# Trilby
The **trilby** is a soft felt hat with a short brim, typically under 2 inches, that angles sharply downward at the front and turns upward at the back, worn with a lower and narrower crown than the related fedora and usually tilted back on the head[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/). Merriam-Webster gives the shorter general definition, "a soft felt hat with indented crown," and marks the word as chiefly British[2](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Defining feature | Short brim, usually 1 to 2 inches, angled down at the front and turned up at the back[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora) |
| Crown | Shorter and more tapered than a fedora's, typically with a center crease or teardrop pinch[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/) |
| Wearing convention | Tilted back or to the side on the head, unlike the fedora's level or slightly forward placement[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/) |
| Name origin | Worn in the London stage version of George du Maurier's 1894 novel *Trilby*; the word is first recorded in 1897[2](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby) |
| Traditional material | Rabbit hair felt[4](https://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk/pdfs/H59A.pdf) |
| Brim behavior | Fixed shape rather than the fedora's flexible snap brim[5](https://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/blogs/news/trilby-vs-fedora-the-difference-between-these-hat-styles) |
| Register | Casual to smart casual, lighter and sportier than the fedora[6](https://fedoras.com/blogs/the-hat-hub/trilby-vs-fedora) |
## Shape and proportions
A trilby is identified by silhouette rather than by fabric. The brim is short and narrow, so narrow that hat enthusiasts call it "stingy," and it holds a fixed geometry: sharply angled down at the front, kicked up at the back. The crown is lower and more tapered than a fedora's, often with a center crease taking a hollowed teardrop shape[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora) • [1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/). Published brim measurements vary by source: under 2 inches in one account[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/), 1 to 2 inches in another[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora), and 1.5 to 2 inches in a third, against fedora brims of roughly 2 to 3 inches or more[7](https://hometosight.com/difference-between-trilby-and-fedora-hats/).
The practical consequence of the narrow brim is that a trilby offers little shade. The fedora's wider brim can be snapped down over the eyes or curved up for an open look, which is a functional difference as much as a stylistic one[7](https://hometosight.com/difference-between-trilby-and-fedora-hats/).
**Trilby versus fedora.** The two hats fall within the same structural category, the brimmed felt hat: each is shaped from one piece of felted fiber, has a crown that is molded with a center crease and pinches at the front, and features a brim that juts outward. What separates them is proportion and wearing convention, not fundamental structure. The fedora sits level on the head with a wide, flexible brim; the trilby tilts backward with a short, directional brim, producing visibly different silhouettes[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/). In wear, the trilby reads as more casual, modern, and youthful, while the fedora carries a classic, slightly formal character[6](https://fedoras.com/blogs/the-hat-hub/trilby-vs-fedora).
## Origin and name
The hat takes its name from *[Trilby](https://www.edgepedia.org/trilby-novel)*, the novel by the author and illustrator [George du Maurier](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-du-maurier) serialized in *Harper's New Monthly Magazine* from January 1894 and released in book form that September. By February 1895, sales in the United States alone had topped 200,000 copies, ranking the book among the [Victorian era](https://www.edgepedia.org/victorian-era)'s best-selling novels[8](https://delartlibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/trilby/introduction). Its stage adaptation, opening in Boston in March 1895 and playing in London, put the title character in a short-brimmed felt hat, and audiences began asking hatters for "a Trilby"[9](https://delartlibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/trilby/stage) • [10](https://burnhamhats.co.uk/the-history-of-the-trilby-hat/). Merriam-Webster dates the word's first known use to 1897 and traces it to the London stage version of the novel[2](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby).
The fedora has a parallel theatrical origin: the name comes from Victorien Sardou's 1882 play *Fédora*, and the term arose in New York in the 1880s, originally for a woman's hat[11](https://lairdlondon.co.uk/blogs/journal/what-is-the-difference-between-trilby-and-fedora?_pos=1&_sid=f3bd66a87&_ss=r). A surviving example in Aberdeen's collection, a brown felt trilby made between 1930 and 1960, records the alternate name "brown trilby" for the style associated with the stage adaptation[12](https://emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk/objects/12720/brown-felt-trilby-hat).
## Materials and construction
Traditional trilbies were made from rabbit hair felt[4](https://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk/pdfs/H59A.pdf). Modern versions use wool felt, fur felt, tweed, straw, cotton, and leather; lightweight fabrics suit warmer weather and wool and tweed suit cold weather or dressier wear[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora). Straw trilbies are popular in Latin America and the Caribbean[13](https://americanhatmakers.com/blogs/guides/trilby-vs-fedora).
