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 an agency in Paris opened to manage and supply claqueurs. By 1830 the claque had become an institution. The manager of a theatre or opera house was able to send an order for any number of claqueurs. These were usually under a "chef de claque" (leader of applause), who judged where the efforts of the "claqueurs" were needed and to initiate the demonstration of approval. This could take several forms. There would be "commissaires" ("officers/commissioner") who learned the piece by heart and called the attention of their neighbors to its good points between the acts. "Rieurs" (laughers) laughed loudly at