The Trilby

Continuing our casual tour through the world of hats: today we look at the trilby. Like the fedora, the trilby is named after a woman – in this case Trilby, a play by George Du Maurier which ran first in 1894. The hat, modelled on a Tyrolean hat (see upcoming post).

In contrast to the fedora, featured in the previous post, the trilby has a narrower brim and may or may not have a raw edge (the brown trilby worn at horse races normally has a raw edge).

Trilbies were popular with James Bond, at least pre-Diamonds are Forever. James Bond’s attire generally follows fashion, rather than leading it, so Bond started going hatless after hats lost their appeal with the wider public.

James Bond never wore a fedora. This may be on account of Bond’s membership in the British upper crust (according to Ian Fleming, Bond, though a Scot, was also an old Etonian, like Fleming himself, so a trilby was appropriate. In addition, the trilby goes well with his rather narrow lapels and narrow tie.

A trilby is made of felt, like a fedora. Avoid tweed, straw, polyester and other materials. Felt holds its shape for years and will continue to look great.