<P> A top hat , beaver hat , high hat , silk hat , cylinder hat , chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat , sometimes also known by the nickname `` topper '' , is a tall , flat - crowned , broad - brimmed hat , worn by men from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century . By the end of World War II , it had become a rarity in ordinary dress , though it continued to be worn in specific instances , such as state funerals , also by those occupying prominent positions in the Bank of England , by certain City stock exchange officials and occasionally when passing between the Law Courts and Lincoln 's Inn , London by judges of the Chancery Division and Queen 's Counsel . </P>
<P> A top hat , beaver hat , high hat , silk hat , cylinder hat , chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat , sometimes also known by the nickname `` topper '' , is a tall , flat - crowned , broad - brimmed hat , worn by men from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century . By the end of World War II , it had become a rarity in ordinary dress , though it continued to be worn in specific instances , such as state funerals , also by those occupying prominent positions in the Bank of England , by certain City stock exchange officials and occasionally when passing between the Law Courts and Lincoln 's Inn , London by judges of the Chancery Division and Queen 's Counsel . </P>
when did top hats go out of fashion
when did top hats go out of fashion
By the end of World War II
By the end of World War II