Felt trilbies are made by the standard blocking process for brimmed felt hats: a felt cone is steamed, stretched over a carved wooden hat block, and dried to shape. The trilby's lower crown and shorter brim require blocks carved specifically for those proportions, so a fedora block cannot produce a trilby. Fabric versions in tweed, cotton, or linen are sewn from cut panels around a structural interlining, with a stiffener in the brim to hold its directional shape. On a well-made felt trilby, the brim's downward front angle and upward rear curve are set by skilled blocking and ironing, with the felt itself holding the shape; cheaper versions rely on lacquer or wire to hold an artificially rigid form[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/).
## Wearing and cultural history
The trilby is worn tilted back on the head, exposing more of the forehead than a fedora, or perched near the back or side with a relaxed lean[1](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/) • [3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora). It is regarded as a casual to smart-casual hat, suited to daytime outings, while the fedora is the conventional choice for semi-formal and formal settings[6](https://fedoras.com/blogs/the-hat-hub/trilby-vs-fedora).
By the 1920s the trilby was a common piece for men alongside flat caps and straw boaters, and it moved through later revivals tied to jazz, mod, and British street style[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora) • [14](https://bernardhats.com/hat-styles/hat-styles-trilby/). A prominent revival in the 2000s and early 2010s was driven by musicians and style icons such as [Justin Timberlake](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-timberlake), Bruno Mars, and Pharrell, making the style a fixture of festival fashion and urban streetwear[6](https://fedoras.com/blogs/the-hat-hub/trilby-vs-fedora) • [14](https://bernardhats.com/hat-styles/hat-styles-trilby/).
**The naming problem.** Confusion between the two names is widespread. Factories turned out countless hats with narrow brims, which were trilbies in terms of their proportions, but sold them using the better-known label "fedora"; the habit was further entrenched by online sellers who categorize any creased hat with a brim as a fedora, whatever its measurements[15](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/fedora/). Short-brim styles called "stingy fedoras" are the versions most frequently mistaken for trilbies and vice versa[3](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora). A hat with a brim near the boundary, such as 1.75 inches, may be listed as a "fedora" by a seller who does not follow the classic definitions[7](https://hometosight.com/difference-between-trilby-and-fedora-hats/). Dictionary usage reflects the overlap: Merriam-Webster's definition covers any soft felt hat with an indented crown, and an example sentence notes only that "compared to fedoras, trilbies have a narrower brim and an indented crown"[2](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby).
## References
1. [The Trilby Hat: What It Is, How It Differs from a Fedora & How to Wear It, Bernard Hats](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/trilby/)
2. ["Trilby" Definition & Meaning, Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby)
3. [What's the Difference Between a Trilby and Fedora Hat?, Hats Unlimited](https://www.hatsunlimited.com/blogs/the-hatter-blog/trilby-vs-fedora)
4. [Mid-Victorian Man & Woman H59/A, Reading Museum Service](https://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk/pdfs/H59A.pdf)
5. [Trilby vs. Fedora: What's the Difference?, Hats in the Belfry](https://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/blogs/news/trilby-vs-fedora-the-difference-between-these-hat-styles)
6. [Trilby vs Fedora: What's the Difference?, Fedoras.com](https://fedoras.com/blogs/the-hat-hub/trilby-vs-fedora)
7. [Difference Between Trilby and Fedora Hats, Home to Sight](https://hometosight.com/difference-between-trilby-and-fedora-hats/)
8. [Introduction, The World at His Feet: George du Maurier's Trilby, Delaware Art Museum](https://delartlibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/trilby/introduction)
9. [Trilby on the Stage, Delaware Art Museum](https://delartlibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/trilby/stage)
10. [The History of the Trilby Hat, Burnham Hats](https://burnhamhats.co.uk/the-history-of-the-trilby-hat/)
11. [What is the Difference Between Trilby and Fedora, Laird Hatters](https://lairdlondon.co.uk/blogs/journal/what-is-the-difference-between-trilby-and-fedora?_pos=1&_sid=f3bd66a87&_ss=r)
12. [Brown Felt Trilby Hat, Aberdeen City eMuseum](https://emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk/objects/12720/brown-felt-trilby-hat)
13. [Trilby vs Fedora: What's the Difference?, American Hat Makers](https://americanhatmakers.com/blogs/guides/trilby-vs-fedora)
14. [The Trilby Hat: History, Features & How to Wear the Fedora's Sharp Cousin, Bernard Hats](https://bernardhats.com/hat-styles/hat-styles-trilby/)
15. [The Fedora Hat: Complete Guide to Styles, Materials & How to Choose, Bernard Hats](https://bernardhats.com/hat-types/fedora/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Dress and clothing of the world › Garments, fabrics, and clothing terminology › Garment types and parts › Headwear*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license