Mens Fashion in the Victorian Era 1860- 1900's

"A well dressed man does not require so much an extensive as a varied wardrobe. He wants a different costume for every season and every occasion; but if what he selects is simple rather than striking, he may appear in the same clothes as often as he likes, as long as they are fresh and appropriate to the season and the object.

There are four kinds of coats which he must have: a business coat, a frock coat, a dress-coat and an overcoat. A well dressed man may do well with four of the first, and one each of the others per annum. An economical man may get by with less."

"The dress of a gentleman should be such as not to excite any special observation, unless it be for neatness and propriety. The utmost care should be exercised to avoid even the appearance of desiring to attract attention by the peculiar formation of any article of attire, or by the display of an immoderate quantity of jewelry, both being a positive evidence of vulgarity. His dress should be studiously neat, leaving no other impression than that of a well dressed gentleman."

Martine's Handbook of Etiquette, 1866

"Don't dress like a 'dude' or a 'swell'; nor carry a little poodle dog (a man's glory is his strength and manliness--not in aping silly girls), nor cock your hat on one side, nor tip it back on your head (let it sit straight and square), nor wear anything conspicuous or that will make you offensive to others"

Modern Manners and Social Forms, 1889

"The native independence of American character regards with disdain many of the stringent social laws which are recognized in England and on the continent. Thus, the dress which many of our countrymen adopt...would subject them to serious annoyance abroad."

"Martine's Handbook" 1866

"It was at one time the fashion to affect a certain negligence, which was called poetic, and supposed to be the result of genius. An ill-tied, if not positively untied cravat was a sure sign of an unbridled imagination; and a waistcoat was held together by one button only, as if the swelling soul in the wearer's bosom had burst all the rest. If in addition to this the hair was unbrushed and curly, you were certain of passing for a "man of soul". I should not recommend any young gentleman to adopt this style, unless he can mouth a great deal, and has a good stock of quotations of the poets. It is of no use to show me the clouds, unless I can see you in them, and no amount of negligence in your dress and person will convince me you are a genius, unless you can produce an octavo volume of poems published by yourself"

The Habits of Good Society, 1859

The frock coat was single or double breasted, usually black, bottom hem above the knee, and distinguished by a squared shape at the bottom front. Its companion, the morning coat was single breasted and has a rounded, swallow tail shape. Both were refered to as "morning" dress, to distinguish them from evening dress. Both were worn with contrasting pants and top hats. In the South and West however, top hats were often replaced by broad brimmed, low crowned hats for everyday frock suit wear. Garish colorful vests, often of patterned Chinese silk, were still common with frock suits through the early '60s, but were replaced by black, white or gray by the '70s. The same applied to ties. Colorful cravats were often seen with Frocks in the '60s, but by the '70s most, but not all, had been replaced by small black bow ties.

The entire frock suit ensemble, with top hat, 1860-1870

"The morning dress for gentlemen is a black frock coat, or a black cut-away, white or black vest, according to the season, gray or colored pants, plaid or stripes according to the fashion, a high silk stove pipe hat, and a black scarf or necktie. A black frock coat with black pants is not considered a good combination.. The morning dress is suitable for garden parties, Sundays, social teas, informal calls, morning calls and receptions."

"Our Deportment" 1879

The sack suit, or business suit, (or, in Britain, the "lounge suit") was leisure wear for men who might wear a frock coat, and the best clothes of vast majority of American men. A banker would wear a sack suit to a picnic, and a cowboy or farmer would wear it to church.

It first came into fashion in the 1850s as a very large, baggy garment, and then became more fitted in the '60s and beyond. It evolved into the modern three piece suit.

Its popularity was assured by the fact that it could be purchased, ready made, at prices working men could afford

A summer sack suit, of white linen or lightweight wool, with a straw hat. Linen sack suits tended to be baggier than wool ones. (1880)

Note that one often sees straw hats worn with dark, winter weight wool suits as well, as the 19th Century gentleman's only concession to summer heat.

Click on the image for a larger view

The most common colors were black or gray, and the pieces usually, but not always, matched. They could be almost any color though, and plaid was particularly popular.

The coat usually had four buttons, the top one of which was generally buttoned--the rest left undone.

The gentleman on the left is breaking the rule of matching trousers and upper garments, and is in fact wearing the striped gray tousers which one is supposed to wear with a morning or frock suit. Since he is also wearing a white tie, he may be a member of a wedding party, and this is his way of "dressing up" his ordinary sack suit, or maybe he is a just an American and doesn't worry too much about "the rules".

Note the splendid tall crowned bowler hat (typical of the late '70s and 1880s), the watch chain attached to one of the top vest buttons, the vest cut straight across the waist, and the bone, wood or gutta-percha (gavinized rubber) buttons. On frock or morning coats, the buttons were usually covered in silk or other fabric, while they were usually uncovered on sack suits.

n the early 1880s, a compromise was made between the, by then, rigid formality of the Frock Suit and the laid back informality of the Sack Suit. The result was the Morning Suit.

