven head is not exactly everyone’s roadmap to a feel good 2021. Step forth the small beanie. The one your friends rib you for, but East London praises, the beanie style that lets your ears breathe and leave your senses unwavered, aka the watch cap.

Just the other day I tuned into an Instagram live to see both guys sat down at home - to talk about our favourite past time, menswear - and choosing to don beanies. One of whom went safe with a navy colourway which I shall always advocate and the other choosing something I could only describe as wotsit orange. The common thread? Beanies sitting proudly above the ear for all of Instagram to see and most likely to cover overdue haircuts. There are those who might say it’s like a scarf that wouldn’t keep a neck warm in winter (read: middle-aged floral net curtain mumsy scarf). Yet with lockdown barnets growing by the day and men wanting to be reunited with their barber more than family - it’s been two months since I’ve had the pleasure of giving the nod of approval to the mirror that graces the back of my bonce - a watch cap beanie incurs more practicality points than it ever has before.downicon

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A post shared by Finlay Renwick (@finlayrenwick)

So what exactly does it take to make the watch cap work for you? First off, make sure all bad jokes fall on deaf ears. Prepare yourself for highly unimaginative indie boy skater starter-pack references. However, I do think they are on the decline as people are coming around to our tiny hat tribe and little do they know we are saving them from hat hair that’s off the charts. But seriously, how are we going to style this out? Finlay Renwick, Esquire’s Deputy Style Editor and unofficial small beanie ambassador, says that while it might get a fair amount of stick, it has been the style of choice for years in parts of the country. “It’s a properly old school way of wearing a hat. If you go to Cornwall or the country you’ll see weather-beaten old boys with rough watch caps above the ears.”

If we are to follow suit with our countryfolk counterparts, then it is all about getting the fit just right. “For me it has to be a watch cap that isn’t too tall (Acne [Studios] for instance; too big), but not so short that you are labelled with the dreaded condom hat tag.” I agree with Renwick, nobody wants a little dinky summit, not even my friend and photographer Oliver Hooson. “It’s all about the tip for me, it has to come to a point. If the construction doesn’t have integrity and flops around I can’t hear it; I recently heard the term ‘hard clothing’ on a pod[cast] and think that sums it up nicely. Pieces that have that starchy dry goods feel like canvas workwear, high count jersey and even thick nylon.” As for what you’ll want your beanie made out of, Charlie Haywood of Brighton store Peggs & Son prioritises warmth and comfort above all else. “You want a beanie to do a job and keep you warm. We often opt for 100% wool construction. These beanies tend to be less itchy and are invariably better at retaining heat. Black and navy are versatile and go with everything, but why not switch it up? A beanie is a great way to add some colour to an outfit.” Like anything, there is the real possibility of getting sucked into a grail vortex and coming out of it one expensive lockdown purchase lighter, gaining an excellent hat made from cashmere, mohair or a myriad of the two (Hooson enjoys Deima Knitwear when it comes to the “silly price” bracket). The safe bet though seems to be wool. “I tend to prefer a wool [beanie],” says Renwick. “It’s going to get rained on, beaten up etc. If you leave your hat in the pub (remember those!) you shouldn’t want to weep. They’re utilitarian pieces that will get worn a lot, so for me £50 is the absolute most I’d pay.”

PHOTO BY JAMES STARKEY

For those not yet initiated, the fact we cannot seem to get a beanie to fit over our entire head may suggest a lack of thought or understanding, but if anything, it is the exact opposite. Nitpicky details and head sizes big and small lead us down an e-commerce maze in the hunt for the best one. For Hooson that’s workwear brand Carhartt and Norse Projects, Renwick sides with Universal Works, COS and Howlin for the “colour-blocking and wild patterns”. Down on the south coast, Haywood puts me onto a brand I had not heard of. “We’re huge fans of the deck hat from knitwear label Heimat. All made in Germany, Heimat are masters of the shallow ‘above the ears’ style”. I seem to have found that with every trip to Brighton there’s a liberation that comes with it, an attitude of wear what you want. A bit like those Cornwall folk Renwick mentioned. “People wear some pretty wild stuff down here,” Haywood notes. “Diversity is not only tolerated but cherished. The watch cap, either below or above the ears, certainly doesn’t look out of place and is embraced by all sorts of people and styles.” There is a lot to learn from Brighton’s echo chamber when it comes to kindness at a time where we could all band together.

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I feel the fisherman and watch cap style allows you to tow both sides of the ever sliding scale of smart and casual. A weekend could have you lean towards a full grey sweats look (think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky) and on other days you could reach for a suit. You only have to look at the styling of the Drake’s x Aimé Leon Dore collections to see beanies belong in the formal bracket as much as a top hat does these days. They give suits a much more lived-in and dress down appeal. While natty suits are on standby in lockdown (sorry city boys), the small beanie can still be flexing its prowess, even on the supermarket runway as its now better known in the stay-at-home-era. “I’ve (Renwick) been in basically all navy this lockdown, so when I leave the house to go to Big Tesco, I’m wearing a navy Universal Works watch cap, navy cashmere Uniqlo jumper, Descente Allterrain down parka, UW cords and black Docs (the Made in England ones).” And when we’re on big walks? “You’re going to need a solid coat,” adds Haywood. “We’re loving what Arc’teryx have been doing recently, proper outdoor gear made for terrible weather. Pair one of their shells with some knitwear from Andersen-Andersen, or a down vest from Danton and you’re ready for a bracing walk along the promenade.” 

So you now know it’s okay to wear them, how to do so and the first few brands to check out. All that is left to note is some parting wisdom from Esquire’s Renwick. “Just don’t go full art school dickhead.” And if someone throws down an uneducated witticism of ‘what’s the point of that beanie?’ just reel off some inappropriate hat forefathers. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. Tommy Cooper and his red fez. Norman Wisdom’s dogtooth peaked cap. Bill Murray in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. But the real finisher… the working men of Cornwall.jbicon