Victorian gentlemen
Before the 19th century, the majority of clothes were made bespoke, either at home or by a professional tailor or dressmaker. Ready-made clothing was limited to uniforms, servants’ liveries, simply-cut garments, like cloaks and smocks, accessories and second-hand clothes. Some tailors also carried small stocks of ready-made items, such as waistcoats, which were easy to fit. All that started to change in the 1830s.
Technological developments in the textile industry allowed greater quantities and styles of fabrics to be produced faster and cheaper. At the same time, more sophisticated methods of pattern cutting were introduced and disseminated through new publications focusing on professional trades. Entrepreneurs began to realise the potential of a ready-made business, based on mechanised production, fixed priced goods and high turnover. For the first time it was possible for a man of average income to look fashionable with plenty of new clothes.
While the developing ready-to-wear industry was revolutionising the way middle-class men dressed, bespoke tailoring continued to dominate the aristocracy’s wardrobe. Nothing fitted as perfectly as a pair of trousers or a coat tailored to your unique measurements. And no mass-produced garment could ever compete with the understated but exquisite details created by a skilful tailor.
The new fashions of the 19th century highlighted the craftsmanship of a piece of clothing. Instead of the incredibly rich and decorated suits of the previous century, stylish men adopted a much more sombre and simplified look, prioritising perfect cut over embellishment. Previously, lace frills and embroidery had been very useful in distracting the eye from any imperfections.
At the turn of the century, the flamboyant George IV (1820-30) was one of the best-dressed men in England. Along with friend Beau Brummell, the then Prince Regent perfectly epitomised the immaculate and understated elegance of the Regency dandy. The image above shows the Prince donning the perfect outfit for a horse ride around Hyde Park ‒ a slim dark blue frockcoat, very tight buff-coloured breeches, soft leather boots, a top hat and starched white cravat.
Thomas Carlyle described the dandy as ‘a clothes-wearing Man, a Man whose trade, office and existence consists in the wearing of Clothes. Every faculty of his soul, spirit, purse, and person is heroically consecrated to this one object, the wearing of Clothes wisely and well: so that the others dress to live, he lives to dress.’ These devoted dandies spent hours getting dressed every day, only wore the finest fabrics, and took immense pleasure from a perfectly crisp linen cravat and freshly shined shoes.
By the mid-19th century, fashionable men wore a suit comprising frockcoat, trousers and waistcoat. The trousers could either match or contrast with the jacket, and waistcoats were usually made of more elaborate and colourful materials. The frockcoat, popularised by Prince Albert, was a fitted, knee-length everyday coat with tightly cinched waist and full skirt. In the 1830s and 40s its hourglass effect was reinforced further with padding to the round chest. A formal frockcoat – sometimes called a Prince Albert – was always double-breasted with peaked lapels; as informal wear, it was single-breasted and often sported the notched lapel. Unlike morning coats, frockcoats did not have cut away fronts which formed tails at the back.
In the 1850s, men wore dark coats, waistcoats and trousers, with large mutton-chop side-burns and moustaches, inspired by Prince Albert. Shirts had high upstanding collars and were tied at the neck with bow ties. The bowler hat was invented around this period, but was generally seen as a working-class hat, while top hats were favoured by the upper classes. This style continued to be popular right up to the 20th century, particularly by the city businessmen and for formal daywear.
As the century progressed, men’s clothing became ever more formalised and standardised, with each occasion prescribing a slight variation on the suit. And while ready-made clothes continued to get improved by new technologies and industrialisation, bespoke tailoring was, and still is, the most reliable way to guarantee a perfect fit.
Lord Boston’s civil uniform
a civil uniform, used by someone not in the military who attends the court and has certain positions with different levels within that court structure. there were prescriptions about the kind of width of cuff you were allowed, the amount of decoration you were allowed, the sort of edging of the court dress that you could wear. It must been extraordinary, because people must have known what rank you were just by looking what you're wearing. civil servants, ambassadors and consuls also had certain uniforms.
The embroidery, oak leaf embroidery is in superb condition, with several colour and a sawtooth edging. gold embroidery is obviously a sign of significant status, but actually the red is also important, too. a lovely contrast between the very dark blue wool and the red on the cuff and on the collar. And that shows that the person that wore this was part the royal household. Beautiful silk lining. Lord Boston took it an extra step by putting silk inside his pockets, as well. Instead of the more practical cotton, which most people would have gone for, because nobody would see it, he went the whole way and got silk. No expense spared, he paid around £115. around £50,000 now. a substantial investment. the gold and silver decoration meant about the status
Courtly designs
the coatee was part of the civil uniform worn at court by Lord Boston in 1885. Civil uniform was introduced to the British court in 1817 and followed a trend established by Napoleon in France.
