Evening Suit
ca. 1885 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an example of a formal evening dress which would have been worn to smart dinners, the theatre and other fashionable evening entertainments. It was important at this period to be properly dressed in public and private. A fashionable man needed clothes to suit all occasions, both work and leisure. This meant that he sometimes had to change his outfits six or seven times in the space of a day.
In 1888 the dinner jacket was introduced for more informal evening wear. Unlike the evening dress suit, which was cut with tails, the back of the dinner jacket was cut whole. Since then evening dress has altered very little. Any stylistic changes were very subtle, affecting details such as the length and width of the lapels or the fullness of the trousers. The jacket of this evening suit still has the 'button stand' around the outer edge of the lapels. This is a feature that disappeared in the 1890s.
In 1888 the dinner jacket was introduced for more informal evening wear. Unlike the evening dress suit, which was cut with tails, the back of the dinner jacket was cut whole. Since then evening dress has altered very little. Any stylistic changes were very subtle, affecting details such as the length and width of the lapels or the fullness of the trousers. The jacket of this evening suit still has the 'button stand' around the outer edge of the lapels. This is a feature that disappeared in the 1890s.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Wool barathea, lined with satin and linen, faced with ribbed silk |
| Brief description | Evening suit consisting of a jacket, trousers and waistcoat of wool barathea, tailored by Morris & Co., London, ca. 1885 |
| Physical description | Evening suit consisting of a jacket, trousers and waistcoat of wool barathea. The jacket has a square cut tail, double-breasted with four satin coloured buttons, and false button holes. The lapels are faced with ribbed silk. Lined with black satin. Trousers with a fly front and slightly shaped bottoms. Single-breasted waistcoat with a low round neck and plain lapel trimmed with two rows of satin braid. This continues down the front and trims the tops of the two pockets. The buttons are covered with satin. Lined with white linen. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by B. W. Owram |
| Summary | This is an example of a formal evening dress which would have been worn to smart dinners, the theatre and other fashionable evening entertainments. It was important at this period to be properly dressed in public and private. A fashionable man needed clothes to suit all occasions, both work and leisure. This meant that he sometimes had to change his outfits six or seven times in the space of a day. In 1888 the dinner jacket was introduced for more informal evening wear. Unlike the evening dress suit, which was cut with tails, the back of the dinner jacket was cut whole. Since then evening dress has altered very little. Any stylistic changes were very subtle, affecting details such as the length and width of the lapels or the fullness of the trousers. The jacket of this evening suit still has the 'button stand' around the outer edge of the lapels. This is a feature that disappeared in the 1890s. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.171 to B-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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