Opera hat which means hat, and "claque", which means "tap" or "click". The "chapeau claque" is thus a hat that folds with a click, and unfolds likewise. In English the hat model is usually referred to as a "collapsible top-hat", "gibus" or more often "opera hat"- The construction may originally have been inspired by an historical hat model called "chapeau bras" ("arm hat"), made as bicorne or tricorne to be carried folded under the arm On May 5, 1812, a London hatter called Thomas Francis Dollman patented a design for "an elastic round hat" supported by ribs and springs. His patent was
Chapeau performance. In the Anglophone heraldries, a "chapeau" or cap of maintenance is a specific kind of hat. It occurs as a charge, but also more importantly as an exterior ornament, signifying rank. The use of the chapeau in English heraldry is not as clear cut and regulated as in Scotland. Chapeau "Chapeau" is a French term signifying a hat or other covering for the head. In mainland European heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity, especially that of cardinals, which is called the "red chapeau". It is worn over the shield by way of crest, as mitres