That Damn Yellow Cap: How it all began Options

[Geri]

At the insistence of those who outrank me around here (and there ain't many of 'em ) I'm here to record for posterity the story of how an otherwise unfortunate choice in headwear became perhaps the most beloved and endearing fashion statement of none other than our dear Orlando.



You see, I was sitting here one day last October, ensconced in my PEFIC office chair, minding my own business when Jan posts that someone has listed the identical cap to the one Orlando was known to wear (far more often than many would have liked) on eBay. Now, I knew she was taunting me, since I had been rather outspoken about the unpretentious charm of a guy whose rise to stardom could afford him nearly any kind of hat he so desired. Instead of trying to be someone he’s not, he chose a ratty yellow cap. Jan termed the cap (affectionately, mind you) that Damn Yellow Cap, and the name stuck.
Anyway, I took the bait.

What else was there to do while my kids were at school? A thread was established to record the support and encouragement of countless ka-Bloomies, who eventually began to offer their financial support when it became evident that the price was going through the roof.

Since links were posted throughout the fandom, many others were bidding against me, but we emerged victorious with a final bid of $93! :towel: Within 24 hours, I had enough donations in my Paypal account to pay for the cap and I created a commemorative keychain to send to the generous people who went out of their way to see that ka-Bloom would be the new “official home” of the DYC. Little did we know that when the cap lay innocently in the darkness of my knickers drawer, fate had not yet dealt her final hand.

On Thursday 22 July, I met Orlando in Elizabethtown Kentucky on the set of Cameron’ Crowe’s film Elizabethtown and learned that he had not only lost his original cap, but that it had indeed been as I had suspected all along: he loved that damn thing. His wide-eyed smile and grateful hug and kiss when he accepted it from me were worth all the trouble of getting it and bringing it with me…and then some.

The original thread is gone, due to the Great Crash when we lost the entire Orlando Period forum around the holidays, but those involved have not forgotten and most are still with us today.

It might be hard for outsiders to understand, but this was kind of a big deal for me and for the board. If we ever get to see the footage which I know was taped of me giving it to him and of his reaction afterward, I know it will come through just how happy it made him. It’s been my hope that you all feel like you shared in giving something back to Orlando that is distinctly, uniquely and endearingly him, after he’s given us so much through his roles and by just being a neat person to admire.

I'll be adding to this thread to show how we had some fun and frivolity during the bidding and shortly thereafter. We actually documented the wearing of the cap on three different continents over about a two year span of time.

[Jan]

I still say it's just about the tackiest thing I've ever seen Orlando wear.

And THAT's saying something.

[Geri]

I dunno...I think the picnic table shirt is the worst.

[Cimarron]

Thank you HR.

[Phynx]

I dunno.I think the picnic table shirt is the worst.

What picnic table shirt? Can anyone show me please? :paperbag:

[Jackie]

I'm with Jan on this one. The DYC has to be the worst thing he has ever worn. Not helped by the fact that I loathe the colour yellow. Must have had an unpleasant experience with a banana or something as a child.
That said, the white trash Orlando look,( apologies à la HR ) with and without said DYC, is without question my absolute favourite ; the seminal Orlando look that has bound me to him forever.
I was too much of a newbie to be involved in the ebay bidding, but I do remember they way the whole episode cemented the community feeling within the board. I am so happy to have been there when the Kentucky phase of the DYC saga occurred.
Now all we need is for his original "lost" cap to turn up on ebay, and we are all set for round two !! :wink:

What picnic table shirt? Can anyone show me please?

You really, really don't want to know!

MM

PS: I still think that the DYC was probably deliberately "lost" by one of Orlando's nearest and dearest, who are now roundly cursing HR for her love and generosity.
PPS: The DYC has its own forum !

[Twinks]

I was yet to be a newbee at the time, and was very much a lurker when the crash occured. At the time, I had no concept of what that ugly hat was all about. Through poking around in old threads, as any good lurker and newbee should do, I began to understand that the hat, was not just God awful ugly, but something Orlando very much liked. Seriously now, that hat looks like it was closed under the hood of a car while it was driven all the way into the Sahara Desert in the hot sun, then put on his head. But, men love their old stuff.

What I won't forget, is the buzz this board went through on that Thursday. The board crashed at least on three separate occassions. People told people the story quickly, and guest by the dozen came to tune in to a very special occassion. Nobody wanted to miss it. Even if they did not understand the entire thing, they knew that something was happening, and they wanted to be apart of it, if only to sit by their computer and refresh every frickin four seconds because if HR did not come in and post when she did, I think we were all going to go nuts on the spot. We wanted to come along for the ride. Okay now honest, who called in sick to work? Yea me too. If one little thing, one thing that is of no value, except to the one want that wants it, and that one that gives it, makes a person smile, then doesn't that make the giving all that much worthwhile?

I have given presents to people that nobody understood but me and the one I gave it to. All the while, I knew, I got'em, I got'em good. Rarely do these items hold anything but a memory relived, and thought remembered. I hope that he is happy with it. He is certainly going to wear it. And the story behind where it came from, unbelieveable but true.

[Guest_Iolite_*]

What picnic table shirt? Can anyone show me please?

You really, really don't want to know!

Yes, we do! Pretty please! I mean, come on, if it's tackier than the DYC it must be something worth viewing.

[Twinks]

This is the best one I have of the picnic table shirt. Personally I titled it the pizza restaurant shirt. Either way, it is hideous, but he seems to like the thing. Sorry about the water mark.

[AllieCat]

Very well said, Geri. I am glad to get a bit of the background story about the DYC. I was feeling a bit lost not knowing the full story.

I have to agree that, the return of his beloved hat was just one small thing that we could give back to him. We all know that Orlando has given us fans many hours of smiles.

The fact that Orlando loves such a silly thing like the DYC is so adorable. I think that it shows he is really sentimental. That's really sweet.

I agree that the table cloth shirt was a lot worse. And Phynx. You really don't want to know. Thank you for the picture, Twinks. Somehow calling it the pizza restaurant shirt makes it sound a bit nicer.

Allie

[belinda]

I have to admit that I wasn't here long enough to follow the actual story of the DYC, but I was lucky enough to be able to read about HR's encounter with Orlando. You are the luckiest girl in the world HR!

As for the picnic table shirt, I.ummm.kinda like it I dunno why, since it is ugly, I won't contest that.but I still like it :paperbag:

[Guest_legomylegolas_*]

I have to say that watching the bidding for the DYC on e-Bay was one of the most nerve racking things I have gone through in a long time. And I literally squee'd outloud when she won. Oh that was fun. .

What Geri said is right. As silly as it may sound to 'outsiders', I do feel like we've given something back to Orlando. He loves that hat so much and because of the generosity of people on this board, Geri was about to give him back a taste of the happiness he brings to us. How awesome is that??



And yes, I still carry around my keychain proudly!