Borsalino Hats in the 20th Century

Borsalino Hats, Italian Hat Manufacturer

Today Borsalino hat collections are larger, and in addition to the classic felt hat, include the famous straw hats "Panama-Montecristi". Borsalino hats continue to be made of the finest materials and leathers, and have added styles targeted to the young hat-wearer.

The twentieth century contributed no new styles to men's wardrobes, but rather continued to build upon old styles. Just as the lounge suit replaced the formal frock coat early in the century, the informal hat came to dominate men's fashions. Over the course of years, the top hat faded into the background, reserved only for formal occasions; the bowler took on the elitist image that the top hat had once carried. The homburg replaced the bowler as the average man's semiformal hat, and the casual hat enjoyed great success. By the twenties, it had become fashionable to look as if you were on vacation year around. The straw boater was all the rage early in the century, and linen and tweed sports hats were seen in the city as well as in the country.

The trilby, first seen in the previous century, was reintroduced just after World War I in a lighter, more comfortable version that fit the faster pace of life in the modern era. An exaggerated version with pointy top and wide brims, made by Borsalino, is still remembered as the trademark hat of the gangster. The extraordinary popularity of the trilby cast a shadow over all other kinds of hats, which were further endangered by the shortage of hatmaking supplies during World War II. The black silk top hat had to be replaced by one of gray felt, and the shortage of shellac nearly wiped out the bowler, though it did reemerge after the war. Generally speaking, however, the men's hatmaking industry did not recover, with hatlessness becoming a growing trend. Throughout the fifties, the hatmaking industry tried introducing new forms and styles, but various fads emerged only to die out again.

By the 1960s, hats had become so rare that they were taken up by avant-garde artists who wanted to make a splash. The Beatles made their short-peaked black caps popular for a while, but by their time, young men generally went bareheaded. Today one occasionally sees a top hat on a formally dressed man, but the bowler no longer graces the head of the average businessman. In America at least, the baseball cap comes closest to playing the role the top hat once did. Hatlessness, once considered to be verging on indecency, is now the rule. After so many centuries we have returned to the Roman way. But a fashion goes in cycles, so we may not have seen the last of the hat. With the growing interest in vintage clothing, second hand trilbies and other dress hats are increasingly seen on young people's heads - who can say what time will bring.

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