A reconstructed gentleman’s suit from
the late 1780-ies 
by Martin Ciszuk
Different styles of the 18th century are represented in the collection of silk and cotton fabrics from Durán Textiles. The designs range from late baroque via rococo to neoclassicism, reflecting the changing fashions during the century. We used some silks of the later style to create a reconstructed gentleman’s suit of the late 1780-ies. The costume is not a copy of an original garment, instead a fashion plate and a portrait was used as a starting point. The cut was constructed using a published pattern drawn from a suit from the period. This was adjusted in details as cuffs, collar and lapels to correspond with the pictures. All our knowledge of textile history, period cutting and sewing was used, but to give the costume charm and fit it to it’s occasion some artistic freedom and fantasy was allowed.
The fashion plate is found in the French “Galerie des Modes 1787” the translated text says: A stockbroker at the Palais Royal in morning habit with a jockey style hat. The painting is of Robespierre about 1792.
The coat is a justaucorps with the characteristic details of the late 18th century: The back pieces are narrow, and the side vents are close to the back vent. The skirts have little width and the pleats at the vents are narrow and held together by decorative buttons. The front is heavily curved and only buttoned with one button over the chest. Buttons are big and flat, and the pocket flaps are straight. The coat has a high collar and big lapels. The cuffs are straight and narrow compared to earlier styles. The coat is made from the satin silk stripe Viola stripe green/gold. Striped fabrics were much preferred in the 1780-90ies both for men’s and women’s clothing. Among samples from the wardrobe of Marie Antoinette several similar striped fabrics are found. The silk is doubled with linen to give the coat body and shape, and lined with a light green taffeta that shows in the lapels and cuffs. The collar is in dark brown velvet.
The short waistcoat with the French name gilet, reaches just a bit under the waist. It has a straight hem, is double breasted and buttoned with small buttons. The standing collar is high and the lapels are big enough to be folded outside lapels of the coat. Because the lapels show the same fabric as the waistcoat, the front is faced with the silk. In earlier styles, without lapels, the lining came up to the edge of the front of both waistcoats and coats. From the end of the 18th century front facings became common as they still are in modern jackets. The fronts are lined with silk taffeta. The back is in hand woven linen – it was never shown. The silk in the waistcoat is the design Pensé orange, which is dated to the mid 18th century. The small patterned designs of this type remained in use for waistcoats until the 19th century.
The knee breeches, culottes à la bavaroise, have a fall front opening. The French name associate them with Bavaria where the famous Lederhosen still have the fall front opening. This cut became common around 1770, It was then stated that this was appropriate for skin breeches, but the fall front opening was used for both long trousers and short breeches in different materials. For these breeches the silk Celadon brown were used. The breeches have a high waist and are longer and tighter than earlier fashion. Inventories and texts describe different styles of breeches for standing and sitting occasions! The fabrics were sometimes used on the bias grain to make the breeches more elastic and fitting and jersey in silk and cotton became a popular material. From a straight watch pocket in the lining of the breeches hangs a decorative watch chain, châtelaine in French. Often a second chain was worn for the symmetry even if only one was for use. At the watch chain charms, watch keys etc. could be attached. The knee buckles are buttoned to the knee band and are detachable. They match the shoe buckles and are replicas made from 18th century originals. The hat is of brown felt decorated with a silk ribbon and a big square buckle. Similar hats are preserved among the clothes of the Swedish king Gustavus III.
The wig is natural coloured and does not have the folded toupé as in earlier style, instead the hair is frizzled to great volume. At the side the hair is shaped in two long rolls and in the back there is a small pleated tail with a bow The shirt is of linen cambric with ruffles in the shirt fabric. In the end of the 18th century lace was not so much used by men, instead attention was drawn to extravagant neckerchiefs and cravats.
The suit represents the French version of the English style that became fashionable in the late 18th century. The style was associated with informality, nature and sports, as riding and walking. The cut of the shirt and coat was borrowed from riding coats, and the hat had its name from the riding jockey. A walking stick was now preferred before the sword, and riding boots could be worn at least for morning wear. When made up in exclusive silks the riding habit is transferred into formal wear, and the suit displays the elegance and relaxed male fashion of the last decades of the 18th century.
Sources:
Kläder för tid och evighet, Lena Rangström
20000 years of fashion, François Boucher
Gazette des atours de Marie-Antoinette, Réunion des musées nationaux – Archives nationales
Eighteenth-Century French Fashions in Full Colour, ed. Stella Blum
The Cut of Men’s Clothes 1600-1900, Norah Waugh
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