Getting in a flap

The unifying feature of both the deerstalker and the foreand-aft are a pair of semi-circular visors or bills, front and back, stiffened with heavy canvas, pasteboard or cardboard. Both are usually made of tweed, which is sometimes coated

with Teflon for added water resistance.

The difference lies in the deerstalker’s unstiffened ear flaps,

which can be tied together over the head, usually with grosgrain ribbons or laces, but sometimes snaps or buttons, or under the chin for added protection from the elements. By contrast, the fore-and-aft has a narrow brim all round

and no ear flaps.