Ballin’ baseball hats for the Toronto urbanite
Snapback, stretch, and five-panel fever has hit the Toronto stage, quickly ascending as the favoured accessory of the city’s style elite and skateboard bros alike. Quest no longer for the perfect basic cap or one-of-a-kind brim. Pick up classic under-the-radar designs alongside colourful attention-getters at these local boutiques and skate shops.
Adrift Skate Shop
116 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5V 2K6This subterranean Chinatown skate shop is better known for its stylish apparel than its skateboard offerings (although I hear these are also top notch), a spot where colourful Sambas sit alongside heavier-set Nike sneaks and unique options like cork-wrapped high tops. On the hat front, Adrift is the place to find a graphic snapback or flat top with a cool logo or rarely seen combination of fabrics. Five- and six-panel hats by FUCT, Diamond and Quiet Life round out the offerings at this sneaky Queen and Spadina basement spot.
Nomad
819 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1G1Known for their next-level collection of urban-facing menswear, this Queen West boutique is a perfect stop for the hat-wearer in need. A combination of brand name caps and trendy basics (white sports mesh and black leather, for example) and unique selections from the likes of the Carhartt Work in Progress line (think camouflage and subdued tropical prints) unite to create a multifaceted selection of baseball caps for the discerning locavore.
New Era Retail Canada Corp
202 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z2Simply put, this is every Toronto sportsfan’s go-to spot for athletics paraphernalia, from ironic Blue Jays branded visors to a feminine Yankees stretch cap. The Entertainment District athletics shop is sure to carry merch from any sports team that tickles your fancy in a selection of fitted, snapback and stretch styles.
Public Butter
1290 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6K 1L4This vintage emporium at Queen and Dufferin is a go-to for dead stock baseball hat gems. You’re most likely to find something good and plain here – that basic snapback-meets-security-blanket that you’ll never leave the house without. Top off the trip with a pair of frames and a one-of-a-kind vintage tee and still have enough left over for a drink at a nearby Parkdale pub or cocktail bar.
Community 54
1275A Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6K 1L6Parkdale’s favoured skate-shop-meets-menswear-boutique derives its aesthetic from a sense of “creative nostalgia.” How does this translate? Think Simpsons-inspired graphic tees, semi-ironic sweat shirts, and both brazen and understated headwear. The boutique hails from Manhattan’s Lower Eastside but the Toronto location distinguishes itself by hosting a perpetually changing selection of pop-up brands each month, always Toronto-born and based. Bonus: the hybrid Queen Street spot also hosts a coffee bar and an arcade in the back room.
Stussy Canada
1000 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H1Self-proclaimed to be “livin’ large since 1980,” this worldwide urban menswear boutique and skate shop popped its Toronto chapter at Queen and Ossington in late 2012, ready and eager to service west enders in search of cool urban-facing apparel and accessories. Stussy only hosts hats that are designed in-house (as well a few selections by L.A.-born Defeated), and most bear the recognizable hand-scrawled logo. That said, the selection of colour and print seems almost endless, from turquoise and purple snapbacks, to chilled-out-paisley five-panels, to Gucci-reminiscent bucket hats.
Muttonhead
337 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M8You’ll probably recognize Mutthonhead’s five- and six-panel hats in solid and two-toned neutrals, which have become a token look for ethical- and aesthetic-minded Torontonians alike. Not only does the Roncies boutique host all-Canadian designed and manufactured apparel, but with its unisex selection of Canadiana-inspired comfort gear, chic Japanese cotton button-ups and streamlined down-filled vests and parkas – it also boasts some of the most styling swag in the city.
Blue Tile Lounge
822 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1V3Understated classics meet one-of-kind threads at this Little Italy skate shop. With an ever-revolving selections of standard and specialty offerings from Vans, Converse, New Balance and HUF among other big name brands, the shop gets local with Toronto-born irreverents Lewis Cruise as well as their own in-house line of colourful caps and snapbacks. You’ll find a carefully curated selection of hats for men and women at the College Street boutique, but don’t let the size of the compact shop fool you – the stock packs a style-heavy punch that will have you admiring the options for hours.
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