Trilby Hats

About Trilby Hats

The trilby has been a fixture of British and American hat culture since the 1890s, moving in and out of fashion across jazz clubs, racecourses, music festivals, and city streets without ever quite disappearing. It reached its first peak of popularity in the early twentieth century, became strongly associated with jazz musicians and beatniks through the 1950s and 60s, and has maintained a steady presence in menswear and womenswear ever since.

At HatsXCaps, we carry trilby hats across the materials that suit each season. Wool felt is the year-round standard, structured and warm enough for autumn and winter with a refined look that works with smarter outfits as well as casual ones. Straw trilbies are the summer version, lighter and more relaxed, popular at outdoor events and festivals. Tweed brings texture and a more country-inflected character to the same silhouette, and cotton sits at the casual end of the range for everyday wear in milder weather.

The trilby suits men and women equally well and has a versatility that most other hat styles cannot match. A dark wool felt trilby with a classic outfit is a timeless combination. The same silhouette in straw with a summer dress or linen shirt reads entirely differently but works just as well.

Explore related styles in our Fedora Hats and Pork Pie Hats collections for other narrow-crown options with a similar character.

FAQs

Why is it called a trilby hat?

The trilby takes its name from Trilby, an 1894 novel by George du Maurier, and specifically from the stage adaptation that followed. The female lead character wore a soft, narrow-brimmed hat of this style, and the hat became so associated with the production that audiences began calling it a trilby. The name stuck. Before that, the same basic shape had existed under various names, but the stage production gave it a single identity that spread through British and American fashion and has held for over a century.

Are trilby hats in style now?

Yes. The trilby has never been entirely out of style, but it is in a particularly comfortable position right now. Heritage menswear, considered casual dressing, and the broader revival of classic hat styles have all kept the trilby relevant across a wide range of wardrobes. Wool and tweed versions are strong in autumn and winter, straw trilbies remain a summer staple, and the silhouette has grown a genuine following among women over the past several years. It is not a trend hat chasing a single moment. It is a classic that keeps finding new audiences.

What is the difference between a fedora and a trilby hat?

The brim is the key difference. A trilby has a short, narrow brim, typically around one and a half to two inches wide, turned down sharply at the front and up steeply at the back. A fedora has a wider brim, usually two and a half to three inches or more, that runs more evenly around the hat and is typically worn flat or with a slight downward tilt at the front. The crown shapes are similar on both, with the same lengthwise crease and pinched sides, but the fedora crown is generally taller and more open. In terms of character, the trilby reads as sharper and more urban, while the fedora carries more presence and a slightly more dramatic silhouette. Both are classic styles, but they work differently depending on outfit and occasion.