Derby is the American name for the hat also known as the Bowler. The Derby was first made, in England, in 1849, by the hat makers Thomas and William Bowler. It was a custom order by a noble intended for his game keepers. The game keepers needed a stout hard hat for horseback riding. Before getting bowlers the game keepers wore Top Hats, which would often get knocked off by tree branches. The short round shape of the bowler solved this problem. Derbys could also double as riding helmets and quite possibly protected the game keepers from poachers.
Throughout the later Victorian era (late 19th Century), Bowlers were a sign of middle class affluence for the Bourgeoisie (the merchant class). In the early 20th Century the derby became the hat of the working classes. Bowlers have been popular with women ever since the 1920s when Peruvian and Bolivian women started wearing them.
The best known picture of the real Butch Cassidy (taken in 1901) has him wearing a bowler.
The derby also had a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to the cult following of the film A Clock Work Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Now the Derby is back again and we have a couple different styles. So come get one.
No comments:
Post a Comment