TOP HATS

The world of hats is vast. In our online store, we have these products available in multiple sizes, colors, and different materials. The same goes for styles: we have Panama hats, bowler hats, fedora hats, cowboy hats, boater hats... and also top hats for men, better known as top hats.

Here you will find top hats in multiple colors (black, white, blue, red...) and with very varied designs, all of them with top-quality materials, like our raffia top hats or our natural straw top hats. Forget about those top hats made with weak fabric that breaks or deteriorates easily. We only have the best.

Trust in the great range of top hats we have in Artipistilos; we have no doubt that you will find what you're looking for.

WHAT IS A TOP HAT?

The top hat, also known as high top hat or topper in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay, is a hat known for its tall crown, flat top, and curved brim.

Its peak of popularity was in the 19th century, when it became an indispensable accessory for formal wear, whether for day or night.

The English designer John Hetherington is credited with creating the first top hat in 1797. Gradually his creation grew in popularity, and by the 1820s it was widely spread among the major European countries. The felt it was made of was originally beaver skin, and later also of silk.

In the United States, a model of top hat that President Abraham Lincoln wore during his presidency became popular. This, unlike European models, had a perfectly straight crown and was taller than theirs.

A more portable and practical version are the collapsible top hats, also called opera hats or Gibus.

The use of the top hat began to decline in the second half of the 19th century in favor of more practical and mass-producible bowlers and felt hats. However, it continued to be worn with morning coats during the day and with evening tails until the 1930s.

Although its use is rare today, the top hat continues to be very present in the collective imagination and the world of art and entertainment.

• It is associated with magicians, specifically with the trick of pulling animals like doves or rabbits out of the hat. This is why the top hat is also known as a magician's hat.
• From the above, the expression "to pull something out of the hat" became popular, meaning to say something unexpected or untimely.
• Some rock singers (Marc Bolan, Alice Cooper, Slash) have used them in their promotional images and concerts.
• In comics and satirical cartoons, it is common to depict rich people or bankers wearing a top hat with tails.
• Following the previous point, the well-known board game Monopoly features a logo with a mustachioed gentleman wearing tails and a top hat.
• The logo for the 'Professor Layton' video games is a top hat with the letter 'L' on it.