Such suits were the staple daywear of the middling and upper ranks in the late 18th century, both in Europe and America.Coat, waistcoat and breeches, dark brown wool, French, ca. 1780.Where possible the raw edge of the wool is used as the edge to the garments - e.g. the collars, the front edges, the pleats, the bottom edge of the coat and waistcoat and the edge of the waistband. It is attached to the lining in each case by a small running stitch, about 3mm from the edge.This plain brown wool day suit exemplifies the fashions of middle class Frenchmen in the 1780s, at a time when Anglomania (love of English style) was noticeable in French society, even at the Court. It is the sort of clothing sometimes depicted in the inventories of manufacturers and industrialists, for example. The suit is accessorised with fine cut steel buttons, which may be of English manufacture, possibly Birmingham or Wolverhampton. Cut steel accessories were stocked by high class retailers in Paris,who imported English made-goods, such as Madame Blakey's <i>Magazin Anglois</i> (English shop) in rue des Prouvaires, very close to the prestigious rue St Honoré. Toyware (small metalwork goods such as buttons and buckles) were important commodities in British industrialisation in the 18th century.Suit
About 1780
Towards the end of the 18th century, Europe was gripped by ‘Anglomania’, a love of all things English. In formal men’s attire this could be seen in a taste for simple, closefitting cut and fine woollen cloth in sombre colours. Here, the only decoration is the set of finely faceted cut-steel buttons imported from England.
France
Wool
Buttons: England (possibly Birmingham or Wolverhampton); cut steel
[09/12/2015]