Coat

It was in the second half of the seventeenth century in Western Europe that the coat began to replace the fitting tunics and jackets which had been customary men’s wear for centuries. This coat, the justaucorps [also justacorps], emanated from France in the years 1665-70. At first it was a loose garment, reaching nearly to the knees and worn flared, its front edges turned back and decorated. Sleeves were fairly short, ending in deep cuffs. By 1680 the justaucorps had settled into its more traditional style. It was knee-length and was buttoned at the waist where it snugly fitted the figure. Buttons and buttonholes, generally decorated by gold or silver braid and embroidered, extended the full length of the coat. There was no collar – this would only have impeded the fall of the curled periwig. Sleeves, now full-length, ended in immense turned-back cuffs which, like the pocket flaps, were decorated with buttons and embroidery. Often a rich sword baldric was slung around the body; also, deep waist sashes were fashionable. Towards 1700 the justaucorps became more waisted and the skirt fuller and flared. Fabrics were still rich – brocade, velvet, silk – and decoration equally so.

With the advent of the eighteenth century the habit à la française became the accepted attire for gentlemen all over Europe. This was a suit comprising coat, waistcoat and breeches. The same three garments were worn during the whole century, and though the silhouette changed slowly, almost imperceptibly, the process was continuous. The trend was towards a more slender, plainer and dignified streamlined effect. Fabrics became darker and less richly ornamented and there was a tendency towards making the coat and breeches of one material. The coat, the justaucorps of the previous century, kept its flared skirts until about 1720. After this, the skirt fullness was arranged in a fan of pleats radiating from each hip seam, where a button was sewn at the head of the pleat – a fashion which survives in the tail coat. This fan-like spreading at the hip was the masculine interpretation of the feminine panier skirt. To maintain the desired shape, whalebone was inserted into the coat seams and buckram into the linings for stiffening. Until 1760 the coat remained full. It was made of rich fabrics in bright colors and was decorated by gold frogging and passementerie or colored embroidery. Such ornamentation was centered on the pocket-flaps, the immense cuffs and the center buttoning. After about 1760, the coat skirt lost its fullness; it was worn open and the front skirt edges sloped to the rear. Sleeves became narrower and cuffs and pocket-flaps smaller. The skirt tails became shorter. A small collar and revers had developed since the wig was now tied neatly back away from the neck. Ornamentation was restrained and fabrics were often of wool rather than silk or satin, though velvet was still popular. Striped meterials were fashionable. The simpler, English styles strongly influenced French male fashion in the 1780s. An example is the frac(fraque), the French version of the frock coat. This was a less formal garment than the habit and was quite plain; it had no pockets or cuffs and a flat collar. In the last decade of the century the coat was very slenderly cut and was restrained in design and material. It was worn open and had neat cutaway tails which now reached the knees at the back. Collars and revers were larger and the collar stood up at the back of he neck. (Encyclopedia Of World Costume, Coat)

For three quarters of the eighteenth century there was no essential change in the male mode established in the middle years of the reign of Louis XIV. Male dress consisted of coat, waistcoat and breeches. The coat was close-fitting to the waist and then flared out in skirts of varying length. It had three vents, one at the back and one at each side, the last two being pleated. The coat was either collarless or was provided with a narrow, upright band. There was a row of buttons down the front of the coat, but most of these were left unfastened. The sleeves were of great importance, and it is often possible to date clothes by the gradual diminution in the size of the cuffs as the century progressed. At first they were extremely large, being turned back and buttoned either just below or just above the elbow. Beneath the cuff showed the ruffle of the shirt, the lace used matching the lace of the shirt front. (Laver 134-5)