Man’s coat and integral waistcoat of ivory silk taffeta, with a ground warp of paired ends of organzine, brocaded with silk bound in 3/1 twill in a pattern of large semi- naturalistic floral devices and scrolls, in shades of green, brown, blue, pink and yellow. It has a standing 2¾-inch (7 cm) collar, curving 2-piece sleeves ending in cuffs, 5 inches (12.5 cm) deep and narrow pleats beside the centre-back opening. Each front has a pocket, rectangular pocket flap and waistcoat front stitched into the armhole seam. There are 3 worked buttonholes on the left front of the coat and 6 self-covered buttons on the right front edge. The left waistcoat front has 7 worked buttonholes and the right front has 7 self-covered buttons.
It was probably made as a banyan with integral waistcoat fronts about 1800-1810, possibly with the silk from a woman’s gown of an earlier date. The banyan was altered in the late 19th century for fancy dress. The front skirts were cut away to give a more ‘coat-like’ shape and the waistcoat fronts unpicked from the side seams and the right side resewn to make them more visible when worn.