A man's coat of pale salmon-pink silk, trimmed with silk & silver ribbon, Great Britain, 1775-1780

A man’s coat of pale salmon-pink silk taffeta with a 3½ -inch (8.8 cm) turn-down. 2-piece collar, with a point at centre back. The curving 2-piece sleeves end in cuffs 4¼-inch (10.7 cm) deep. The fronts curve from neck to hem with pleats 3¼-inch (8.2 cm) deep, below the hip set at the side back. Each front has a pocket with scalloped pocket flap; the centre-back seam is open below the hip. Under the pocket flap and above the pocket opening is a narrow strip with a buttonhole in the centre, but no corresponding button. The back is lined with unbleached linen, the sleeves and pockets with glazed white cotton. The fronts and pocket flaps are lined, and skirts faced with blue silk sarsenet. The collar, cuffs, pleats, fronts and pocket flap are edged with a narrow ribbon of ivory and yellow striped silk grosgrain with silver strip and thread. There are 10 worked buttonholes along the left front and 10 corresponding passementerie buttons with pale pink silk, silver strip, thread and spangles along the right front, at the top and hem of the pleats and the top of the centre back opening.

Given by Mrs Phoebe Timpson

Registered File number 1994/409.

The point in the centre back of the collar first appeared in men’s dress in the late 1770s. The pale colour and simple decoration of this coat are a new development in fashion, in contrast to the rich palette and ornate embroidery of the 1750s and 1760s.

An ivory and yellow striped grosgrain forms the ground of the ribbon, embellished with additional threads of silver strip and thread. This narrow trim edges the collar, cuffs, pleats and front of the coat. At the back pleat, it has been expertly mitred to reinforce the top of the pleat and to form a decorative ground for the button. Interwoven threads of pink silk, silver-gilt filé (textured thread) and silver strip form the base of the button, with silver spangles (sequins) sewn on top.

T.363-1995