Top Hat Etiquette

Top hats must be removed when indoors – restaurants, churches, ballrooms, theaters, opera houses– but not when picnicking in open carriages, as shown above in HBO’s, “The Gilded Age”
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“If a gentleman meets a gentleman, he may salute him by touching his hat without removing it, but if a lady be with either gentleman, both hats must be lifted in salutation. If a gentleman stops to speak to a lady, in the street, he must hold his hat in his hand during the interview, unless she requests him to replace it. With a gentleman friend etiquette does not require this formality.”
- From Frosts Laws and By-Laws of American Society, 1869

One accessory to men’s formal dress merits special mention. The top hat was an integral part of the evening wear of men. The top hat was developed by John Heatherington, a London haberdasher and milliner. 

When first worn in 1797, in a world where men wore tricornered hats, it is said to have caused a riot. Heatherington was charged with a breach of the peace and ordered to pay a fine. The tall silk hat had a shiny luster, supposedly calculated to frighten timid people. 

In spite of this rocky beginning the hat caught on, and by the Regency period was the normal hat worn by gentlemen. It was worn with tails and later, the tuxedo. It is still worn today at the Ascot races in England and certain grand weddings, funerals, and diplomatic occasions.

One of the main attractions of the top hat is that it adds the illusion of height to a man and makes him look commanding. It is said one short man ordered two-foot-tall top hats.

The top hats of the Victorian and Edwardian periods were made of silk with a slightly curved side to the cylinder of the hat. The brim curved up a little bit.

The top hat came in two colors. Black silk was worn with evening wear— tails and tuxedos. A gray hat was worn with a morning coat.

The hat was made by creating the requisite shape in gossamer calico and then painting it with shellac to stiffen it. Up to the 1960s silk plush was sewn onto the creation. Unfortunately, the method of making silk plush has been lost, and it is now impossible to obtain a new silk hat. 

Today the top hat is covered in polished rabbit fur. This has led to a strong market in used silk hats. However, there is a problem with head sizes. Today head sizes are larger than those of the Victorians and therefore many men cannot find an antique silk hat.— “Forgotten Elegance,” 2003

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia