Waterfront Hat Shop Near Sentosa Express: New Era VivoCity

Most people pass through VivoCity, the largest shopping mall in Singapore, on the way to Sentosa, and it is the obvious place to buy a cap before a day in the sun. New Era VivoCity is at #01-K32, 1 HarbourFront Walk, Singapore 098585, on the mall's first level, and VivoCity itself is open from 10am to 10pm daily. On New Era's Singapore website an unstructured 9TWENTY cap costs S$59 and a 39THIRTY stretch-fit cap from S$59, which makes it a fair price for a cap you will keep wearing after the holiday.

New Era's official store guide lists just two shops in Singapore, this one at VivoCity and a larger flagship in Bugis. VivoCity is the older address for the brand: Senatus, a Singapore men's site, once described the brand's VivoCity store, then in unit #B1-20, as New Era's first flagship in Singapore. The official guide and the mall's own directory now both give the unit as #01-K32, so head to level 1 rather than the basement that older blog posts mention.

VivoCity's directory sums up the brand in a line: after decades as the official on-field cap of Major League Baseball, New Era has become the go-to label for sports headwear, with embroidered team logos from three major American leagues, and it has its own following in street fashion.

The company's history page starts in Buffalo, New York, where Ehrhardt Koch founded New Era Cap Co. in 1920 and made 60,000 Gatsby-style caps in its first year. His son Harold moved the firm into baseball, and its first professional baseball cap was made in 1934 for the Cleveland Indians. By 1950 New Era was the only independent cap maker supplying big league teams, and Harold's 1954 design for the fitted 59FIFTY gave the cap its modern shape.

Singapore heat changes the choice. The structured, flat-brimmed 59FIFTY is the classic, but for a day on the beach a softer cap is more comfortable. The 9TWENTY is unstructured, with a low crown, a curved peak and an adjustable strap. The Singapore site lists the 9TWENTY Los Angeles Dodgers White Adjustable and the New York Yankees White Adjustable at S$59, and washed versions, such as the New York Yankees Washed Pebble Adjustable, at S$69. A light colour reflects the sun better than black.

If you want something that holds its shape but does not need sizing, try the 39THIRTY, which uses a stretch band. Storm Grey fitted versions for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Chicago Bulls are S$59, and the Evergreen Neo Black stretch-fit caps are S$69.

The 9SEVENTY is a stretch snapback with a structured front. Gradient two-tone versions for the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and White Sox are S$69, and the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team 9SEVENTY in navy and scarlet is S$59, one of the few non-baseball caps in the range.

Prices quoted here are from the official online store, and in-store prices can differ. The online store also offers free delivery on orders over S$80, which helps if the kiosk does not have your size, and lists recent collaborations with Timberland, Fear of God, Ralph Lauren and Lacoste.

This compact first-floor unit carries a tighter edit than the Bugis flagship, so arrive knowing what you want. Measure your head in centimetres before you go if you plan to buy a fitted 59FIFTY. Ask staff to bring other sizes from stock rather than trying caps off the wall one by one, and if you are buying a gift, choose an adjustable 9TWENTY, 9FORTY or 9SEVENTY so size does not matter.

New Era does not publish separate opening hours for this unit, so plan your visit within the mall's 10am to 10pm. Weekday mornings are calm; weekend afternoons, when families head to Sentosa, are the busiest, and school holidays bring the biggest crowds of all to this end of the mall.

If you want your cap personalised with charms or pins, that is a job for the Bugis flagship, where New Era runs its Cap Bar customisation station. VivoCity is the stop for a quick buy on the way to the beach or the cable car.

Singapore humidity is hard on caps. Do not put a structured 59FIFTY or 9SEVENTY in a washing machine, because the front panels and peak can lose their shape. Spot-clean the sweatband with mild soap and cool water, then let the cap dry in the shade on a rounded object such as a bowl, away from direct sun, which fades dark colours quickly. Unstructured 9TWENTY caps are more forgiving and can be hand washed.

VivoCity connects to HarbourFront MRT station and the HarbourFront bus interchange through a linkway on basement 2 and level 1, so you can arrive without stepping outside. The Sentosa Express monorail leaves from VivoCity station on level 3, and the Sentosa Boardwalk is the covered walking route across the water to the island if you prefer to go on foot.

The mall's rooftop has a free outdoor play area and views over the water to Sentosa. A pedestrian bridge on level 2 links to HarbourFront Centre, and the red-brick St James Power Station, built in the 1920s, stands just to the west. Behind the harbour rises Mount Faber, with walking trails through the trees and a cable car that runs from HarbourFront up the hill and across to Sentosa.

Address: New Era VivoCity, #01-K32, 1 HarbourFront Walk, VivoCity, Singapore 098585. Mall hours: 10am to 10pm daily; the store publishes no separate hours. Nearest MRT: HarbourFront.

Prices quoted are from neweracap.com.sg: 9TWENTY caps S$59 and S$69, 39THIRTY caps S$59 and S$69, and 9SEVENTY caps S$59 and S$69.