The 15 Best Baseball Caps for Topping Off Any Outfit

The baseball cap is a fashion accessory that, initially, you might overlook based on its uncomplicated name and nature. And yet, its history is longstanding and evolutionary: The garment came to be in the 1800s when the sport was invented; though, the earliest baseball players did not wear standardized caps. Instead, they wore anything with a brim that shielded their faces from the sun (the earliest caps were made from straw, then merino wool), which would become the basis for the cap we know today. According to Vogue, the modern baseball cap began to take shape around the turn of the century, and over the years, people adopted it for their respective uses. Agriculture companies realized its potential for advertising (giving way to a new and more breathable version, called the trucker hat), while figures like Tom Selleck and Princess Diana, on television and IRL, helped to usher the cap’s transition into fashion.

Today, stylish people consider the baseball cap an off-duty essential. It’s an easy solution when you can’t be bothered to do your hair, and it can be an integral piece to create an effortlessly cool look when paired with anything from a knitted sweater to a blazer or even a bomber jacket.

“Usually, a baseball cap is a bit of an afterthought when I’m pulling together an outfit,” fashion editor Aemilia Madden tells Byrdie. When she’s headed to the farmer’s market or to run errands about town, her look usually includes a pair of relaxed jeans, a casual topper such as a sweatshirt, and a pair of Birkenstocks, Blundstones, or sneakers. To keep her face protected from the sun, first and foremost, and then to make this casual look feel “a bit more elevated,” she adds a hat and sunglasses into the mix.

Ahead, discover Byrdie’s list of the best baseball caps offered right now, along with key insights from Madden and celebrity stylist Mickey Freeman.