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A top hat, beaver hat, high hat, silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat, sometimes also known by the nickname "topper", is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn by men from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century. By the end of World War II, it had become a rarity in ordinary dress, though it continued to be worn in specific instances, such as state funerals, also by those occupying prominent positions in the Bank of England and by certain City stock exchange officials. , top hats are still worn at some society events in the UK, notably at church weddings and racing meetings attended by members of the royal family, such as Royal Ascot. They remain part of the formal uniform of certain British institutions, such as Eton College and the boy-choristers of King's College Choir. They are usually worn with morning dress or white tie, in dressage, and as part of servants' or doormen's livery. The top hat was frequently associated with the upper class, and was used by satirists and social critics as a symbol of capitalism or the world of business. The use of the top hat persisted in politics and international diplomacy for many years, including at U.S. presidential inaugurations, the last being worn at the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1961. The top hat also forms part of the traditional dress of Uncle Sam, a symbol of the United States, generally striped in red, white and blue. The top hat is also associated with stage magic, both in traditional costume and especially the use of hat tricks. == History == According to fashion historians, the top hat may have descended directly from the sugarloaf hat;〔Sewell, Charlotte (1983). ''Clothes in History''. Wayland. Ltd.〕 otherwise it is difficult to establish provenance for its creation.〔Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1954). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''.〕 Gentlemen began to replace the tricorne with the top hat at the end of the 18th century; a painting by Charles Vernet of 1796, ''Un Incroyable'', shows a French dandy (one of the ''Incroyables et Merveilleuses'') with such a hat.〔 (referenced in ''Tigersprung: Fashion in Modernity'' by Ulrich Lehmann)〕 The first silk top hat in England is credited to George Dunnage, a hatter from Middlesex, in 1793.〔 (referenced in Ascot Top Hats'')〕 The invention of the top hat is often erroneously credited to a haberdasher named John Hetherington. Within 20 years top hats had become popular with all social classes, with even workmen wearing them. At that time those worn by members of the upper classes were usually made of felted beaver fur; the generic name "stuff hat" was applied to hats made from various non-fur felts. The hats became part of the uniforms worn by policemen and postmen (to give them the appearance of authority); since these people spent most of their time outdoors, their hats were topped with black oilcloth. Between the latter part of 18th century and the early part 19th century felted beaver fur was slowly replaced by silk "hatter's plush", though the silk topper met with resistance from those who preferred the beaver hat. The 1840s and the 1850s saw it reach its most extreme form, with ever higher crowns and narrow brims. The ''stovepipe hat'' was a variety with mostly straight sides, while one with slightly convex sides was called the "chimney pot". The style we presently refer to as the stovepipe was popularized in the United States by Abraham Lincoln during his presidency; though it is postulated that he may never have called it stovepipe himself, but merely a silk hat or a plug hat. It is said that Lincoln would keep important letters inside the hat. One of Lincoln's top hats is kept on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Abraham Lincoln's top hat )〕 During the 19th century, the top hat developed from a fashion into a symbol of urban respectability, and this was assured when Prince Albert started wearing them in 1850; the rise in popularity of the silk plush top hat possibly led to a decline in beaver hats, sharply reducing the size of the beaver trapping industry in North America, though it is also postulated that the beaver numbers were also reducing at the same time. Whether it directly affected or was coincidental to the decline of the beaver trade is debatable. James Laver once observed that an assemblage of "toppers" resembled factory chimneys and thus added to the mood of the industrial era. In England, post-Brummel dandies went in for flared crowns and swooping brims. Their counterparts in France, known as the "Incroyables", wore top hats of such outlandish dimensions that there was no room for them in overcrowded cloakrooms until the invention of the collapsible top hat.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title="Gibus" Opera Hat )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Top hat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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