Toppers Unite

[Charlie Huang]

Charlie Huang: I recently picked up a very old topper from a fellow Lounger. It seems to be pre 1910, from the height (just a guess). Anyway, it clearly needs full restoration. But the greatest need is for a new sweat band. And second greatest need is the ribbon around the brim. It's threadbare and torn. The silk definitely needs refurbishing, but it's not as obvious as the other problems. Do you think having the sweat and edge ribbon replaced would make sense, and be cost effective, as opposed to a full rehab at Patey?

If the silk plush is more or less intact then it would not need full renovation, just maybe a clean. The sweatband and brim binding are fairly straightforward jobs. I would say it might be in the region of £100-150 to fix those. I would contact Patey's and Lock's (send them photos) and try and get a quote. I know Lock's would say 'we need to see it,' etc but an estimate won't hurt. I know that Patey would charge £250 for full renovation.

Actually, post a few pics and let's see what the condition of the plush is like.

 

[Brummagem Joe]

Where to find them.

About six months ago I picked up two lovely specimens in a vintage clothes store for $200. One included the leather hat box which needs the straps repairing but is otherwise ok. Both hats are American and of top quality with only slight wear around the top of the crown on one. They date from before WW 1 I think since the crowns on both have some curvature in the in the vertical plains and I after WW 1 they tended to have straight sides or at least that is my impression based on contemporary pics of people wearing them. I gave one to a relative who attends a lot of events that demand this type of headgear, Ascot etc, while I only infrequently will get to wear mine.

 

[jwalls]

topper

My hatter made this topper for a local preformer, http://www.xoopit.com/s/20um7cjq58eneqpztb87 :eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

The ribbon should be silk grosgrain...

Thank you, Charlie! I knew I'd get good advice from you.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The ribbon should be silk grosgrain ...

... OR it should be black wool boxcloth, at least 2 inches wide.

.

 

[filfoster]

Topper Tip

See: http://www.historyinthemaking.org/

The hat maker is John McMicking in Canada. John makes top hats from scratch and DOES NOT use the 'pulled felt over a block' technique for the plush covered hats. He uses a firm hat shape, perhaps pasteboard or buckram and covers it with hatters silk plush. He also makes felt ones.

He has made two beautiful toppers for me; the last an 1880's 7" tall one, covered in hatter's plush so it looks exactly like the originals. Beautiful, authentic hats that are not inexpensive.

If you want an authentic looking top hat, with the 'sharp' edge at the top of the crown, unlike the rounded, made-on-a-block look, and the beautiful silk hatter's plush sheen, this is the best I've found. And he makes them to size, in a variety of heights and brim treatments, which beats trying to find a second hand one in your size, for the same money.

 

[Charlie Huang]

... OR it should be black wool boxcloth, at least 2 inches wide.

.

That is also known as a 'mourning band'. I've seen it mostly on grey felt toppers but yes, you can have it on black ones.

 

[Charlie Huang]

See: http://www.historyinthemaking.org/

The hat maker is John McMicking in Canada. John makes top hats from scratch and doesn't use the 'pulled felt over a block' technique. He has made two beautiful toppers for me; the last an 1880's 7" tall one, covered in hatter's plush so it looks exactly like the originals. Beautiful, authentic hats that are not inexpensive.

If you want an authentic looking top hat, with the 'sharp' edge at the top of the crown, unlike the rounded, made-on-a-block look, and the beautiful silk hatter's plush sheen, this is the best I've found. And he makes them to size, in a variety of heights and brim treatments, which beats trying to find a second hand one in your size, for the same money.

Felt and silk are very different and give off different effects IMHO. You cannot polish felt to the same satin like sheen as silk. You have to see and feel it in the flesh to know. However, he seems to be the best bet to make a very good fur felt topper for a reasonable price so if you acnnot get silk, he seems the best bet in lieu of Christys', Lock's and Patey's.

 

[filfoster]

Top of the morning

Felt and silk are very different and give off different effects IMHO. You cannot polish felt to the same satin like sheen as silk. You have to see and feel it in the flesh to know. However, he seems to be the best bet to make a very good fur felt topper for a reasonable price so if you acnnot get silk, he seems the best bet in lieu of Christys', Lock's and Patey's.

