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Top Hat

1996 (made)
Artist/Maker
Patey (London) Ltd. (maker)
Place of origin
London (made)

This top hat from Patey (London) Ltd is made of black fur felt with a silk finish. It was shown with a 1960 Kilgour French & Stanbury tail-suit in the V&A exhibition 'The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion'.

Object details

Categories
Hats & Headwear
Clothing
Accessories
Formal Wear
Object type
Top hat
Materials and techniques
Fur felt, silk and goss
Silk (Textile)
Goss
Felted
Brief description
Top hat of fur felt with a silk finish, made by Patey (London) Ltd., London, 1996
Physical description
Top hat of black fur felt with a silk finish. Silk pullover with a goss body.
Marks and inscriptions
'By Appointment To Her Majesty The Queen / Manufacturers of Hats / PATEY / (LONDON) LTD / Made In England'
Gallery label
(1997)
This suit won the Tailor and Cutter Gold (Dandy) Trophy of 1960. The elegant tail-suit is the most challenging of tailored garments to make. 'White tie' is now worn for only the most formal occasions, such as banquets, balls and some ambassadorial events. Fred Astaire's tail-suit in the RKO film 'Top Hat' (1935) was made by this prestigious company.
Credit line
Given by the maker
Object history
Shown with tailsuit by Kilgour French & Stanbury (T.18:1-8-1997) in the V&A exhibition 'The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997'.

Historical significance: White tie, such as the suit with which this top hat was worn in the V&A exhibition 'The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997', is now worn for only the most formal occasions, such as banquets, balls, and some ambassadorial events.
Summary
This top hat from Patey (London) Ltd is made of black fur felt with a silk finish. It was shown with a 1960 Kilgour French & Stanbury tail-suit in the V&A exhibition 'The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion'.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.42-1997

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Record createdAugust 26, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83666/top-hat-patey-london-ltd/
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