Batman himself wears a cowl, not a hat — but Gotham City is one of the most hat-filled places in pop culture. From the 1960s TV show to Tim Burton's films to Matt Reeves' The Batman and the noir animated series Batman: Caped Crusader, the rogues' gallery and the city around them run on top hats and fedoras. Here are the signature Batman hats — and how to get each look.
The Penguin's top hat (the definitive Batman hat)
If one hat belongs to Batman, it's the Penguin's. Oswald Cobblepot has worn a top hat and monocle in nearly every incarnation: Burgess Meredith in the 1966 series (with a tall purple topper), Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, Robin Lord Taylor in Gotham, Colin Farrell in The Batman and its spin-off The Penguin, and a reimagined Oswalda voiced by Minnie Driver in Batman: Caped Crusader — a black top hat with a purple band and a monocle. To channel the Penguin, you want a formal dress topper, ideally in black or his signature purple.
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Scala Damon Premium Wool Felt English Topper — a wool-felt top hat with a bound-edge brim and grosgrain band, the classic dress topper for a Penguin look. Comes in black. -
Scala Damon Topper in Purple — the same wool-felt topper in purple, a nod to the Penguin's signature color. Add a monocle and you're there.
The Mad Hatter (Gotham's other top-hat villain)
Jervis Tetch — the Mad Hatter — is a Batman villain obsessed with Alice in Wonderland, and he's never seen without an oversized top hat. He's a fixture of the comics and of Batman: The Animated Series (voiced by Roddy McDowall), and turned up in live-action Gotham too. For his look, go bigger and more theatrical than a formal topper.
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Scala Mad Hatter Top Hat — a wool-felt top hat with a bound edge and wide grosgrain band, built for exactly this kind of character look, in black or grey.
Gotham's noir fedoras
Batman: Caped Crusader sets Gotham in a moody 1940s film-noir world where fedoras are everywhere — on detectives, reporters, and gangsters. Live-action Gotham leans the same way: crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro in The Batman) works the classic mobster fedora. For the henchman-and-crime-boss side of Gotham, reach for a black felt fedora.
Shop the look:
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Bailey of Hollywood Gangster Wool Felt (Capone Style) — a wool-felt fedora with a 2½" snap brim and 5" crown, the definitive 1940s crime-boss shape. -
Bailey of Hollywood Curtis Indy Fedora — a Litefelt wool-felt fedora in black, reliably in stock and made in the USA, for an everyday Gotham-detective look.
Which Batman hat is your look?
For the Penguin, it's a formal dress topper — black or purple — finished with a monocle. For the Mad Hatter, go oversized and theatrical. For a Gotham gangster or detective, a black felt fedora with the brim snapped down does the job. All three are costume gold and, minus the villainy, genuinely wearable.
Find your fit
Get the size right first — measure with our hat sizing guide. Then browse the full top hat collection and fedora collection, or read our guide to top hat styles.
Fedoras.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by DC Comics, Warner Bros., or any actor. Style references are provided for inspiration only.
