John Steed, male lead of the 1960s Avengers TV series and immortal creation of the late Patrick Macnee, was synonymous with two accessories. Of these, the umbrella has never gone out of fashion. For obvious practical reasons its future is assured, though not in the illegal concealed sabre variation favoured by Steed. The bowler hat, by contrast, belongs to another age. Once a working-class fashion, beloved of Charlie Chaplin’s tramp, the bowler was made fashionable by Edward VII and later became standard City gent attire. But, like the gent, the bowler was passing into history when the Avengers was on. Now it survives in Orange Order marches, among Guards officers, fogeys, some Bolivian women and the occasional cool fashionista. Since a good bowler costs more than £300 at Lock & Co, that’s hardly a surprise. But this week’s reminders of John Steed suggest a wider comeback may be in order one day. The Avengers still has style. Why not the bowler?
