1800 Gentleman and Son, French. Man in brown, double-breasted, cutaway coat with wide fur collar, ankle length loose trousers with a fob at his waist, black shoes. Son in high-waisted trousers, white shirt, red jacket, black hat and shoes and carrying a sword. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
During the early 1800s skirted coats were replaced with short-fronted, or cutaway, tailcoats worn over fitted waistcoats and plain, white linen shirts. Knee breeches were gradually replaced by tight-fitting pantaloons and later trousers, decorative shoes were replaced with boot, such as the tan topped boots worn here, and fussy neckwear gave way to intricately tied, white linen neck cloths.
A Regency Era, or early 1800s, gentleman was outfitted in more practical fabrics, such as wool, cotton and buckskin rather than the fussy brocades and silks of the late 1700s. The men in Jane Austen’s life would have worn an elegant outdoor ensemble like this for everyday excursions around the countryside.
1808 April Trio of Two Men and a Woman in Full and Half Dress in the Directoire and Empire period, or the Regency Era, or the times of Jane Austen. Two varieties of men’s pants, one knee breeches and stockings and one long pants worn inside high boots. One wearing a Bicorn hat and the other holding a top hat and both with yellow gloves. Woman wearing a pink pelisse, or coat, over a white walking gown with a train and holding a parasol. via Le Beau Monde, or Literary and Fashionable Magazine, London, U.K.
Fashion Women 1805-1809 History Notes Book 26 What did Jane Austen and friends wear? https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
1807-1817 ca. Man’s Leather Breeches, American. These are the sort of pants that the men Jane Austen knew would have worn for riding or in the country. Drop front buttoned flap at the waist, a drawstring at the back waist to adjust waist size, and drawstrings and buttons at the calves to keep the breeches secure when worn with high boots. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1807 Fashionable French Couple. Man: Blue cutaway coat and yellow breeches. Lady: Lemon and blue dress and bonnet. This is the fashion styles worn by Jane Austen and her family and friends in the early 1800s. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
1807 Fashionable French Couple. Man: Blue cutaway coat and yellow breeches. Lady: Lemon and blue dress and bonnet. Fashion Plate via Suzi Love ~ suzilove.com & Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
George Bryan “Beau” Brummell (June 7th 1778 – March 30th 1840) Arbiter of men’s fashion and friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. Established mode of dress for men that rejected overly ornate fashions for understated but perfectly fitted and tailored clothing. Look based on dark coats, full-length trousers rather than knee breeches and stockings, with immaculate shirt linen and an elaborately knotted cravat. 1855 Engraving of Beau Brummell from an article in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
1805 Beau Brummell (1778-1840) Regency Dandy, proponent of understated but perfectly fitted and tailored garments, especially dark coats, full-length trousers, immaculate shirt linen and an elaborately knotted cravat. Friend of the Prince Regent, later King George IV. Watercolor By Richard Dighton (1795- 1880) Via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org (PD-ART) https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
Weird Historical Pants for Men. No wonder men needed valets! It wasn’t just women struggling into tight fitting clothing!
And no wonder it took both sexes so long to dress every day, often changing clothes four or five times a day!
Early on were Breeches – Short, close-fitting trousers that fastened just below the knees or above the ankles, with a horizontal front flap called the ‘fall’ and were worn with stockings. Boys of 3 – 6 years stopped wearing loose dress-type children’s garments and went into short pants instead, and were considered ‘breeched. In Regency times, breeches were worn tighter to show off a manly physique.
Then of course we had Pantaloons
By the late 1810s and beyond, these became popular and eventually they evolved into full length trousers. Originally pantaloons were made to suit shorter Hessian boots that fell below the typical knee-breech level and they were worn very form-fitting.
Buckskins – Fashionable trousers made from deer skin also showed off every curve of the man’s figure. How could ladies not want to peek? Oooh, what a display of fine, manly figure!! Swoon!
And so to more modern Trousers – The word Trouser came into usage in the late 1600?s, so we’ve had trousers around for a long time. But at first, they were mostly for lower classes. Revolutionary France started a trend for sans-culottes, which meant trousers or pantaloons instead of culottes, or knee breeches, which were associated with the aristocracy.
The styles of the revolution moved across to England and were taken up by those who either sided with revolutionary ideals or who took them up as part of a protest against the establishment set.
Early trousers looked strange because they were generally a bit looser than pantaloons or breeches, and ended at the ankles with slits on the side for foot access. They often needed under-the-foot straps to fix them in place.
Now here’s a couple of insider tips from a gentleman’s valet for you to remember –
– False calves can be created by padding so that a master’s calves fill out his stockings and make him look more muscular, especially when he is wearing knee-breeches. Every woman’s dream!
– For rotund gentlemen, tightly pulled corsets help keep the paunch to a minimum and enhance his figure.
– To keep trousers in place and prevent disgrace, braces( suspenders) can be worn under vests.
