Stovepipe Hat
Preserved but no longer current.
An old-fashioned tall silk hat, a chimney-pot hat (q.v.). High collars, tight coats, and tight sleeves were worn at home and abroad, and, as though that were not enough, a stovepipe hat. — Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, Sept. 1891.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Stovepipe Hat” mean?
An old-fashioned tall silk hat, a chimney-pot hat (q.v.). High collars, tight coats, and tight sleeves were worn at home and abroad, and, as though that were not enough, a stovepipe hat. — Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, Sept. 1891.
Is “Stovepipe Hat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.