Man's Suit
1880 - 1885 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This suit is similar to one that might have been worn by an 'Aesthetic' man in the late 19th century. Although velvet lounge jackets were fashionable, and breeches were well established for sportswear and court dress, it is the combination of these two garments for everyday wear which makes the suit so unconventional.
People
Artists and dress reformers reacted against fashionable 19th-century clothing. They aimed to introduce more comfort, colour and beauty into men's dress. Trousers came under particular attack and were referred to as 'dingy tubes' which looked ugly and sucked in drafts of air that undermined mens health. Aesthetes and campaigners advocated the wearing of close-fitting knee breeches as a healthier and more attractive option.
Historical Associations
The playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), who liked wearing plum breeches and suits of unusual colours (red and green), was parodied in Sullivan's opera Patience (1881). He also created a stir on his American lecture tour in 1882 when he donned a velvet coat (very similar to that shown), velvet waistcoat and knee-breeches for his talks on the subject of Aestheticism. The attention he created helped prolong the Aesthetic movement in men's dress.
This suit is similar to one that might have been worn by an 'Aesthetic' man in the late 19th century. Although velvet lounge jackets were fashionable, and breeches were well established for sportswear and court dress, it is the combination of these two garments for everyday wear which makes the suit so unconventional.
People
Artists and dress reformers reacted against fashionable 19th-century clothing. They aimed to introduce more comfort, colour and beauty into men's dress. Trousers came under particular attack and were referred to as 'dingy tubes' which looked ugly and sucked in drafts of air that undermined mens health. Aesthetes and campaigners advocated the wearing of close-fitting knee breeches as a healthier and more attractive option.
Historical Associations
The playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), who liked wearing plum breeches and suits of unusual colours (red and green), was parodied in Sullivan's opera Patience (1881). He also created a stir on his American lecture tour in 1882 when he donned a velvet coat (very similar to that shown), velvet waistcoat and knee-breeches for his talks on the subject of Aestheticism. The attention he created helped prolong the Aesthetic movement in men's dress.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Cotton velvet, silk braid edges; lining of woven wool, silk and glazed linen; hand-sewn and machine-stitched |
| Brief description | Aesthetic man's suit, brown cotton velvet, British, 1880-1885 |
| Physical description | Man's suit consisting of jacket and breeches of brown cotton velvet with silk braid edging, lining of woven wool, silk and glazed linen |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The fashion for velvet suits with breeches became associated with leading male members of the Aesthetic Movement. These suits were widely parodied in 'Punch ' and other contemporary magazines. The character of Bunthorne in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera 'Patience' made particular fun of them.(27/03/2003) |
| Summary | Object Type This suit is similar to one that might have been worn by an 'Aesthetic' man in the late 19th century. Although velvet lounge jackets were fashionable, and breeches were well established for sportswear and court dress, it is the combination of these two garments for everyday wear which makes the suit so unconventional. People Artists and dress reformers reacted against fashionable 19th-century clothing. They aimed to introduce more comfort, colour and beauty into men's dress. Trousers came under particular attack and were referred to as 'dingy tubes' which looked ugly and sucked in drafts of air that undermined mens health. Aesthetes and campaigners advocated the wearing of close-fitting knee breeches as a healthier and more attractive option. Historical Associations The playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), who liked wearing plum breeches and suits of unusual colours (red and green), was parodied in Sullivan's opera Patience (1881). He also created a stir on his American lecture tour in 1882 when he donned a velvet coat (very similar to that shown), velvet waistcoat and knee-breeches for his talks on the subject of Aestheticism. The attention he created helped prolong the Aesthetic movement in men's dress. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.21:1, 2-2020 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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