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
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