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
Claque composer, Richard Wagner, from the Parisian operatic repertory after the claque of the Jockey Club derisively interrupted its initial performances. Later Toscanini and Mahler discouraged claques, as a part of the development of concert etiquette. Although the practice mostly died out in Europe during the mid-20th century, instances of actors paid to applaud at performances still appear today, most famously with the Bolshoi Ballet. Claque A claque is an organized body of professional applauders in French theatres and opera houses. Members of a claque are called claqueurs. Hiring people to applaud dramatic performances was common in classical times. For example,