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The bowler hat was invented around 1850, but was generally seen as a working class hat, while top-hats were favored by the upper classes.
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A light grey top hat was worn in the late 1860s for coaching or racing parties (and is still worn for Ascot Week in England).
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From the 1870s an increasing number of hats were considered suitable for informal wear. The Homburg, made fashionable by the Prince of Wales, was a stiff felt hat with a dent in the crown running from back to front, its brim bound with ribbon and curving up at the sides.
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A number of hats were available for men in the 1880s, the stiff-crowned hat shown below was worn frequently, often with the side brims turned up.
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The trilby, worn in the 1890s, had a similar dent in the crown like the Homburg but was softer with a wider, unbound brim.
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A similar hat to the bowler, with a hard square crown, was worn in the 1890s and 1900s. It was much favored by Winston Churchill, who continued to wear it into the 20th century.
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