Cool captivation in summer of ’98

They were worn in past also … Jinnah caps and sola topis … by few … for protection against the biting winds, and the sweltering sun. Or by the cricketers; starched white with blue stains. The regular ones were seen, not on streets, but screen.

"Lids were never in fashion, even though Dev Anand with a loosely fitted cap tilted backwards was a rage in the early 50’s," says a retired officer, Lt. Col. D.V. Singh. "Maybe because lucchas was the label fastened to youngsters imitating actors in those days of black and white cinema."

But today, outfits put on by screen smart kids are top-drawer for street stars too. No wonder, silky strands struggle to break free from under the caps as maidens zoom past the geri route on Kinees and in open Gypsys.

Guys too are no exception. The broad shades stick out of the helmets’ back as they ride on the bikes all over the City. Catching the infection are school kids, even hep oldies.

"K-ool is how you look with a cap on," says Geetanjali Sharma, a Plus Two student. "They safeguard the complexion, smoothen the hair. And in a society where normal is boring, I always wear mine with the front side back."

The parents may still consider it "stupid", but teenyboppers today spend a "fortune" on caps. A school kid, Tarunnam Kapoor, purchased her first Indian-made-foreign-cap for about Rs 400 from Sector 17. Her friend, Alisha, equally determined to be one of the gang, borrowed Rs 250 from her grandpa. All for a designer cap.

Explaining the trend, director of a fashion designing institute Ritu Raghuvanshi says: "Ever since Top Gun Tom wore a cap with dark glasses in the late 80’s, teenyboppers have been taking out money for caps. But they became a rage only with the entry of brand names in the topi market."