Even in cases of his master’s over-imbibing, or just plain clumsiness, a valet can ensure his lordship remains correctly clothes at all times when representing the household in public by taking a few early precautions.
Imagine the poor valet’s work if – a gentleman rode before breakfast – changed to join the family– spent the morning boxing with friends in looser attire – changed for lunch at his club with peers – changed for afternoon calls or a drive in the park with the women- changed for dinner with friends – changed into evening dress for a formal ball- arrived home just before daylight to change into his banyan( robe) to smoke his cheroot before bed – then rose 3 hours later expecting his clothes laid out so he could do it all over again.!!
No, I seriously do not want to go back in time and become either a lady’s maid or a gentleman’s valet
– although, if I had the choice…
Hmmmm….being in a gentleman’s bedroom…. does hold a certain appeal.
Suzi Love
1775-1825 ca. Black Silk Breeches, American or European. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org1806 Young French Gentleman. Short Brown Castorine Coat Over Blue Tailcoat, White Cashmere breeches, yellow gloves, black top Hat. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.1804-1814 ca. Collage View. Breeches, French. Cream silk and linen. Buttoned waist, drop down front flap, or fall, extra fullness in the back for ease of movement, ties at the knees to keep in place. via Suzi Love ~ suzilove.com & Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org1812-1813 ca. A man with a hat shaped as a balloon, green coat, white breeches, colored cravat. Hand-colored etching. 1812-1813 Le Chapeau en Ballon Series: Le Bon Genre Plate 51. Via British Museum, London, UK. 1807-1817 ca. Man’s Leather Breeches, American. Drop front buttoned flap at the waist, a drawstring at the back waist to adjust waist size, and drawstrings and buttons at the calves to keep the breeches secure when worn with high boots. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org 1807 Pale Blue Tailcoat, French. White frilled shirt with extra high collar and cravat, vest, white knee breeches, white stockings, black shoes, gloves, bicorn hat and a curly hairstyle. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. 1800 Outfit Of A Young Man, French. Grey cutaway coat, red vest or waistcoat, high white cravat, yellow breeches with red fob at waist, yellow gloves, black boots with tassels, hat and walking stick. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.1805 ca. Collage Leather Breeches, French. Buttoned and adjustable waist, back waist gusset for ease of movement, front fall flap, two tone fitted cuffs on legs with many buttons to fasten and hold in place on the legs. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org 1790 British Consul’s Tan Leather Pants, Boston. Tan buckskin, fall front, brass and self covered buttons, breeches have leather ties at waist and at leg hems. via Augusta Auction 1806 Gentleman’s Daily Outfit, French. Bottle green tailcoat, knee breeches, snowy white cravat, white stockings, flat black shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.1807 Gentleman’s Half Dress, French. Green cutaway tailcoat, white vest, white frilled shirt with very high white cravat, white breeches with red fob at waist, white stockings, black shoes, black top hat and carrying a cane. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
1807 Regency Couple, French.Dressed As In Jane Austen’s times.Back view of a lady’s white dress with a cute back bow, long draping scarf with knotted ends, and straw bonnet with a blue ribbon and bows. Gentleman in a long grey coat, orange vest, extremely high collar of a ruffled shirt, tight taupe pants tucked into topped boots, and with a fashionable short curly hairstyle. Fashion Plate via Costume Parisien.
Fashion Women 1805-1809 History Notes Book 26
What did Jane Austen and friends wear? This book looks at early 1800s fashions, which were elegant and pretty with high waists and fabrics that were almost transparent. These Empire style gowns, named after Napoleon’s first Empress, became popular throughout Europe, and were then copied around the world. Colorful outwear was added to make an ensemble more attractive and warmer.
https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
1810 Les Invisibles. By James Gillray. Two men walk towards each other, each with a lady hanging to each arm, all have their faces concealed by some part of their dress, hat, or collar, or both. One man has a round hat, with a fantastically curved brim projecting downwards. The other has a huge crescent-shaped cocked hat with the peaks dipping over face and back. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
1810 Les Invisibles. By James Gillray. Two men walk towards each other, each with a lady hanging to each arm, all have their faces concealed by some part of their dress, hat, or collar, or both. One man has a round hat, with a fantastically curved brim projecting downwards. The other has a huge crescent-shaped cocked hat with the peaks dipping over face and back. Via British Museum, London, UK.RL_2_D2D_RetailerBuyLink_RL_2
https://books2read.com/suziloveYGD
1798 Gentleman’s Outfit, French. Long green overcoat with yellow buttons, tan gloves, black boots topped with yellow band, gloves with three seams across the back of the hand, high white cravat, black hat, fob at his waist and holding a cane. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
HN_2_D2D_Fashion Men 1700s
books2read.com/suziloveFashMen1700
1814 Couple In Walking Ensembles, French. Gentleman in a brown tailcoat with a notched collar and back pockets, vest, white breeches tied under his knees, red fob at the waist, white stockings, high white shirt collar, white cravat, top hat and cane. Lady in adorable pink Redingote with capes.
