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| | A hat is a man's or woman's headgear, usually with a crown, which is made of steady materials for providing firmness to the hat. Now in the age of exquisiteness and ample opportunities, a worrying question haunts us: how to stand out in a crowd? This has to be done, of course, by not perturbing our personal character and image. Well-chosen and stylish headgear will help us in this.
Hats have always been very popular and an item for pulling attraction. Lets' remember at least the horse race scene in the movie “My Fair Lady” with Audrey Hepburn playing the lead role. No lady of any age could wear a hat of any possible shape and thought about how to outdo other beauties standing at her side. All royal persons do not come out without adorning their peerless headgear.
Headgear while protecting the head was in ancient times played the role of indicating social status (headgear of a tribal chief, priest etc.) and were associated with religious notions (for instance, the head of animal could be displayed).
The top hat is a European man's headgear and a flat crown. Top hats as day-to-day attire were widespread throughout the 19th century.
First the top hat was made by hatter John Hetherington in 1797, but top hats acquired popularity only in 1820. Men wore hats on ceremonies and business meetings: soon they became the regular attire of the dress code among the middle class in Europe and America. In those years top hats were made in different models with different colors, fabrics and shapes. For instance, a top hat was worn by American President Abraham Lincoln and allowed him to keep inside his hat letters, financial documents and bill drafts and notes. In 1823, the crush hat was invented in France.
At the close of the 20th century, top hats became outdated and were replaced by bowlers which were more comfortable in urban life and mass production (unlike bowlers, top hats were hand made by experienced hatters). After the 1st World War, top hats completely disappeared. In 1929-1930, top hats were worn in exclusive ceremonies (dress-ups, public ceremonies, burials and marriages). It is worth to note that among affluent people and politicians in Western Europe, top hats remained as part of the dress until the 1930's. Diplomatic protocol subjected wearing top hats up to the 1970's.
Nowadays the top hat is used just as a tribute to traditions at different events (for instances, while attending horse races at British Ascot, wearing a top hat is mandatory. More over, it is a part of a magician's dress (thanks to the limitless tricks like drawing things from a hat).
The bowler hat is the European men's headgear of a spherical shape with hard felt. Bowler hats were very popular between the 19th and 20th centuries.
The first bowler hat was made in 1850 by London entrepreneurs Thomas and William Bowlers (hence that is the English name). They made hats according to the drawings by James and George Locks. Bowlers had become popular by the end of the 19th century and replaced expensive and bulky top hats. It their turn, bowlers were replaced by boaters and felt hats. Nevertheless, bowlers continued to be part of dress ups until the 1960's (as a rule, among it worn by the lower middle class and advocates).
At present, the bowler ceased to be the part of the dress and became ceremonial.
The Panama hat is a light cloth hat with a soft brim.
The Panama is a headgear invented and produced in Ecuador. There grows a particular straw for weaving the hat. Panama hats today are supplied by Ecuador, and shipped even to Panama. This headgear got the name “Panama”, because they, once upon a time, were in vogue in the U.S.A. and Europe and supplied exceptionally from Panama.
The Fedora Hat is a head gear of soft felt twined once with a ribbon. It was invented in the 1910's. Usually they are worn by men, but there are ladies versions too.
The felt hat was popular in the West in the first half of the 20th century. In those times it was an indispensable part of dress in urban industrial areas. Due to the typical Hollywood films in the 1940's, this hat was more associated with gangsters, private sleuths and other “tough guys”. In between the 1950's and 1960's the felt hat lost its popularity.
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