Best Top Hats for Men: Premium Styles Worth the Investment

ARTICLE SUMMARY

This article covers all six men's top hat styles in detail, from the workhorse wool felt black top hat to the prestigious silk top hat, the practical collapsible Gibus, the theatrical stovepipe, the frequently misunderstood grey morning suit hat, and the contemporary fashion top hat. Each style section covers what it looks like, when it is correct to wear it, what the material is, and what it costs. The article includes the single most common color mistake men make at formal events (wearing black instead of grey with a morning suit), a sizing guide, a care guide split by material, and an occasion-by-occasion selection framework. Six FAQs target long-tail buyer queries. Internal links connect to the men's top hats collection, related formal hat guides, and care articles.

Most men who buy a top hat buy it once. Unlike a fedora or flat cap that might be worn dozens of times a year, a top hat occupies a specific formal territory where it is either exactly right or completely wrong. Getting it wrong means wearing a black top hat to a morning suit wedding where grey is the correct choice or buying a theatrical stovepipe for Royal Ascot where the proportions read as costume. Getting it right means owning a hat that will last decades and look correct at every formal occasion you are ever likely to attend.

This guide covers every men's top hat style, the occasion each belongs to, and the one color mistake that shows up every summer at British race days and weddings.

A Brief History of the Men's Top Hat: From Everyday to Formal

The top hat began as a London hatter's design in the 1790s and became the standard everyday hat for respectable men throughout the Victorian era. By the 1850s, a man without a top hat in any British city would have appeared as conspicuously underdressed as someone today attending a business meeting without trousers. The hat was worn to work, to church, to social visits, and to everything in between. Crown heights varied significantly. The stovepipe worn by Abraham Lincoln measured approximately 20 centimeters (just under 8 inches) and was tall enough that Lincoln reportedly used his hat as a document holder during his years as a traveling lawyer. 

The top hat's decline from everyday wear began with the First World War and accelerated through the 1920s and 1930s as men's headwear broadly became less formal. By the 1960s, the top hat had retreated entirely to its ceremonial and formal role, where it has remained ever since. Today it appears at Royal Ascot, at morning dress weddings, at formal state occasions, and wherever men need to signal the highest level of formal dress. The hat became rarer, which made wearing it correctly more important rather than less.

The top hat sits at the peak of British hat heritage. For the broader context of how formal hats fit into British dress culture, see the guide to traditional British hats.

The Six Men's Top Hat Styles and When Each One Is Correct

Style 1: The Classic Black Wool Felt Top Hat

Wool felt is the practical choice for formal outdoor events because it handles light rain without damage, maintains its shape through a full day of wear, and can be brushed clean after the event. The surface texture is smooth enough to read as formal from a distance but shows slight felt texture up close, which distinguishes it from the silk top hat above it in the formality ranking.

When to wear it: Formal weddings when the dress code specifies morning dress, Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot (where a top hat is required for men), Epsom Derby formal enclosures, Grand National formal areas, christenings, and state or ceremonial occasions where morning dress is appropriate.

When NOT to wear it: As the companion hat to a morning suit with grey trousers (see Style 5 below). A black top hat with a morning coat and grey trousers creates a visual mismatch that anyone who knows formal dress codes will notice.

Style 2: The Silk Top Hat

The silk top hat, made from hatters' plush (a silk pile woven onto a felt base), is the most prestigious and most expensive men's top hat available. The silk pile creates a surface that catches light differently from every angle, with a characteristic sheen that wool felt cannot replicate. Silk top hats are correct at the highest level of formal dress, including court presentations (historically), state occasions, and the most formal weddings.

A genuine silk top hat is made differently from a wool hat. The base is a felt shell blocked into shape. A woven silk plush is then stretched over the shell and secured. The direction of the silk pile matters: it runs in a specific direction, and the hat must be brushed only in the direction of the pile with a soft velvet pad or cloth. A brush that would be entirely correct on a wool felt top hat would damage the silk pile irreparably.

Price: Genuine silk top hats from established makers start at $300 to $500 and can exceed $800 for bespoke commissions. The hat investment is for life at this level. A silk top hat bought today and properly maintained will be worn at formal occasions for forty years. At this price point, the cost-per-wear across decades is typically lower than a cheaper hat replaced every decade.

