Newsboy pictured left/Big Apple pictured at right

One of the most common customer service issues we have has to do with the sheer bigness of a Big Apple-style cap. Customers will look at the 8-panel design and think that they’re getting a newsboy-style cap. What’s the difference? In a few words? The size of the cap.

The Big Apple is an oversized cap and made to look so. It has a floppy appearance and comes equipped with a stretchable elastic sweatband which allows it to fit anywhere from a Small to a XX-Large. The diameter across the top of the hat is much wider; as you can see in the picture below it’s about 12inches across.

The Newsboy cap is the more traditional, tapered look. If you are looking for a cap that can be dressed up or down then the newsboy is the way to go. The sweat band on a newsboy can vary by manufacturer, material and season. You will need to know your size for this cap. They can be sized small-XXL or individually sized depending on the manufacturer. The diameter of the newsboy can range from about 9 inches to 10 ½. See picture below. This is a picture of the Linen Newsboy and it has a standard width of 10 inches.

Take care to avoid the common mistake when ordering a Big Apple or a Newsboy. Know that the difference in size is significant and that, unless you’re looking for that exaggerated look, you want a newsboy.

Don't sweat Father's Day gift giving. Every dad can use a new summer hat or a cap.

Ties? Got ’em. Cufflinks? Got ’em, never uses ’em. Cologne? Got it. Rarely uses it. Arts-and-Crafts projects? You’ve outgrown making them.

What on earth is left to get Dad for Father’s Day?

Why not get him a nice summer straw hat or a lightweight linen cap? Dad will look great sporting a hat this summer. Plus, it will help protect him from the sun’s harsh rays. You will definitely be his favorite if you keep him looking sharp while saving him from skin cancer.

Consider the All-American straw fedora like the Stetson Pasadena. It delivers classic style in a sand-colored straw or black. Made by Stetson, you know it is a quality fedora. Best of all, you get all of that for fewer than $100, so you won’t break the bank.

Maybe your father is more of a cap-wearing type of guy. Why not get him a tried and true Linen Newsboy Cap? Relatively inexpensive, these 100% linen caps are American made and come in 10 different colors.

If neither of those will do, don’t worry. Hats-Plus has more than 600 models of hats from which to choose online.

Have you purchased your hat for the Kentucky Derby, yet? Hats Plus has a huge selection of women's hats for the very first time during Derby season.

Post time is fast approaching for the Kentucky Derby, and Hats Plus now how a lovely complement of ladies’ hats for the first time for the Derby.

Churchill Downs is the site of the Derby and its many traditions from mint juleps to a parade of spring and summer finery. The women’s hats are watched by some almost as much as the horses.

Our ladies’ hats range from flirty straw affairs to elegant felt numbers with incredible plumage. Be sure to order yours soon to make sure it arrives in time for your Derby party.

In the video to "Happy" Pharrell Williams wears a teardrop crown fedora very similar in size and shape the the Biltmore Selkirk pictured here. This hat comes in a deeper brown, but the Driftwood above is actually more brown and grey in real life and a closer approximation of the color, though by no means a close match to the color of Pharrell's hat.

The artist Pharrell Williams is one of the hottest in music today. As both a performer and a producer, everything he touches seems to go to number 1. From “Blurred Lines” last summer to “Happy,” which almost an Academy Award earlier this month, and a whole lot more, Pharrell’s work keeps going straight to the top.

In addition to loving his upbeat and playful neo soul sounds, we love his obsession with hats. It is something we have in common.

Although we don’t carry his famed blown-out-crown-oversized-Canadian-Mountie hat, we do have a hat very similar to the one he wears predominently in the video for “Happy.” (Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

For most of the video he is wearing a light brown felt fedora with a teardrop crown, narrow hat band and large brim. We have a very similar hat in the Biltmore Selkirk. It doesn’t come in the exact color, but it has a large 2 3/4-inch brim, teardrop crown and narrow hat band. It also has a killer stitched-edge brim. We have it in a rich brown and a lighter color called “Driftwood,” which I think is a closer approximation of Pharrell’s topper. In real life the Driftwood is a little browner and greyer than in the photo.

If you Google Pharrell under images, you will find him wearing myriad hats that include center dent fur felts and panama straw fedoras.

If you are looking for a specific hat he wears, send us an image in an e-mail, and we’ll try to identify it for you.

It might be tough to see in this photo, but the navy blue grosgrain bow band really stands out in real life with the classically designed Dobbs Center Dent Shantung Straw Fedora.

One of the new hats we predict to be a top seller this summer is the Dobbs Center Dent Shantung Straw Fedora. Naturally the classic styling and light-weight shantung straw will turn heads while remaining light up top. However, it is the trim that will really catch the eye.

This summer hat comes with a great navy blue grosgrain bow band. It is really difficult to see in the photo, but it stands out in real life.

Add a splash of color to your summer wardrobe with the Dobbs Center Dent Shantung Straw Fedora.

The Hat Whisperer emerges from the deep burrough where straw hats are stored. What does this mean? Spring and Summer are closer than they seem. Hang in there, America. This winter has to die eventually.

Spring and Summer can’t be that far away.

Honestly.

Otherwise we wouldn’t already be changing over our store with straw hats!

