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Collections

Man's Suit (Jacket and Trousers)1860-1870

Not on view
Mannequin wearing a two-piece tartan suit in navy, hunter green, and aqua plaid, shown from behind; jacket features a box-pleated peplum at the waist
Tailored wool tartan jacket in navy, green, and dark blue plaid, displayed from the back on a mannequin with a white sculpted wig; fitted cut with pleated back vent and small buttons at the waist.
Wool tartan jacket in navy, dark green, and teal plaid, displayed from the back on a white mannequin with a ruffled white cap; fitted cut with box pleats at the lower back and two buttoned pockets at the hips.
Title
Man's Suit (Jacket and Trousers)
Place Made
England
Date Made
1860-1870
Medium
Jacket: Wool twill; Trousers: Wool twill, silk plain weave
Dimensions
Center back length (Jacket): 34 3/8 in. (87.31 cm) Inseam (Trousers): 32 1/8 in. (81.6 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Michael and Ellen Michelson
Accession Number
M.2010.33.9a-b
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

An informal alternative to the frock coat, the short lounge jacket, introduced around 1855, had no front waist seam, skirt, or tails. Its comfortable, loose fit did not require custom tailoring. In England, it generally was worn with a bowler (originally designed for riding horses) instead of a top hat. This coat, a transitional example, retains the waist seam and vent in back; however, the flamboyant tartan defies the growing uniformity of men’s fashion.

Selected Bibliography
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne, 1700-1915. Paris: Arts Décoratifs; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books-Prestel, 2013.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books/Prestel, 2010.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Europäische Moden, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Prestel, 2012.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako, Kaye Durland Spilker, and Clarrisa M. Esguerra. Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2016.
  • Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Suit: A Guide to Changing Men's Fashion from the 17th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020.