A while back, Mr. Caleb Wells of T.M. Lewin very graciously sent us this timeline for the evolution of men’s clothing. (Do zoom in. It’s an interesting overview.)
At some point, I hope to pursue nerdy historical detail for several of the timeline items, especially the coat shirt, i.e., the shirt that buttons all the way from top to bottom.* Today, however, we’re going to look a little more closely at the three-piece suit and its development, courtesy Timothy Long, Curator of Fashion at the Museum of London.
*Contrary to what we see on our romance novel covers, until late in the 1800s, men’s shirts went on over the head.
If you're having trouble seeing the graphic, here's a full-size view—with thanks to Karen Anne, for finding it!
Readers who receive our blog via email might see a rectangle, square, or nothing where the video ought to be. To watch the video, please click on the title to this post.
The Lewin graphic is too fuzzy to read zoomed in.
ReplyDeleteThe version of the Lewin graphic that's been linked is a low-res version (only 120x800), and the typeface is unreadable. If you could upload a higher resolution version under the same name, we should all be able to read it. I'm quite looking forward to it. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, loved the video, but in true nerdy fashion wished he'd gone into muuuuch more detail!?!
ReplyDeleteThanks you as always for these,
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ReplyDeleteGreat post! I look forward to your history of the buttoned shirt as not only are the romance covers inaccurate so are the writers descriptions!
ReplyDeleteHere's the Lewin graphic:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dapperfied.com/300-year-history-british-menswear-design/
Karen Anne, thank you. I've reposted the graphic full size, but even on my huge monitor I can't zoom in properly. I've added your link to the post.
ReplyDeleteCharles II saw a sleeveless coat on a Turkish ambassador and wanted something similar to help him look not so tall (he was over six feet when most men were 5'6"-5'8"). The horizontal line of the bottom of the waistcoat made his legs look shorter.
ReplyDeleteHis father Charles I started the pantaloons of the cavaliers because his legs were not straight and pantaloons made this less noticeable. He too got the idea from a representative to London from another country.