Mr Gill, the cap maker for Lock

[shredder]

Does Mr Gill still exist? I got contradictory information from different sources... Would anyone know?

What is his Christian name? Is he based in Manchester?

Thanks,
s

[AndyM]

I understand that Mr Gill is a tailor in the Manchester area, I have not tried to find him as I was told he does not have a web site and makes caps for wholesale and personal callers only (and I am never in Manchester). If you find out differently then please let me know!

[shredder]

AndyM, thanks for this. I did not know that he is a tailor. I like the way he makes flat caps for Lock. I have a few lengths of cloth that I would like made up as caps, so I approached L&F about it, only to find out that they are the makers of the ones that I do NOT like, namely, the way they set the petersham ribbon along (or UNDER it, to be more precise) the peak...

[DD MacDonald]

Shredder - not sure what you mean by the "petersham under the peak". I just received a cap from L&F that I asked to be made like a Gill because I thought that L&F made the caps for Locks.

The only comparison that I can make between it and the various Lock Gills that I have is that the L&F uses a coarser interlining, otherwise they look to be cut and sewn to identical patterns. The Lock Gill has a little more shape, a little more "swoop", but that's probably because the cloth is heavier and the cap has been weathered. When it comes to caps, until they get worn in the wet and have a chance to break into the shape of your head, they're not really yet yours.

DDM

[shredder]

DDM, L&F do make caps for Lock, just not the Gill apparently and a couple of others. Now, my L&F flatcap (Garforth) was not made to approximate the Gill, so that may have something to do with the varying results. However, I will attempt to describe the difference a bit better.

With the Gill, the petersham ribbon at front lies flat against one's forehead. If a shorter chap looks up at you, he will not see the ribbon. In contrast, L&F make it such that an inch or so of the ribbon at front is attached in such a way that half the width of the ribbon is actually under the peak, with the remaining half wrapped around the base of the peak to touch one's forehead.

Also, if you examine the underside of the peak, there is a crescent shape stitching running approximately 1/3 of the way from the base of the peak. With the Gill (at least the ones at home) there is no core (cardboard?) between the base and that row of stitching. Therefore there is a bit of unstructured, soft segment of the peak, closest to one's forehead, which, I believe, helps to ensure that the ribbon is fully placed against the forehead rather than partially coming under the peak. In contrast, L&F's entire peak has a core, all the way up to the forehead, ensuring that the little bit of ribbon sewn under the peak remains securely positioned under the peak. I think this feature also makes it less comfortable to wear.

Not sure if I'm making any sense...

c