A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or sometimes grey, the top hat emerged in Western fashion by the end of the 18th century. Although it declined by the time of the counterculture of the 1960s, it remains a formal fashion accessory. A collapsible variant of a top hat, developed in the 19th century, is known as an opera hat.
Duke of Westminster (Herzog von Westminster) ist ein erblicher britischer Adelstitel in der Peerage of the United Kingdom. Der Titel ist nach dem Londoner Stadtteil benannt.
Der hauptsächlich genutzte Landsitz der Familie ist Eaton Hall, in der Nähe von Chester in Cheshire; daneben wird Ely Lodge im nordirischen County Fermanagh genutzt. Die Familie besaß in der Vergangenheit außerdem ein großes Stadthaus in der Londoner Park Lane, das Grosvenor House genannt wurde.
Der Titel wurde am 27. Februar 1874 von Königin Victoria an Hugh Grosvenor, 3. Marquess of Westminster, verliehen. Er führte bereits seit 1869 die fortan nachgeordneten Titel 3. Marquess of Westminster, 4. Earl Grosvenor, 4. Viscount Belgrave, 4. Baron Grosvenor und 11. Baronet, of Eaton.
Der Titel Marquess of Westminster war am 13. September 1831 in der Peerage of the United Kingdom seinem Großvater Robert Grosvenor, 2. Earl Grosvenor, bei der Krönung von Wilhelm IV. verliehen worden. Dessen Vater Sir Richard Grosvenor, 7. Baronet, war von Georg III. in der Peerage of Great Britain am 8. April 1761 zum Baron Grosvenor, of Eaton in the County of Chester, und am 5. Juli 1784 zum Earl Grosvenor und Viscount Belgrave, of Belgrave in the County of Chester, erhoben worden. Dessen Ur-ur-urgroßvater, der Unterhausabgeordnete Sir Richard Grosvenor, war am 23. Februar 1622 in der Baronetage of England der Titel Baronet, of Eaton in the County of Chester, verliehen worden.
Der Heir Apparent des jeweiligen Herzogs führt den Höflichkeitstitel Earl Grosvenor, dessen Heir Apparent den Höflichkeitstitel Viscount Belgrave.
Der heutige Duke of Westminster zählt mit einem geschätzten Vermögen von ca. 9,9 Mrd. £ zu den reichsten Männern Großbritanniens. Im Forbes Magazine von 2009 wurde er in der Liste der reichsten Personen der Welt auf Platz 29 geführt. Er verfügt u. a. über Grundbesitz von ca. 1,2 km2 Größe in den Londoner Nobelstadtteilen Mayfair, Belgravia und Pimlico, davon allein 770.000 m2 im an den Buckingham Palast angrenzenden Belgravia, sowie über den Landsitz Eaton Hall in Cheshire.
A necktie, or simply a tie, is a piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat, and often draped down the chest.
Variants include the ascot, bow, bolo, zipper tie, cravat, and knit. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neckties are generally unsized but may be available in a longer size. In some cultures, men and boys wear neckties as part of office attire or formal wear. Women wear them less often. Neckties can also be part of a uniform. Neckties are traditionally worn with the top shirt button fastened, and the tie knot resting between the collar points.
The bow tie /boʊ/ is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner, so that the two opposite ends form loops.
There are generally three types of bow ties: the pre-tied, the clip on, and the self tie. Pre-tied bow ties are ties in which the distinctive bow is sewn onto a band that goes around the neck and clips to secure. Some "clip-ons" dispense with the band altogether, instead clipping straight to the collar. The traditional bow tie, consisting of a strip of cloth which the wearer has to tie by hand, is also known as a "self-tie", "tie-it-yourself", or "freestyle" bow tie.
Bow ties may be made of any fabric material, but most are made from silk, polyester, cotton, or a mixture of fabrics. Some fabrics (e.g., wool or velvet) are much less common for bow ties than for ordinary four-in-hand neckties.