Care: Never brush a silk top hat with a standard hat brush. Use only a soft velvet cloth or velvet pad, always working in the direction of the silk pile. Store in a hat box on a hat stand. Exposure to rain should be minimized, though light misting will not damage a quality silk hat if it is allowed to dry naturally in hat-box position.

Style 3: The Collapsible Opera Hat (Gibus)

Antoine Gibus patented the collapsible top hat in Paris in 1837, solving a specific problem: a tall, rigid hat that you could not conveniently place anywhere other than on your head was an inconvenience at theaters, opera houses, and indoor formal events where removing the hat was expected. The Gibus used a flat spring mechanism inside the crown. The hat could be pressed flat under the arm when indoors and snapped open to its full crown height when needed.

The snap of a Gibus returning to shape is distinctive, a sharp metallic click that announces the hat as clearly as its shape does. Genuine antique Gibus hats are collector's items. Modern collapsible top hats use the same spring principle and serve the same purpose: a top hat you can carry to an event rather than wear through an entire journey.

When to use a collapsible top hat: Theater, opera, and formal indoor evening events where the hat will be held or stored for significant portions of the evening. Also useful for travel to formal events, where a rigid top hat requires a hat box that takes up luggage space. The collapsible version can be placed in a bag.

Style 4: The Stovepipe Top Hat

The stovepipe is the top hat of American presidential portraits and Victorian theatrical posters. Its crown rises 18 to 22 centimeters from the head, significantly taller than the classic 15 to 17 centimeter formal top hat. Lincoln's hat measured approximately 20 centimeters and gave him a total standing height, including the hat, approaching 215 centimeters (over 7 feet). The visual impact of that height is why photographs of Lincoln always emphasized the hat.

Today, the stovepipe belongs to costume, theatrical, and statement contexts rather than formal occasions. At Royal Ascot or a formal wedding, a 20-centimeter stovepipe reads as theatrical. At a Victorian-themed event, a magic show, or a stage production, it reads as exactly right. The stovepipe is the top hat for occasions where you want to be seen, not the one for occasions where correct formality is the objective.

Style 5: The Grey Top Hat for Morning Dress

This is the color mistake that appears at British weddings and race days every summer: a man in a morning coat, waistcoat, and grey or checked trousers wearing a black top hat. The correct hat with a morning suit and grey trousers is grey. Not charcoal. Not near-grey. A medium grey wool felt top hat that complements rather than contrasts with the grey of the trousers.

The grey top hat became the conventional companion to morning dress (morning coat, waistcoat, matching trousers) through the 19th century. Black morning dress (black coat, black trousers) takes a black top hat. Grey morning dress takes a grey top hat. The confusion arises because black top hats are more widely available and because many men incorrectly assume black is always the formal default for headwear, as it is for shoes and ties.

At Royal Ascot, men in the Royal Enclosure wearing grey morning suits correctly wear grey top hats. Men wearing black morning coats with black trousers wear black top hats. The hat color follows the suit color, not a universal formal default.

Style 6: The Modern Fashion Top Hat

A top hat with a crown of 11 to 13 centimeters sits lower on the formality scale than a classic 15 to 17 centimeter hat but higher than a fedora. This shorter crown proportion works in smart-casual and contemporary styling contexts where a full formal top hat would be overdressed. Fashion houses have used modified top hat proportions in runway collections throughout the 2010s and 2020s as a way to bring the hat's authority into modern menswear without the strict formal associations of the taller crown.

The modern fashion top hat pairs with tailored coats, structured blazers, and smart-casual outfits. It works at fashion-forward social events, creative industry gatherings, and styled occasions where the hat is part of a considered aesthetic rather than a dress code requirement. For women's equivalent options, see the best top hat styles for women guide.

Top Hat Selection by Occasion: A Practical Reference

How to Get the Right Fit: Sizing a Men's Top Hat

Measure your head circumference with a flexible tape measure, positioned just above your ears and across the widest part of your forehead. This gives you your head circumference in centimeters. Standard sizing runs as follows:

• Small: 55cm

• Medium: 57cm

• Large: 59cm

• X-Large: 61cm

If your measurement falls between two sizes, choose the larger one. A top hat that sits slightly loose can be adjusted with adhesive felt sizing tape applied inside the sweatband. A top hat that is too tight will press against the forehead and temples, causing discomfort within thirty minutes of wearing. For full sizing guidance, including UK, US, and EU conversion charts, see the size guide.

