Fashion for Gentlemen

The prevailing colours for both dress and morning coats, are dark blue, olive, and bottle green, with silver and gilt basket buttons; long waist and short skirt: but upon the whole, the fashionable coat is very short, and must not come lower than within four inches of the knee. The lapels are rather long, and come even with the hip buttons. The collar is made high, thinly padded, and to fall back two inches.

The dress coat has round cuffs without buttons, with pockets under flaps: the morning coat, sleeves with slits, and three large buttons. The sleeves are worn very long.

The waistcoat is single-breasted; flaps, with small regimental skirts; the collar within that of the coat: it is made of striped Marcella, of various shades, but buff colours are the most fashionable. Breeches, of a light drab colour, made rather long and tight. For pantaloons, the stuffs generally worn are double-milled stockings and Prince of Wales’s striped kerseymere.

April 1809 General Observation  con't

Pea-green is a colour generally introduced in spring, for what reason we know not, except it be intended to harmonize with the verdure with which, at this season, all nature is beginning to be clothed, though some may doubt whether a notion of harmony ever entered the inventive brain of the fashionable dress-maker. However this may be, we must enter our decided protest against it; and we entreat our fair reader not to adopt a colour so directly in opposition to good taste, and in which no face or form, be it majestic as Juno, or beautiful as Hebe, can appear with advantage and effect. Lilac, purple, all the varieties of blue, with still greater varieties of grey, are open to their choice. If green must be selected, let it be the deep and rich hue of the Spanish fly, rather than that worst and vilest of all colours, pea-green.

       Mr. Adair’s treaty with the Sublime Porte will doubtless introduce amongst our spring fashions a profusion of Turkish turbans, Janizary jackets, mosque slippers, and thousand similar whimsicalities; all of which (provided a northern coalition be accomplished) must speedily give way to Russian cloaks, hussar caps, Cossack mantles, Danish robes, &c. &c, so that by setting on of dog-days, our ladies will stand a chance of being arrayed in complete costume of all the shivering nations of the north. Such is the capricious system introduced and acted upon in the empire of the despotic goddess of fashion! When shall the dress of the British fair be established upon the simple and unerring principles of nature? and when shall those principals be adopted as the barometer of good taste? We have not the vanity to promise ourselves the complete accomplishment of these objects, but to that end all our endeavours shall be directed. Nothing shall appear in our pages but what is strictly compatible with good taste, so that while we discover and expose errors, we will not be wanting in our endeavours to point out the remedy.

Fashion for Gentlemen

Evening Dress

The reigning colours for this month are claret and corbeau, with plain, flat, silk buttons; the coat rather long in the waist, and short in the skirts, double-breasted, with lapels, high collar, thin padding, and to fall back full three inches; the pockets under the cross flaps cuffs five inches and a half long, with three buttons at top.

Waistcoats are made of white Marseilles and fancy silks, single-breasted, with narrow flaps, rather long. Breeches of drab silk hose, not made very high; the knee-band low, with four or five buttons at the knee. They are made rather tight.

Morning Dress

The coats worn for morning dress are generally of dark colours and sage mixed, single-breasted, with short regimental skirts, no flaps, pockets in the plaits of the skirts, high collars, stitched narrow, and to fall back about three inches. Buttons either gilt, or silver basket, or moulds covered with cloth.

Waistcoats double-breasted, made of silk striped Valentia.

Is consequence of the excessive advance in the price of superfine cloths and kerseymeres, the leaders of the haut ton have resolved to revive the fashion of wearing leather breeches and boots, which some years since so particularly distinguished English gentlemen from mechanics and servants.

The preceding observation were communicated to us by Messrs. Austey and Saxe, South Molton-street.

General Observation March 1809

The prevailing colours this month are rose, green, and purple of various materials, silk, satins, and plain velvets, ornamented with gold and silver, pearls, or embroidery. Satin caps and hats, with short white feathers are generally worn. Small morning or walking hats, trimmed with silk frivolity, are an entire new and very elegant article. Mantles and pelisses of various forms are still much worn for morning dresses. White is again become the favourite colour, and great variety is displayed in the materials and form. Flowers are now beginning to appear again in morning and evening caps. The most fashionable style of wearing the hair is in ringlets à la Ninon; the shoes are embroidered in gold or silver for dress, and for undress in silk, chenille, or ribbon.

We have the pleasure to inform our fair readers, that the fashions for the present month have been again furnished by Madame Lanchester, whose taste and elegance stabd so high in the estimation of the fashionable world.

Gentlemen Fashion

In gentlemen’s dress there is little variation since our last number.

General Observations

February 1809

The prevailing colours for mantles and pelisses are gold, orange, and Bishop’s blue; for ball and full dresses, satins, tissues, brocaded silks, and velvets are generally worn, trimmed with gold and silver; —Henry VIII. hats, trimmed or embroidered with beads, gold, silver or chenille, are becoming and fashionable; feathers of various colours to correspond are likewise much worn. For morning dresses, bombazeens are coming into fashion; the prevailing colour, dark, purple, or Bishop’s blue.

Madame Lanchester (St. James’s street) has furnished the designs of the fashion with her usual taste.

FASHION FOR GENTLEMEN

The prevailing colours are dark brown and bottle green. The coat for evening dress is cut rather long in the waist, and short in the skirts, double breasted, with pointed lappels, corresponding in length to the hip button; the lapels are padded to fall back with the collar, which is made pretty high and stitched narrow, the collar to fall back about an inch and half; deep pockets under the cross flaps; the cuffs round.

The morning dress is made in nearly the same manner, only the pockets are in the plaits of the skirt, and the cuffs are either round or with a flap and three buttons.

The buttons are either gilt basket, or moulds covered with cloth.

Waistcoats are made single breasted, with a small flap about two inches lower than the coat lapel. Breeches are not made so high by two or three inches as they were, and kneel-band extends almost to the calf of the leg, with four buttons at the knee; they are made very tight: and pantaloons are pretty generally ornamented up the sides with brade.

General Observation

January 1809

Nacaratt royal purple and gold are the most prevailing colours for pelisses and mantles, which are made of various materials, cloth, velvet, brocade, sarsenet, and satin, according to the fancy of the wearer. Head ornaments —Spanish hats, and caps decorated with feathers, flowers, pearls, or diamonds, according as the occasion requires. Morning dress, cloth, sarsenet, Brussels spotted muslin, trimmed with embroidery, Evening dress, satin, velvet, brocade, sarsenet, with gold or silver ornaments, and trimmings.

It is almost unnecessary to add, that the design and description of the ladies’ fashions in this month, are under the direction of Madame Lanchester, whose taste in the department of ladies’ dress and female ornaments, is well known as to render any eulogium unnecessary.