By the time of Lord Boston, civil uniforms in Britain were required wear at court occasions. Dress uniform – highly decorative and elaborate ‒ was worn at formal events and an undress version, which was less decorative, was worn at informal events. The amount of decoration depended on your rank and position, but at the same time the uniform also helped create a sense of group identity at court.
Lord Boston’s uniform has a scarlet collar and cuffs to signify he was part of the Royal Household, and it is heavily embroidered in gold. The bands of gold-embroidered oak leaves on the chest of the jacket are 11.4cm (4.5in) wide, and such decoration was only worn by the highest ranking members of court.
Using the template provided, design your own coatee that would pass muster in the Victorian court. You might want to look back at earlier weeks for historic royal inspiration.
Making a queen
Queen Victoria (1837-1901) was one of the longest reigning British monarchs. This article highlights some of the key stages in her life, and we will return to look at these in more detail in later steps.
On 20 June 1837, weeks after her 18th birthday, Victoria awoke to the news that her uncle, King William IV (1830-37), had died and she was now queen. A few weeks later, she moved to Buckingham Palace, which became her official royal residence. Here she could assert her independence. She ‘exiled her mother’ to her own suite of rooms and banned her mother’s advisor, Sir John Conroy, from her private apartments. The following year, she was crowned at Westminster Abbey and 400,000 people flocked to London to catch a glimpse of the diminutive new queen in her coronation robes of white silk and red velvet.
Victoria immediately warmed to her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. He was both fatherly and flattering and she depended on his guidance. Her early reign, however, was marred by scandal. She was quick to believe false allegations that one of her ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, was pregnant with Conroy’s child. In fact, she had a fatal stomach tumour and died soon after the Queen subjected her to invasive medical examination. She also became entangled in a political debacle known as the Bedchamber crisis. Loyal to Whig PM Melbourne even when the government fell, Victoria refused to replace her Whig ladies-in-waiting with Tory supporters. Tory PM Sir Robert Peel refused to stand without her support, so Melbourne was reinstated in a widely-criticised move.
In May 1836, Victoria’s cousin Prince Albert visited London, and as match-making relatives had hoped, the two got on well. When he returned in October 1839, Victoria was instantly attracted to the German prince. The pair spent four days talking, riding and playing music together, at the end of which Victoria proposed (as her social inferior, Albert could not take the initiative). They were married in the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace on 10 February 1840. Victoria wore a white wedding dress, starting a new trend.
Their relationship was passionate and, at times, tempestuous. Albert was highly intelligent and interested in politics but Victoria was initially reluctant to allow him too much involvement in government affairs. Less than a year after their marriage, the Queen gave birth to their first daughter, Victoria. She hated pregnancy and suffered bouts of postnatal depression but despite this, she went on to have nine children. With each pregnancy, she grew more dependent on Albert’s help in carrying out her royal duties.
With her highly principled husband as support, Victoria fashioned a newly visible, and stable, family-orientated constitutional monarchy. Acutely aware of the need to cultivate support among their subjects, Victoria and Albert cultivated an image of themselves as an ideal happy family. They also became patrons of many institutions and charities and made official visits to regional industrial towns, as well as demonstrating their support for the armed forces by attending military reviews, helping stem a growing republican sentiment in Britain.
Their relationship was passionate and, at times, tempestuous. Albert was highly intelligent and interested in politics but Victoria was initially reluctant to allow him too much involvement in government affairs. Less than a year after their marriage, the Queen gave birth to their first daughter, Victoria. She hated pregnancy and suffered bouts of postnatal depression but despite this, she went on to have nine children. With each pregnancy, she grew more dependent on Albert’s help in carrying out her royal duties.
With her highly principled husband as support, Victoria fashioned a newly visible, and stable, family-orientated constitutional monarchy. Acutely aware of the need to cultivate support among their subjects, Victoria and Albert cultivated an image of themselves as an ideal happy family. They also became patrons of many institutions and charities and made official visits to regional industrial towns, as well as demonstrating their support for the armed forces by attending military reviews, helping stem a growing republican sentiment in Britain.
Their relationship was passionate and, at times, tempestuous. Albert was highly intelligent and interested in politics but Victoria was initially reluctant to allow him too much involvement in government affairs. Less than a year after their marriage, the Queen gave birth to their first daughter, Victoria. She hated pregnancy and suffered bouts of postnatal depression but despite this, she went on to have nine children. With each pregnancy, she grew more dependent on Albert’s help in carrying out her royal duties.
With her highly principled husband as support, Victoria fashioned a newly visible, and stable, family-orientated constitutional monarchy. Acutely aware of the need to cultivate support among their subjects, Victoria and Albert cultivated an image of themselves as an ideal happy family. They also became patrons of many institutions and charities and made official visits to regional industrial towns, as well as demonstrating their support for the armed forces by attending military reviews, helping stem a growing republican sentiment in Britain.
No comments:
Post a Comment