Not on display

This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

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.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Jacket
  • Breeches
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
  • Whole object on mannequin height: 171cm
  • Shoulder width: 44cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 01/04/1999 by KL height including Gary Hall mannequin approx 171cms
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
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.
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 createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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