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Austin Reed

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6 October 2010

BOWLER HAT
The once iconic Bowler Hat is making a comeback, it emerged yesterday (tues).
The once civil servant or bankers' headwear of choice and sported by comedians Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy slipped into oblivion in the 1960s as hippy flower power swept the country.
It had a resurgence in the mid to late 60s thanks to actor Patrick Macnee - John Steed in the ITV hit series The Avengers - and was then consigned to fashion history.
But the Bowler, which was first worn in 1849 by a younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester, is making an unlikely return to prominence.
Bowler hats will be stocked by top tailors Austin Reed for the first time in 12 years after a string of customers enquired about the quintessential British headgear.
Last week Jude Law was pictured wearing one as he arrived at the C London restaurant with Sienna Miller.
A spokesman for Austin Reed said yesterday (tues): ''We have brought back the bowler hat as a nod to historic, British fashion.
''British design is core to our heritage. Men and women are now looking to history for classic, quality design and tailoring.
''The Bowler Hat is a key piece to communicate effortless British style.''
Austin Reed, which celebrates its 110th birthday this year, will initially stock Bowlers in its flagship Regent Street store.
They will then be rolled out around Britain alongside an entire new collection to commemorate the store's anniversary.
The Bowler was created in the mid 1800s by hatmakers William and Thomas Bowler after a commissioned by Lock & Co of St James.
Lock & Co were asked by Edward Coke, brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester, to design a close-fitting, low crowned hat to protect his gamekeeper's head from low branches while on horseback.
Coke's keeper had previously worn to hats which were easily displaced and often damaged when they collided with branches.
Rumour has it that when Coke arrived to collect the hat on December 17th 1849 he stamped on the hat twice to test its strength before handing over 12 shillings.
Since then the hat has featured prominently in every day British life.
It was adopted by city workers in the early 1900s and teamed with a coronation buttonhole and walking stick to give the impression of sophistication.
And it has secured a place in movie folklore thanks in the early days to silent screen star Charlie Chaplin and the legendary comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who made their Bowlers the centrepiece of many routines.
In later years John Steed - actor Patrick Macnee - of The Avengers famously wore one when he starred alongside Joanna Lumley in the iconic ITV series.
And the Bowler gained a more sinister image thanks to OddJob, the villain in the James Bond film Goldfinger, who owned a deadly razor-edged version.
Recently the Bowler has become a fashion statement for women with actresses Rachel Bilsom and Mischa Barton wearing them as well as Britney Spears and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas.
FAMOUS BOWLER HAT FANS
Charlie Chaplin
Actor Patrick Macnee (John Steed - The Avengers)
Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring on Dad's Army)
Sir Winston Churchill
Madness
Tito Jackson
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Hercule Poirot
OddJob (Goldfinger)