Our work has only just begun, but we are already boxing up some of the wool and fur felt. Better yet, we’re bringing up the straw and linen.

Best of all, new models of summer hats are starting to arrive from Stetson, Biltmore and Dobbs. Some of them are already on display in the store, if you can swing by to see. If the internet is as close as you can get to us, check back regularly because we soon will be adding them online!

Until then, think warm thoughts. This winter has to end eventually.

Here is a Borsalino Bellagio, just like the one James Spader wears in "The Blacklist."

Conspiracy, intrigue and detective work are the foundation of the thrilling NBC show, “The Blacklist.” On it a hat-wearing ex-FBI agent played by James Spader is a most-wanted criminal who turns himself in. Looking for leniancy, he offers to use his underworld connections to capture a top terrorism suspect. Among his requests is one that he only work with a raw recruit just out of training. She is a profiler named Elizabeth Keen.

“The Blacklist” is a tense and thrilling show.

However, our main star is the hat James Spader wears. It is a black fedora with the brim snapped down in the front and up in the back.

We are 99.99% certain it is a Borsalino Bellagio. This is a very handsome men’s hat with a center dent crown. It’s double-tailed grosgrain bow band is a subtle flourish. Ours come with the rare lapel strap.

Made from a refined fur felt, the Borsalino Bellagio is a luxurious testament that proves “they” still make great hats in our modern world. Other great characteristics of note are the supple leather sweatband and the satin lining of the hat, both of which are there to help your hat last a long time.

We stock the Bellagio along with other great Borsalino hats at Hats Plus. Be sure to check them out, especially if you want to look like your favorite Hollywood stars such as James Spader and the many others we’ve profiled on Hollywood Hatties.

Hats Plus now offers cheaper shipping through the United States Postal Service. Cap orders will get significantly cheaper, and you can have items delivered to your P.O. Box

Good news hat fans!

Hats-Plus has teamed up with the United States Postal Service. Previously, we only offered UPS shipping options.

Now you can choose your favorite option between USPS and UPS.

Especially exciting for people purchasing caps is that the United States Postal Service offers decidedly less expensive shipping for smaller packages. Some dress hats might see a slight discount in shipping rates, but the folks buying Kangol, Borsalino caps, City Sport and other brands will see significant savings.

PLUS! Now that we also offer postal service shipping, you can have items delivered to your P.O. Box, which you can pick up whenever is convenient for you! No more waiting for the UPS driver to show up or hoping someone doesn’t steal your package while it waits outside your front door!

To choose the best deal for you, just follow the checkout process and select whatever shipping option suits you best.

Not surprising, there has been a run on ultra-warm hats to keep the deadly cold at bay.

But, hey. It’s Chicago in winter, and Hats Plus is more than ready with plenty more great styles of warm hats to get you ready for the next arctic blast, which forecasters are already predicting we’ll have within a month.

Here are a couple great winter hat ideas for all senses of style:

Kangol makes some of the most fashionable hats and caps on the market. This wool 504 cap delivers on the cool factor while still allowing you to stay warm with earflaps that can be hidden inside the hat when you don't want them.

Does your teenager think they are too cool to wear a hat in winter? If you are tired of fighting with them to wear some dorky stocking cap they’ve had since they were a kid, try helping them score some points with the other kids while keeping them warm with a wool Kangol cap equipped with stealthy earflaps.  When it is cold and they are outside, they can flap the ear covers down from inside the cap to stay warm. As soon as they are safe inside, they can tuck the earflaps back up and go back to chillin’ in the ever-stylish Kangol 504 wool cap design.

The Tilley Montana offers a warm wool felt fedora that is water and snow repellent AND hidden earflaps to provide extra warmth on those extra cold days.

Maybe you like the fedora look, but need to find a way to keep your ears warm in the wind and severe cold? Try out the Tilley Montana. It is a warm wool-felt fedora with a slightly Western flair. This hat is water and snow repellent. The polyester inner lining helps wick away sweat and moisture. Best of all, it also has tuckaway ear flaps! It is one of the toughest element-fighting fedoras we carry.

If that isn’t enough, it is time to turn to the thermal nuclear option. Whether they are made from leather, fur, faux fur or fleece, our bombers are the warmest hats we carry. Each bomber fits snuggly against your skull to help trap the heat and fend off the wind. Earflaps extend to tie up under your chin, keeping both your ears and cheeks warm. It is worth looking a little like an old-skool aviator or explorer for this type of heat.

The Mad Bomber is one of the all-around warmest hats we carry and perfect for defeating winter's coldest, especially during a polar vortex.

Add some style and color to your winter with a brown Henschel Leather Basketweave Fedora

Too many people fall prey to gloomy winter months with hats and caps that seem to suit that mood.

Henschel’s new leather basketweave design is a smokin’ hot way to keep warm while avoiding the winter blahs. The two-tone brown model is especially handsome with its mahogany-colored woven crown and dark-brown stingy brim. The brim is stylishly preformed. Even the all-black fedora is made more interesting by the woven leather design.

Each hat is satin lined and given a comfortable cloth sweatband that make it a treat to wear all season.

Click here to keep your look interesting all winter with the Henschel Leather Basketweave Fedora.