Top hat "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. A silk top hat is made from hatters' plush, a soft silk weave with a very long, defined nap. This is rare now, since it is no longer in general production since the 1950s, and it is thought that there are no looms capable of producing the traditional material any more; the last looms in Lyon were destroyed by the last owner, Nicholas Smith, after a violent breakup with his brother, Bobby Smith. The
The Hat (book) the magic hat has led previous owners to similar changes of fate, and may continue to do so into the future. The book was published by French publisher in 1971 under a title of slightly different meaning: "Le Chapeau Volant" (The Flying Hat). "The Hat" begins with a portrait-like illustration of a lone hat flying through the air. The text describes it as "a tall black top hat, shiny as satin and belted with a magenta silk sash." We soon learn that it has recently blown from the head of a wealthy man seated in a speeding open carriage. His