The hat landscape is starting to look very similar to when I started collecting some 15 years ago: bold colorways and styles have come to the forefront of many a collector’s wishlist. One of the hottest trends currently being embraced by many cap retailers is the colored underbrim. While not an entirely new concept, an underbrim featuring a color other than black, gray, or green has become a hot seller. One such retailer leading the foray into this trend is none other than Hat Club.
Hat Club has been one of the biggest custom cap retailers for as long as I’ve been collecting. Custom colorways have long been a part of Hat Club’s cache, but the nascent of colored underbrims can be attributed to a 1996 New York Yankees Hat Club release with a pink underbrim. The style caught fire among collectors, and pink was quickly found under such styles named “Cookies And Cream” and “Red Velvet.” Now the terms “pinkies” and “icies” have entered the cap vernacular as caps that feature either a pink or light blue underbrim. The style featured today makes great use of a pink underbrim and is also aptly named after a beverage:
Yellow crown and brim
White and pink interlocking SD
The Pink Lemonade collection features a primarily Athletic Gold (yellow) colorway with accents of soft pink. Each team saw a release in a Pink Lemonade colorway: our Padres had two. The cap on the right is the first of the releases and features the older 90s era interlocking SD with a standard-colored patch. The cap on the left was a preorder-only version and features the 2016 interlocking SD with a Pink Lemonade-inspired patch.
Here’s a look at each patch. The 1998 World Series patch is standard-colored, but let’s get a look at that 2016 All Star Game patch.
Here’s a better look at the theme-colored patch. The varying use of pinks and white makes for a great looking patch.
Each cap features a flat-stitched pink, white, and gold MLB Batterman logo.
Both styles of course have a pink underbrim and a black sweatband. This color pink is the “pinky” color attributed to the term used by collectors.
Yellow crown and brim
Blue, white and pink Expos logo
I have now embarked on a burgeoning Montreal Expos collection and couldn’t pass up on snagging an Expos Pink Lemonade. The logo looks nice with pink replacing the standard red in the curled “e.”
The patch features hot pink threading rather than pastel. This patch of course is from the 1982 All Star Game hosted by Montreal. This ASG was notable for being the first played outside the United States. The only Padres player was elected as a reserve: outfielder Ruppert Jones.
Featured alongside the preorder for the hat was this t-shirt with a unique Pink Lemonade artwork. Gotta have the shirt to match the cap, I say.
Another great touch by Hat Club are custom pins included with each preorder. This artwork is the same as the art featured on the shirt. These custom pins have become very desirable among collectors.
Cap Availability Status: Rare
Best of luck to you if you want to add a Pink Lemonade cap to your archive. The release and preorder have long since passed. Your best bet is the secondhand market, where caps have now become much more expensive thanks to the style and scarcity.
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