Man's doublet, 1660-65, English or French; Beige watered silk and parchment lace

Man’s doublet of beige watered silk interlined with linen and lined with cream watered silk. It has a 2-inch (5 cm) standing collar, short wide sleeves and 6 shallow laps. The centre back seam is open, as are the sleeves including the 1¾-inch (4.5 cm) turned-back cuffs. Beige silk and parchment bobbin lace, 1⅝-inch (4 cm) wide is applied to the fronts, back, sleeves, collar and laps The belly pieces, under the silk lining, are probably made with layers of stiffened linen. There are 20 worked buttonholes on the left front with 5 button loops of braided beige silk on the left side of the collar. The buttons have a wooden core, covered with beige silk thread; 23 remain. There is a button on each shoulder near the collar. At the waist seam inside there are 6 silk tabs each with a metal eye. The doublet matches the cassock, T.323-1980.

By the 1660s the traditional doublet and hose had altered from their forms earlier in the century. The doublet had become a very short garment that exposed the shirt underneath at the waist. This particular example is made of beige watered silk and decorated with parchment lace. The centre back and inside sleeve seams are open to reveal the shirt. The doublet has a matching cassock.

T.324-1980