How to Read a Suit: A Guide to Changing Men’s Fashion from the 17th to the 20th Century

Description

Fashion is ever-changing, and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, How to Read a Suit is an authoritative visual guide to the under-explored area of men's fashion across four centuries. Each entry includes annotated color images of historical garments, outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time, whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, or undergarments. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history – as well as how menswear has varied in type, cut, detailing and popularity according to the occasion and the class, age and social status of the wearer. This lavishly illustrated book is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their Chesterfield from their Ulster coat. Equipping the reader with all the information they need to 'read' menswear, this is the ultimate guide for students, researchers, and anyone interested in historical fashion. Cover Half-Title Page Title Page Copyright Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface Before the Suit After Cornelis Anthonisz, Portrait of King Francis I of France Johannes Wierix, Unknown man with carnation Wedding suit worn by Gustav II of Sweden Wenceslaus Hollar, Standing man takes a bow Introduction Why Suits? The Millennial Perspective Chapter 1: 1666–1700 Nicolas Bonnart, Recueil des modes de lacour de France, “Le Financier” Wedding suit Engravings by Nicolas Bonnart Jean Dieu de Saint-Jean, Recueil des modes de la courde France, “Homme de qualité en habit d’hiuer” Jacques Lepautre, Homme en habit despée (Man in a suit) Jacob Gole, Louis, Dauphin of France Chapter 2: 1700–1799 Habit of a French man of quality in 1700 Coat and breeches Velvet suit Corded silk coat, waistcoat, and breeches Frans van der Mijn, Portrait of Jan Pranger Wool and silk suit Gentleman’s court suit Wool and gilt metal suit Gustav III’s wedding suit “à la française” Silk suit (habit à la française) Macaroni ensemble Man’s three-piece suit: Coat, waistcoat, and breeches Frock coat Ribbed silk coat Suit worn by George Washington Suit of a sans-culotte, France Silk coat and breeches Jean Louis Darcis after Carle Vernet, Les Incroyables Coat, waistcoat and breeches Johannes Pieter de Frey after Jacobus Johannes Lauwers, Farmer with jug Chapter 3: 1800–1859 Velvet three-piece suit Académie et salle de danse Sir Thomas Lawrence, Lord Granville Leveson-Gower, later first Earl Granville Wool broadcloth coat and pantaloons Jacket and trousers Lord Thomas Busby, Scavenger Tailcoat, pantaloons, and waistcoat Tartan suit Ensemble of silk tailcoat and waistcoat, natural linen trousers and black silk stock Tail coat, trousers, and waistcoat Frock coat ensemble Black wool ensemble and cotton and linen checked suit Frock coat and trousers “L’Elégant,” Journal des Tailleurs Chapter 4: 1860–1899 Suit (sack jacket, waistcoat and trousers) Le Musée des Tailleurs illustré Wedding suit Wool twill suit “University” morning jacket ensemble Morning suit Seersucker suit Smoking suit Fashionable gentlemen in suits Fancy dress ensemble in eighteenth-century style: Coat, breeches, and waistcoat, possibly American Chapter 5: 1900–1939 Flannel outing suits, No. 9, The new Breakwater summer suit Traveling suit Summer whites Suit for cycling (full-length portrait of a young man) Norfolk jacket and trousers “Full dress” evening suit Black wool wedding suit “Golfing” jacket and knickerbockers Jack Buchanan wearing an Oxford bags ensemble Man modeling walking suit Business suit Evening/dinner suit “Palm Beach” suit Summer suit Brown pinstriped suit Evening suit Chapter 6: 1939–1969 Rayfield McGhee in a “zoot suit” Suit worn by the Duke of Windsor Utility suit “Demob” suit Two-piece suit Teddy boy, London Suit worn by Johnny O’Keefe “Wash and Wear” suit John Lennon’s stage suit Suit by Mr. Fish Dinner (tuxedo) jacket and trousers Suit by Jacques de Montjoye Idealized portrait of Mao Zedong towering over the Yangtze river Chapter 7: 1970–2000 Suits: left, 1970, Bill Blass, and right, c.1970s, Thelma Finster Bradshaw Wool blend suit Suit by Mr. John Leisure suit Suit by Giorgio Armani Three-piece suit by Kenzo Mitsuhiro Matsuda suit, wool twill weave Suit by Paul Smith Man’s “bondage suit,” Vivienne Westwood Sanderson suit, WORLD Glossary of Terms Notes Select Bibliography Photographic Credits Index