Dept. II · Costume
Steampunk Hats: Top Hat, Bowler, Mini Top Hat or Pith Helmet
Steampunk hats run from a $6.99 costume bowler to $97.95 and up for a wool top hat. Which shape suits which character, and what each costs.
The right steampunk hat depends on the character: a top hat for the gentleman or the showman, a bowler for the clerk, detective or engineer, a pith helmet for the explorer. As of October 2026 a costume-shop bowler can be had from $6.99 on sale and a top hat at $29.99; Historical Emporium, a period outfitter, lists wool top hats from $81.95 and derbies at $71.95; and thrift stores have yielded steampunk hats for about $12. The top hat was a fixture of the early and middle Victorian decades and mostly formal by the 1880s.
- Costume shop: top hat $29.99, black velour bowler $19.99, mini black bowler $6.99 on sale, as of October 2026
- Period outfitter: Regency black wool top hat $81.95, Deluxe John Bull $97.95, Victorian Top Hat $117.95
- Derby or bowler at the outfitter: $71.95 for wool, $73.95 in straw
- Pith helmets: $54.95 to $57.95 at the same outfitter
- Thrift: Goodwill steampunk hats, new with tags, about $12 for one blogger
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A hat decides more of an outfit than any other single article; the eye goes to it first, and a stranger will judge the whole costume by it. This page considers the four shapes a steampunk hat commonly takes, the history that explains why they look as they do, what each costs at three budgets, and how to make goggles sit upon one. The reader assembling a complete outfit will find the other pieces in our guide to steampunk clothing.
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The Outfitters' Catalogue
Everything named in this guide, by budget
Fig. 1Thrifty
Costume top hat
Felt or velour, light and inexpensive; answers for one evening.
Fig. 2Thrifty
Costume bowler hat
The smallest outlay for a hat that reads Victorian at a glance.
Fig. 3Thrifty
Mini top hat on a clip or headband
A small decorative hat, worn tilted; a costume piece rather than a replica.
Fig. 4Mid-range
Wool felt bowler
A firmer, better-shaped hat that will survive more than one season.
Fig. 5Mid-range
Wool top hat
A taller crown and a proper brim; the gentleman's hat in earnest.
Fig. 6Mid-range
Pith helmet
The explorer's hat, for the expedition rather than the drawing room.
Fig. 7Heirloom
Leather steampunk top hat
Molded leather, often with brass trim; the maker's piece.
Of the Top Hat, the Bowler and the Pith Helmet
The top hat. The Victoria and Albert Museum records the top hat as the principal gentleman’s headwear of the early 19th century; it was at its height in the 1840s and 1850s, was challenged in later decades by the boater, the soft felt hat and the bowler, and was largely a formal hat by the 1880s. Its proportions changed too: a tall silk hat of seven to eight inches in the 1830s and 1840s had come down to about six inches by the mid-1860s. A steampunk top hat is therefore a Victorian hat in the plain sense, and a tall one reads as earlier and grander.
The bowler, or derby. Introduced in the 1860s for informal wear, according to Vintage Dancer’s survey of Victorian men’s fashion. Its origin is told differently elsewhere: Historical Emporium says the bowler arrived in England in the early 1850s, through the Bowler Brothers. We note the disagreement and do not settle it. What is not in dispute is the hat’s character: a lower, rounder, working-day hat, suitable for the clerk, the detective, the engineer.
The pith helmet. The explorer’s hat. Historical Emporium sells pith helmets in its hat department; we found no museum source for their history and say nothing more of it here. For the character the rule is simple enough: where the story is an expedition, the helmet answers.
Other shapes. The deerstalker was popular in the country in the 1880s, and the straw boater was the most popular informal hat of the 1890s. Either will serve for a character who spends more time out of doors than in company.
The Mini Top Hat
Small tilted hats, worn on a clip or a headband, are sold under many names, and they are the usual choice of the lady who wants the top hat without the height. We confess that the sources we have are thin here. A search of Historical Emporium’s catalogue for “mini top hat” returned no mini or riding hats, only full-size hats and a $81.95 Ladies Day Hat, and we found no museum or maker’s source for the history of the shape. We therefore offer it as a costume convention and do not claim a Victorian pedigree for it.
What Steampunk Hats Cost at Three Budgets
| Budget | What one obtains | Price, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Costume shop or thrift | Felt and velour top hats and bowlers; a Goodwill find | $6.99 to $29.99 at the costume shop; about $12 thrifted |
| Period outfitter | Wool top hats, wool and straw derbies, pith helmets | $54.95 to $117.95 |
| Handmade | Molded leather top hats from independent makers | Priced by the maker; we give no figure |
The costume shop. HalloweenCostumes.com lists a Brown Top Costume Hat at $29.99, a Black Velour Bowler at $19.99 and a Mini Black Costume Bowler at $6.99, the last on sale when we looked. These are light and thin, and a dent does not spring back; they answer very well for a single party.
The period outfitter. Historical Emporium lists the Regency top hat in black wool at $81.95, the Deluxe John Bull at $97.95 and the Victorian Top Hat at $117.95, with a straw top hat at $64.95. Its Deluxe and Tall Wool Derby is $71.95 and the Straw Derby $73.95; pith helmets are $54.95 to $57.95. Prices were read on 17 October 2026 and may have moved.
The thrift route. One blogger’s receipts show Goodwill steampunk hats, new with tags, at about $12. Patience is the chief expense; the reader who visits weekly will see what the shelves hold.
The handmade hat. Independent makers build leather top hats to order, commonly with brass trim. Their listings are on marketplaces that do not permit us to read prices, so we state none; the reader should expect to pay more than for the outfitter’s wool hats.
How to Wear a Steampunk Hat
Historical Emporium advises wearing goggles about the neck or upon the hat band while in company, and on a top hat or bowler the band is the natural station. Our guide to steampunk goggles treats the matter at length. Beyond this, three counsels:
- Choose the character first. Costume guides agree that the persona decides the hat. A bowler and a waistcoat make a detective; a top hat and a tailcoat make a showman or a gentleman; a pith helmet and a canvas duster make an explorer.
- Mind the proportions. A tall hat on a slight frame can look borrowed; a low bowler on a broad one can look small. A mirror is cheaper than a second hat.
- Do not overload it. Gears glued to a hat with no purpose are a recognized fault among costumers, and the reader will do well to put on two ornaments and stop. The decoration of a hat is treated in how to decorate a steampunk top hat.
For women, the Edwardian motoring hat is a useful precedent: low-crowned and nearly brimless, since the wind took large hats. It makes an excellent hat for an aviator of either sex.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of hat is steampunk?
The top hat, the bowler or derby, the pith helmet and the aviator’s cap are the usual four. The choice follows the character: gentleman, clerk or detective, explorer, airman.
How much does a steampunk top hat cost?
As of October 2026, $29.99 for a costume-shop top hat and $64.95 to $117.95 for the period outfitter’s straw and wool hats. Thrifted steampunk hats have cost about $12.
Is a top hat Victorian?
Yes. The top hat peaked in the 1840s and 1850s and was mostly formal by the 1880s, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
What is the difference between a bowler and a derby?
The two names are used for the same round-crowned hat. Historical Emporium credits its introduction in England to the Bowler Brothers in the early 1850s, while another survey dates it to the 1860s.
What is a mini top hat?
A small top hat worn tilted on a clip or headband. We found no sourced history for it, and no mini hats at a period outfitter that we searched.
Where do you put goggles on a steampunk hat?
Upon the hat band, or about the neck, while in company.