Talking about hats assumes that it is the fashion you are talking about. Yes, it is true, but the top hats have been more than just a fashion statement- it is an element of the British men’s heritage. These hats are elevated cylindrical hats with a flat top and broad brim and usually have a satin ribbon along the brim for decorative purpose. During the late eighteenth and mid-twentieth century, these hats grew to prominence and faded away around 1945. However, these hats continue to be used occasionally in UK by prominent people in the financial or judicial field and of course, by the Royal family members. If you wish to buy top hat in the UK, it is a classic choice to make.
Wondering how fashion-related hats are? Fashion designing itself began somewhere during the nineteenth century. No, I do not mean to say that people did not dress fashionably prior to that. Fashion designing is particularly labelling a particular garment that has been designed. This was first done by Charles Frederick Worth, and hence, the birth of ‘fashion designing’ per say. But fashion itself carries enormous connotations of social, cultural, historical and aesthetic value. Top hats, as a fashion statement, exemplify this. Look back to your childhood memories. You will witness the use of top hat by Uncle Scrooge (Disney), Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland), Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Mandrake the Magician and Lord Snooty (The Beano).
This hat has often been perceived as a status symbol and hence, critiqued on the basis of promoting capitalism. Regardless of criticisms, even top hats have undergone modifications over the years like around 1812, collapsible top hat were introduced. Today they are available in wool, satin, fur-felt and silk materials. If you are looking to buy top hats in the UK, you cannot go ahead without mentioning the Lock & Co. Hatters and the Christys’ of London. Though there are other companies that produce hats worldwide, these two stand out due to their spectacular standing in the history of hat-making in UK. The Lock & Co. Hatters is the world’s oldest hat-making shop, established in the 1600s, and has served hats to great personalities like Sir Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin. And as for the Christys’ of London (est-1773), it has produced some of the finest elegant hats for people for over two centuries.
Though seen as status symbols, magicians, actors and even the ordinary people have owned these hat thanks to its availability in online stores today. Women too have been using them in modified ways. So if you wish to buy top hat in UK, you can either run down to the stores or purchase them online. Mostly, you will find the southern UK dominated by hat shops. This hat can cost about 2 to 480 pounds. You expect additional discounts during winters. So, you can probably gather that when you purchase one of these hats, you carry back not just a hat but a legacy with you.