Caring for a Men's Top Hat by Material

Wool felt: Brush with a soft hat brush after each wear, working in the direction of the felt grain (generally counterclockwise on the crown). Use steam from a kettle to reshape minor dents. Hold the hat over the steam, not in it, for 10 to 15 seconds, then press gently with your hands and hold until the felt cools and sets. Store on a hat stand or in a hat box. Never store resting on the brim.

Silk top hat: Never brush. Use only a soft velvet cloth or velvet pad and wipe only in the direction of the silk pile. Any friction against the pile can permanently flatten or damage the silk surface. Store in a hat box lined with acid-free tissue. A silk top hat is a significant investment and warrants extra care.

Collapsible Gibus: The spring mechanism should be checked periodically. Press the hat flat and release it; it should spring back to full height with a clean snap and sit straight. If the spring feels weak or the hat sits unevenly when open, the mechanism may need adjustment. Outer care is the same as wool felt.

General: Remove your top hat by the brim, not the crown. Gripping the crown compresses the felt and creates oil marks at the grip points that accumulate over time. Handle the brim and your hat will look better for longer.

Crown height also interacts with face shape. A very tall crown can elongate an already long face; a shorter crown provides better balance. The hat styles for face shapes guide covers the proportions across all hat types, including top hats.

Frequently Asked Questions About Men's Top Hats

What color top hat goes with a morning suit?

It depends on the suit. Grey morning dress (grey coat, waistcoat, and trousers) takes a grey top hat. A black morning dress takes a black top hat. The hat follows the suit color. Wearing a black top hat with a grey morning suit is incorrect, though it is a mistake frequently made because black top hats are more commonly available and men assume black is the universal formal color for headwear.

Are top hats required at Royal Ascot?

For men in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot, yes. The dress code for the Royal Enclosure requires men to wear a top hat with a morning coat. The requirement is enforced at the enclosure entrance. Men in other Ascot enclosures are not subject to the same strict dress code, though the traditional dress is still common throughout the event.

What is a Gibus hat?

A Gibus is a collapsible top hat with a spring mechanism that allows the crown to be pressed flat and then snap back to its full height. It was invented and patented by Antoine Gibus in Paris in 1837, specifically for theater and opera audiences who needed to remove their hats indoors but had nowhere to place a rigid top hat. The name is occasionally used generically for any collapsible top hat.

How tall should a men's top hat be?

For formal occasions (Ascot, weddings, state events), a classic crown height of 15 to 17 centimeters is correct. Stovepipe versions at 18 to 22 centimeters are correct for theatrical and costume use, but read as overdone at genuine formal events. Modern fashion top hats at 11 to 13 centimeters work for smart-casual occasions but lack the formal weight of a taller crown.

Can you wear a top hat casually?

A modern fashion top hat at 11 to 13 centimeters crown height works in smart-casual and fashion contexts when paired with structured, tailored clothing. A full 15 to 17-centimeter formal top hat worn with casual clothing reads as a costume. The shorter crown proportion is the key adjustment that makes the top hat appropriate for non-formal settings. For guidance on how different hat shapes work with casual outfits, see styling hats with coats and jackets.

What is the difference between a top hat and a stovepipe hat?

Both are top hats, the stovepipe is a specific proportion of the top hat family. A standard formal top hat has a crown of 15 to 17 centimeters. A stovepipe has a crown of 18 to 22 centimeters, named for its resemblance to a metal chimney pipe. The stovepipe is most associated with Abraham Lincoln, whose hat measured approximately 20 centimeters. At formal events, the standard crown height is correct. The stovepipe is for theatrical and costume use.

Choosing Your First or Next Men's Top Hat

The vast majority of men who need a top hat need it for one of three purposes: a formal wedding, Royal Ascot or another race day, or a theatrical or costume occasion. For formal events, a classic wool felt top hat in the correct color for your suit is the right purchase. For theatrical use, a stovepipe delivers the visual impact that the occasion calls for. For travel-friendly convenience, the collapsible Gibus serves both formal and evening settings.

The single most important decision is color, not style. If you have a grey morning suit, you need a grey top hat. If you have a black morning dress, you need a black top hat. Buy the color that your wardrobe requires, then choose the style that fits the occasion. The full men's top hats collection at Novella Hats covers classic, stovepipe, and collapsible styles in wool felt with free worldwide shipping. For related formal British headwear, see men's bowler hats and the full wedding guest hats guide.