The RAREST Top Hat of All

[Marc Chevalier]

.

I have never, ever seen a vintage top hat like this one.


It's not felt; it's not beaver; it's not silk. It's not even straw. No: it's LINEN.


See it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/VERY-RARE-VICTO...ryZ52383QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


An amazing piece. I wish it were my size!

.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Increadable!!!

 

[EricH]

Fetch my cab please. Wow.

 

[deanglen]

What holds the shape? Wire on the crown, probably...but the sides?

dean

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What holds the shape? Wire on the crown, probably...but the sides?

That's an interesting question, and I have the answer: corrugated cardboard.


No kidding: corrugated cardboard was invented in the 1850s specifically to give structural support to top hats.

.

 

[jimmy the lid]

That is truly amazing!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[deanglen]

That's an interesting question, and I have the answer: corrugated cardboard.


No kidding: corrugated cardboard was invented in the 1880s specifically to give structural support to top hats.

.

Thanks, Marc!

dean

 

[Vintage Betty]

Yes, I've seen these before, more than once. Let me know if you want details.

Vintage Betty

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'd love details. Yes please!

.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Ok, this is a bit detailed, so bear with me.

As many of you know, there are a lot of people on and off of this lounge who do re-enactment and historical recreation of various time periods, as well as stage, theatre, tv, etc.

Ok...onto the details. In the SF Bay Area, you can pretty much find any group from any time period you want to join. One of these was people who put on the yearly Dickens Faire. Wonderful costumes, enjoyable acting, and dancing. I participated one day only, am not a regular participant.

Off season, the dancers used to participate in a monthly dance to keep their skills up. This dance was called "Gaskells" after a dance hall (I believe) in a Dickens novel. 5 piece brass band, called dances, home made refreshments, and 200+ people in ball gowns, top hats and tuxedos. In the old days, when you stepped into the hall, it was literally as if you stepped back in time. Not one person was out of costume. Manners were not only required, they were mandatory from everyone. And yes, there was a dress code and people were turned away in jeans and modern clothes. This memory is from approximately a decade ago.

Well, almost every single male in the place had either a topcoat, tuxedo, military uniform and...yes a hat. I saw hundreds and hundreds of top hats during the years I went to Gaskells, as well as too many spring loaded top hats, linen top hats, silk top hats, fur top hats to count. All colors, all styles of top hats from cheap ones from a costume shop to some worth hundreds of dollars each. Some owners also brought their antique cases along, where they stored the hat during the evening. And yes, some women wore top hats too, so there was an entire other fashion statement made there.

Canes, antique cufflinks, pocket watches, cravats and spats? No problem and standard dress every time.

If I ever find pictures I will post them. But I know of a friend whom I am sure has pics so the next time I see her, I will ask.

Here's a sample topcoat detail from a someone who ordered a coat for one of those dances.

Over the years, attendance dropped and the dress code was relaxed. The last time I went was a number of years ago and most people wore jeans, and modern clothing. Only one or two ball gowns, and no top hats in site. I haven't gone since.

Oh! I just googled the website, and here's some info and pics

It seems that the dress code is back in fashion. Good good good.

Vintage Betty

 

[Samsa]

Do you have any details on linen top hats specifically?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Thanks for the input Betty. I've hear of the ball though never attended. Bit like one group we have near LA... Social Dance Irregulars. Ive seen a linen top hat before and believe it may have been a very early California thing though that's a guess... 1800's and the heat. Though the one I saw was thrashed and in a mill of other clothes.

good post.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Sorry, Mr. Samsa, not at the moment. Was there some specific information you wanted?

Mr Deckard: Yes, I've been to that ball more than once. Nice people.

Vintage Betty

 

[Samsa]

Nothing in particular, no. I just got the impression from your initial post that you had details on linen top hats specifically. My mistake.

 

[Vintage Betty]

I've seen them up close and the one comment I can make is that they seem to retain dirt and stains much faster than other top hat materials. I probably wouldn't buy one for my husband because of this impression.

In some cases, I'm sure this is the glue aging and than discoloring the material, but in other cases, the hats seemed to attract dirt.

This is just a third-party observation, so I'm not sure if it's accurate or not.

Vintage Betty

 

[dhermann1]

Linen

I remember seeing a demonstration on flax and linen making at The Farmers' Museum, in Cooperstown, NY, a terrific living history museum of the early 19th century.
Linen, of course, is made from flax. They take the raw fiber and strip it down, peeling the strands from each other (much like the process used on Panama hats). The finest fibers are used for fine linens, and the last, heavy coarse and very strong material, called tow, is used for ropes (the derivation of the term "tow rope"). It's very yellow, thus the name "tow head" for blondes.
I would wonder whether it's the finest, coarsest or middle grade fibre used in hats.

 

[Edward]

Over the years, attendance dropped and the dress code was relaxed. The last time I went was a number of years ago and most people wore jeans, and modern clothing. Only one or two ball gowns, and no top hats in site. I haven't gone since.

Oh! I just googled the website, and here's some info and pics

It seems that the dress code is back in fashion. Good good good.

Vintage Betty

Absolutely. There's always the argument that if a dress code is too strict it's elitist and people who are new to the game will find it offputting at best and at worst an unsurmountable barrier. In my experience, though, it really is important to have and enforce some level of dress code in order to preserve a scene like that. If you don't enforce it, pretty quickly you end up with few there who do make the effort, which changes the character of the night, makes it less special and thus ultimately leads to a drop in attendees, both in terms of the casual punter who goes looking for something different, and the ******** regular who wants the sort of experience that the dress-code place offers.