I haven't had the temerity to even slightly disassemble it, but from the feel and weight, I believe John uses a very stiff buckram or pasteboard base for the hat. These are VERY solid, especially the brim, which only the slightly padded leather sweatband makes comfortable wearing. We are used to some 'give' in the headband which is absent here. The silk hatter's plush is glued to the hat form and the brim is bound by ribbon in the 'curl' you specify, as you can also choose the brim width. The application of the plush is really well done; it is very hard to detect the seams, if at all. The beauty of this is that the crown edge is nice and sharp, like the originals, and the hatter's plush makes a beautiful shiny sheen, especially the radial sheen on the crown itself. I always wanted one of these and have gotten a 'real' 1920's 5-6" crown one, but until finding John's work, had despaired of ever finding a 7" tall one. Please fast forward through the inevitable 'size matters' thoughts.

 

[Lokar]

How does he get silk hatter's plush? Does he gather it from damaged vintage top hats?

 

[filfoster]

The Plush Life

How does he get silk hatter's plush? Does he gather it from damaged vintage top hats?

I don't know. He had a small supply of original plush when I last ordered my hat and I believe he now uses a synthetic. You can contact him through the website above. He evidently does not have direct internet access and you must commission the hat through Stan Boyle at "History in the Making".

 

[Charlie Huang]

I don't know. He had a small supply of original plush when I last ordered my hat and I believe he now uses a synthetic. You can contact him through the website above. He evidently does not have direct internet access and you must commission the hat through Stan Boyle at "History in the Making".

If he's still got some proper silk plush then I' getting my next topepr from him!

 

[filfoster]

Hat Height-Size IS everything

I have a vintage 5 1/2 " tall silk plush topper. What would be the earliest time period hats of this crown height would have been worn?

 

[filfoster]

Accessorizing

I wear mine quite often. here are some pics of me wearing it. I feel very confident when I wear my top hat. That's why I never have any problems on the street. It does however draw a lot of attention here in San Diego. Hopefully in London it would be easier to fit in with crowd. I was actually on a date where I purposely dressed down and my date asked If I wanted to got out to eat and to please wear my top hat. The top hat bestows that inward tranquility that Emerson spoke of. Then again at times I can be a bit of a dandy.

VERY nice accessories...all the way around!

 

[filfoster]

Hat Height

I have a vintage 5 1/2 " tall silk plush topper. What would be the earliest time period hats of this crown height would have been worn?

One reference says post 1880?

 

[Charlie Huang]

One would not know, crown heights and shape have altered drastically over the centuries. One cannot pinpoint exact dates.

 

[metropd]

I wear mine quite often. here are some pics of me wearing it. I feel very confident when I wear my top hat. That's why I never have any problems on the street. It does however draw a lot of attention here in San Diego. Hopefully in London it would be easier to fit in with crowd. I was actually on a date where I purposely dressed down and my date asked If I wanted to got out to eat and to please wear my top hat. The top hat bestows that inward tranquility that Emerson spoke of. Then again at times I can be a bit of a dandy.

VERY nice accessories...all the way around!

Thank you. I now have a turn of the century full tail suit so the look can be more traditional.

 

[avedwards]

Thank you. I now have a turn of the century full tail suit so the look can be more traditional.

I still have to say that I like the untraditional nature of the way you wear your hat, whilst still keeping it smart (unlike the odd young person who wears a topper with jeans which shows a good intention but a lack of style).

 

[JacobSwan]

Restoring colour to an Opera Hat

I've recently acquired a nice Opera hat from ebay that was in pretty good condition but still needed a little TLC. I've already replaced the ribbon thanks to a web guide produced by a member from here. Now I want to do something about a few minor wear spots.
Is there an easy way to touch up the colour so they won't be as obvious from a distance? I'm not looking for absolute perfection. My wife came up with the crazy idea of using a touch of mascara or eye liner. Is there a better way? It's almost xmas party season and this hat is going to be worn a lot in the next few weeks.

Many thanks.

 

[jmrtnko]

The hat maker is John McMicking in Canada...He has made two beautiful toppers for me; the last an 1880's 7" tall one, covered in hatter's plush so it looks exactly like the originals. Beautiful, authentic hats that are not inexpensive.

Aha! Any chance you could post some photos? I have a few yards each of a midnight blue silk plush and a black extra-long nap plush and am looking for a good maker for a couple hats. I'm in the US, so someone in Canada is preferable to London for me, so long as the quality is good.

I'm not sure if it's the same person, but there is a John McMicking listed at L&H Hats in Dundas, Ontario with an email address of: mcmicking@canada.com