Charles Lucas wore this light grey cloth suit with a white satin cravat for his marriage to Antoinette von Westenholz on 9 November 1967. The groom was a Buddhist and his bride a Roman Catholic and the wedding was conducted at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, London. Lucas purchased the suit from Mr. Fish, a fashionable shop which had opened the year before in London's Clifford Street. It was owned by the tailor-designer Michael Fish who had formerly worked as neckwear buyer for Turnbull & Asser.
Michael Fish became well known for his flamboyant and unconventional designs influenced by hippie culture. He used transparent and vibrantly coloured fabrics and designed mini-skirts and kaftans for men. This suit represents another aspect of 1960s menswear which drew on historical British tailoring. The frock coat's stand collar and lapels and defined shoulders and waist were designed to create a modern version of the Regency dandy.
Physical description
2-piece suit consisting of a frock coat and trousers made of light grey, twill-woven wool, the coat is lined throughout with grey synthetic fabric and interlined in the body with some areas quilt stitched in place. The trousers are lined at the waist with white twill synthetic fabric; the fly is lined with grey cotton and the crotch with white synthetic twill. The coat has a 5cm stand collar and lapels inspired by coats of the Regency period. It is single-breasted and fastens with 3 self-covered buttons; it is cut with a waistseam and the front is shaped with 2 darts from the waist to the chest; the back is cut in 4 panels: 2 narrow side panels and 2 back panels; the skirt of the coat is cut with a back vent faced with two narrow panels of self-fabric; the sleeves, which are cut with one seam, have a closed vent at the cuff trimmed with 4 non-functional self-covered buttons; the centre back waist is trimmed with 2 self-covered buttons. Hanging loop at inside neck. The slightly flared trousers have a fly-front and zip fastening and close at the waist with a button and hook and bar; a pair of inset pockets are set below the waist band to the left and right front.
Place of Origin
London, England (made)
Date
1967 (made)
Artist/maker
Mr Fish (maker and retailer)
Materials and Techniques
Wool and synthetic fabrics, machine sewn and hand finished
Marks and inscriptions
'Mr.Fish/ 17, CLIFFORD STREET/ LONDON W.1.'
Dimensions
[frock coat] Length: 100 cm nape of neck to hem
[trousers] Length: 85 cm inside leg, Circumference: 84 cm waist, Width: 22 cm at hem
Object history note
Worn by Charles Evelyn Penn Lucas for his marriage to Antoinette von Westenholz on 9 November 1967 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London.
Descriptive line
Man's wedding suit, grey cloth, consisting of a frock coat and trousers, designed by Mr. Fish, London, 1967.
Exhibition History
Unveiled: 200 years of wedding glamour from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington 17/12/2011-22/04/2012)
The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions (Bendigo Art Gallery 01/08/2011-06/11/2011)
Labels and date
Frock coat and trousers
Mr Fish
London, 1967
Shirt and cravat: Blades, 1968
In the 1960s and 1970s, some fashion-conscious bridegrooms looked for alternatives to the traditional morning suit and more casual lounge suit usually worn for weddings. Charles Lucas went to Mr Fish, one of a new generation of London-based tailor/designers. His frock coat, with its Regency-style collar and lapels, reflects the influence of historical fashions on menswear at this time.
Coat and trousers: wool
Silk shirt and cravat given and worn by Rupert Lycett-Green
V&A: T.30:1, 2-2010; T.702B-1974 [2011]
Materials
Wool; Synthetic fabric
Techniques
Machine sewing; Hand sewing
Categories
Clothing; Fashion; Marriage; Men's clothes
Production Type
Mass produced
Collection code
T&F
