l've seen people wear them with morning suits, but i've never seen them worn with evening attire. Has anyone ever worn a top hat. Even more interesting, has anyone ever wore a top hat with evening attire?
Does any place sell top hats online? (Nah, i'm not buying one, but i'm just curious).
l think i've seen a couple of i-children wear top hats with evening attire. Derrick over at Style Forum comes to mind.
Last edited by The_Shooman (2009-03-01 02:40:01)
Do you wear top hats Sator?
Getting fur-felt top hats is no problem at all. I gather that getting new silk ones, which are really appropriate for evening wear, is impossible, however.
Top hat is one piece of regalia for summoning The Eliminator. Top coat, silk suit, clean shirt, black tie and new shoes compose the rest. Once not having a black tie, I substituted charcoal and summoned a 1989 Hyundai Excel.
The equestrian driving fraternity are frequent wearers of tophats as part of a correct 'turnout.'
If you have an opportunity to attend a carriage show do so. You will see some elegant clothing
and the four in hand tie in it's birthplace. Some of the attending vendors and participants have some rather suprising resources for tophats and other treasures.
Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-03-06 23:59:19)
Aren't the hats worn in dressage top hats of a sort as well, Kav? I know the crown isn't as high as on most toppers, but I don't know how else one would describe them.
Yes, dressage employs a abbreviated tophat, and the parkseat people with saddlebreds have bowlers with somewhat exaggeratted brims much like 'wings' on a sailor's dixiecup hat.
Equestrian clothing is problematical, in that the details have been tweaked for the rider's profile mounted.
I think the most spectacular turnout I ever saw was in Santa Ynez. Fess Parker hosted a driving meet his winery. A english burgandy and black mailcoach came rolling out, a true four in hand with the 'whip' and coachmen in morningdress and tophats.
Fess was 'feeling no pain' promoting his wine, stepping out just as I came down the road with my 'boring quarterhorse' hitched to a rare sailor's gig. My mare got mixed up, thought Fess was there to be cut like a calf and started doing her side to side, panther crouch routine.
Two of the judges were standing there, judging sheets in hand and mouths agape. one turned to anotherand said ' I don't think horses can do that,can they?' The other judge was laughing, oh yes, but I've never seen it done in harness! Give her 20 bonus points for exemplary safety manners and deduct 5 for him falling out of his seat.'
Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-03-07 19:32:37)
I went to prep school in the Santa Ynez Valley, about 5 miles out from Los Olivos--Midland School. Are you familiar with it, Kav? They had horses and riding there, but I was never too interested. The horses seemed very ill-tempered from being ridden year after year by mostly incompetent boys. Can't say that I blame them. In hindsight, I regret never having achieved competence in equitation. It is certainly a noble and in some ways aristocratic art. Given my skills at dog training, I think I could have achieved a good rapport with the right horse. I've also long had a penchant for riding mules. If less appealing aesthetically than the horse, they compensate with their level-headedness.
Yes, the school is in one of the loveliest ( and most expensive) pieces of american real estate.Most people recognise only Solvang, that kitsche outpost of Denmark
Mules can do anything horses can, except for making little mules except in a single documented case. A most wonderfull and underappreciated animal.
The Tevis Cup, premier endurance race started by ranchers has become the sole pervue of arabian enthusiasts. A few years back a mule packer showed up in his daily working kit and western saddle. DVMs, themselves all to specialised on arabs had a difficult time assessing the Mule's fitness. They were placed fifth overall, behind these anorexic women in spandex riding ultralight saddles.
Oh, to bring this back to clothing, he wore whipcord trousers, packer boots, pearl button snap shirt, Filson packer coat and a felt hat with a packer's crease. NO BLUEJEANS!
Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-03-08 11:01:18)
I have had several. The best of them was a vintage French hat that I sold to Ede & Ravenscroft on our removal out here; although I also had Lock toppers, Lincoln Bennett toppers (both town shell and opera hats) and various others. I still have one town shell and one opera hat; I have never managed to get a hunting weight topper. There is little occasion for full evening dress and one would not wear a topper with a DJ-Tuxedo. Patey's do reconditioned toppers and several other firms - if you need details I have them to hand.
NJS
Opera hats -
http://www.sacredfeather.com/classics.html
http://www.retrothing.com/2007/01/collapsible_top.html
http://www.mooncostumes.com/item/7413?ref=shareasale&SSAID=235320
http://www.villagehatshop.com/satin_collapsible_top-hat.html
I would strongly counsel against doing any business with the Village Hat Shop. They have a B&M store a few miles from my house. I had positively the worst experience there I have ever had with a retail establishment in all my fairly long life. I have told the story a couple of times in the fora, but if anybody hasn't heard it and is interested, I can re-hash it again. Frankly, I would rather die of sunstroke or perish of hypothermia than buy another hat from the Village Hat Shop!
Last edited by captainpreppy (2009-04-18 18:45:28)
Okay, here goes:
Back in 1999-2000, I went on sort of a hat buying spree. I purchased four felt hats from the Village Hat Shop and had spent around $500 there, so I was definitely a regular customer and a "live one," as they say.
I then bought an inexpensive Panama hat (about $80, as I recall) from them. When I bought it, my stepson James, who has always been very observant and has good eye for such things, said the crown (where it is creased) looked flawed. Sure enough, James was right. Within three weeks, it had cracked open. Since this was clearly a manufacturing defect, I took it back and asked, not for a refund, but merely store credit toward another hat. A young woman who appeared to be some sort of manager seemed amenable to this arrangement but told me they didn't have any new Panamas in at the time. I called several times--still no Panamas. Finally, I took it in to exchange it for a felt hat. I had selected a modestly priced fedora, and the young lady told me she would give me a credit of $20 toward it for my $80 hat that was flawed! I was quite outraged. I refused to go along with the deal, and a few days later I sent them back the damaged hat with a lengthy letter describing the situation and my displeasure with the treatment I had received. I half expected a contrite letter from the management and an offer to make things right. Never heard from them!
Never have I encountered a firm so unwilling to take responsibility for obviously flawed merchandise. And remember, I wasn't even asking for a refund, merely store credit, and I had been a regular customer.
As far as I am concerned, the Village Hat Shop is a rip-off, tourist-trap, clip-joint! Anyone who deals with them does so at their peril.
The only place I regularly see top hats nowadays are on Derby Day.
I always watch the Derby for free on The Hill with the gypsies and assorted chavs. Bring your own beer and sandwiches. All the fun of the fair! You cannot see the whole of the Derby course anyway unless you are right at the top of the paying enclosures. If you pop out to place a bet, or whatever, you lose the seat.
I saw Prince Phillip emerge after the main feature a few years ago. He was about six foot away from me. He was not wearing a topper. He was not with 'er indoors. I have also seen McCririck wandering around the car park . He always has unusual headgear.
I don't like Ascot. The Derby is one of the oldest, most historic sporting events in the world and it is free.
I don't mind chavs in small doses.