Greek fisherman's cap

John Lennon (front left), with Paul McCartney, holding a "John Lennon Hat"

A Greek fisherman's cap is a soft, flat-topped cap with a small visor, usually made from wool felt. It is distinguished from similar caps, such as the Breton cap and Maciejówka, by its embroidered visor and braided cord. It is often associated with seamanship and marine settings. It has become popular amongst the public in general, rather than staying isolated as an occupational hat. One example of it being put in prominence of popular culture was when it was worn by John Lennon. John Lennon hat (or cap) is the informal name that was used in the mid-1960s to denote this style of cap.

History

During the Beatles' first tour of the United States in 1964, John Lennon wore a black fisherman's cap which quickly became popularly known as a "John Lennon Hat."^[1] A similar style of headgear had already been worn by American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan in 1962. Others to adopt the fashion were the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr and British folk-rock artist Donovan (for example, on the cover of his album Catch the Wind). This style of hat was usually made of denim, but also made of other fabrics such as corduroy. The hat enjoyed a renaissance during the mid-1990s when the likes of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and Ocean Colour Scene guitarist Steve Cradock made the hat popular with the Britpop indie generation.

The satirical magazine Private Eye noted the trend in its regular "spoof" journal, "Mrs Wilson's Diary": "Harold was standing by the map in his old Oxford duffle coat with Giles's Beatle-style George Lennon [a deliberate conflation of George Harrison and John Lennon] cap ..." ^[2]

Unisex accessory

The hat became an early example of a unisex accessory. Female adherents included Lennon's first wife Cynthia, Princess Anne, actresses Diana Rigg (as Emma Peel in The Avengers), and Juliet Harmer (as Georgina Jones in Adam Adamant Lives!)

The style was re-created by actress Sienna Miller in the role of 1960s socialite Edie Sedgwick in the film Factory Girl in 2007.

References