Possible Clues:

• Napoleon, say, receiving message about old fashion item
• 18th-century hairpiece
• Fairy to rate old headgear
• Revolutionary soldier gets cable from president that's over the top?
• Colonial era hairpiece
• Peruke
• Old kind of toupee
• Old rug has stuff full of thread backing
• Old-fashioned topper
• Greedy man swallowing with passion turned to topping