Trilby Hats

A trilby hat (or simply trilby) is a soft felt man's hat with a deeply indented crown, and a pinch at the front. The brim is narrow and often sharply upturned at the back. Traditionally it was made from rabbit fur felt (Fur felt), but is now sometimes made from other materials, including Tweed and Wool. Trilbies are softer than Homburgs, and have a flexible brim instead of a curved one. Trilbies are similar to the Fedora, which can be seen as an American version with a wider brim. The hat's name derives from the stage adaptation of George De Maurier”s 1894 novel Trilby; a hat of this style was worn in the first London production of the play, and promptly came to be called 'a Trilby hat'.

They were widely worn from the late 1920s onwards, initially as a casual sporting hat, primarily at the races. By the end of World War II, it had largely supplanted other hats such as the Homburg and Bowler for wear with a suit or more casual country wear, although it never replaced the Flat Cap. It continued to be commonly worn until about the mid 1960s.

The hat has been associated with Jazz, Ska and soul musicians, as well as members of the Indie, Rude Boy, Mod, Skinhead and 2 Tone subcultures as well as Brit Rock.

The Trilby was a staple of the British movie industry from 1930 onwards, worn by Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter, and was later known, in tweed incarnation, as an old geezer hat, granddad hat. It is the stereotypical hat of the British Police Inspector and of their 80’s nemesis Arthur Daley.

More recently the Trilby, in black, has been the staple headwear of Pete Doherty who has almost single handedly started a revival for the Trilby.