What’s a Stove Hat?

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The stovetop hat is a tall, flat-brimmed hat with a wide crown. It was once part of formal dress and is associated with Abraham Lincoln. Today, it is mostly seen as part of costumes or in magic tricks. Traditional top hats are made from sturdy materials like felt or silk fur, but the demand for them has dwindled. Stove hats can be found at hat supply stores or online retailers.

A stovetop hat is a top hat style, tall hat with a flat brim and wide crown that was an integral part of formal dress. Many people in the United States associate the stovetop hat with Abraham Lincoln, who often wore one for portraits of him. By the 1920s, top hats had essentially disappeared, although they were still worn on some very formal occasions. Most top hats and stove caps today are seen as part of costumes, rather than true formal wear.

A stove hat design makes it look like a length of piping. The body of the hat runs straight up and down, rather than flaring slightly like a traditional top hat, and the crown is completely flat. The brim is wide and can also be flat or slightly flexible. Often, a stovetop hat is also trimmed with a grosgrain band or silk ribbon, and the traditional color for a stovetop hat is black.

Traditional top hats are made from felt or silk fur, because this material is extremely sturdy and will stand up to heavy wear and tear. It also has the advantage of being water repellent. Silk cylinders tend to be shiny due to the silk fibers, which can give them an extra edge. At one point, many gentlemen owned top hats for special occasions, but the fad petered out as city dwellers began to dress more casually, choosing bowler hats and fedoras over the more traditional top hats.

Top hats are often used in magic tricks, and the most common variety of top hat used in magic is the stove hat, as it is easy to make. Traditional top hats must be made with care, usually by a skilled hat maker, and the ability to make such hats is dwindling along with demand. Stove hats have also been worn by prominent entertainers, ranging from Fred Astaire to Giuseppe Verdi, and many rockers have worn the top hat as a tongue-in-cheek statement in performances.

It can be hard to find a stove hat. If you live in an urban area, you may be able to find a hat supply that carries them, or at least you may cut yourself for a hat. If that resource isn’t available, a number of hat retailers sell their products online. Make sure you understand the terms of a store’s return policy, however, as a stove hat that doesn’t fit right can be a disastrous purchase. Some of these companies also offer stove-hat-inspired novelty hats, such as floppy hats in patriotic colors for parades and leisure purposes.




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