Top hat worn by Robert Downey Jnr. in the film Chaplin, designed by John Mollo and Ellen Mirojnick, 1992.

Richard Attenborough’s biopic was partly based on Charlie Chaplin’s own autobiography. The film follows Chaplin’s life, from his impoverished upbringing in London to becoming the world’s first international film star. Robert Downey Jnr. won a BAFTA for his performance as ‘the little tramp’. Costume designers John Mollo and Ellen Mirojnick shared credit for the film. Chaplin’s top hat, also known as the Gibus, named after its inventor, is a type of top hat which is collapsible. Chaplin uses the hat for comic effect during his early music hall career.

The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.