This suit retained the gray, striped trousers and black vest and coat of the Frock Suit, but softened the lines a bit by rounding the bottom hem of the coat and shrinking the lapels.

Further, unlike the frock suit for which a top hat was essential (at least in town), the Morning Suit allowed a certain amount of latitude in headgear, with top hats for business and formal calls, and a tall crowned bowler for less dressy occasions. There was also more latitude with neck wear than with a Frock Suit, with Windsor ties more common than bow ties.

The Morning Suit could be worn at weddings, funerals, calls of ceremony, teas and other daytime formal occasions. It could also be worn for business, but the Frock Coat still reigned supreme with the management in the office. The Sack Suit or Morning Suit was suitable for more junior staff and clerks.

Gentleman's evening wear changed hardly at all from around 1860 until the 1920s. It was a unvarying uniform of black tail coat, white bow tie, black or white vest (there seems to have been some personal latitude in selecting a vest--black being the most common) and black trousers, with a white, heavily starched shirt. The only thing that changed was the collar, which became tall and stiff around 1890.

Outdoors, evening wear would be worn with a silk top hat and a black cape or overcoat.

White gloves were an essential accessory, especially when dancing, as touching a lady with bare hands was not only a bit crude, but one's sweat could soil her gown.

Note the watch fob on this natty gent from the early 1900s

"A gentleman retains his 'walking' or 'morning' attire until six or seven o'clock when he dresses for the evening"

"Everybody's Book" 1893

"The evening or full dress suit for gentlemen is a black dress-suit--a 'swallow tail' coat, the vest cut low, the cravat white, and kid gloves of the palest hue or white. The shirt front should be white and plain; the studs and cuff buttons simple. Especial attention should be given to the hair, which should be neither short nor long. It is better to err on the too short side, as too long hair savors of affectation, destroys the shape of the physiognomy, and has a touch of vulgarity about it. Evening dress is the same for a large dinner party, a ball or an opera. In some circles, however, evening dress is considered to be an affectation, and it is well to do as others do. On Sunday, morning dress is worn, and on that day of the week no gentleman is expected to appear in evening dress, either at church, at home or away from home. Gloves are dispensed with at dinner parties, and pale colors [of gloves] are preferred to white for evening wear."

"Our Deportment" 1882

This man is from around 1870. Note the soft collar and watchchain.

"When a gentleman is invited out for the evening, he is under no embarrassment as to what he shall wear. He has not to sit down and consider whether he shall wear blue or pink, or whether the Joneses will notice if he wear the same attire three times running. Fashion has ordained for him that he shall always be attired in a black dress suit in the evening, only allowing him a white waistcoat as an occasional relief to his toilette. His necktie must be white or light colored. An excess of jewelry is to be avoided but he may wear gold or diamond studs, and a watch chain. He may also wear a flower in his buttonhole, for this is one of the few allowable devices by which he may brighten his attire.

Plain and simple as the dress is, it is a sure test of a gentlemanly appearance. The man who dines in evening dress every night of his life looks easy and natural in it, whereas the man who takes to it late in life generally succeeds in looking like a waiter."

The Ball Room Guide. 1860

The vast majority of American men did not even wear sack suits for every day attire.

Farmers, laborers, ranchers, factory workers and such usually wore a outfit of sturdy wool, corduroy or denim trousers, a wool flannel, linen or cotton pull over shirt, a hat and sturdy shoes. Suspenders were commonly worn, though they were unpopular with men who had to bend or squat a lot, like sailors, cowboys or miners. Trousers did not have belt loops until the 20th Century.

Well dressed men in outdoor clothes: 1890s. The center fellow has a style of peaked cap that was popular with working men, as well as sportsmen. Click on image for a larger view.

The daily wear of working men also frequently made use of second hand or worn out pieces of sack, frock or morning suits. Vests were also frequently worn.

The man on the left in the picture on the right is wearing a cotton duck or denim bib apron, a common garment with blacksmiths or others doing particularly dirty work.

The substantial fellow next to him is typical of a western farmer or rancher, in his colorful shirt (red, blue or checked were the most common), smashed hat and (it would appear), neckerchief. His trousers may have been black dress pants in a former life.

Sheriff Jim Thomson of Los Angeles and his wife Manuela around 1863. The colorful shawl collared, patterned vest, worn with a black frock coat and light trousers is very typical of America in the 1860s. While he could wear a top hat with this, top hats were unpopular in the west, and a broad brimmed, low crowned hat is more likely.

The Vest

The vest was an essential part of a gentleman's wardrobe in the 19th Century. It was only ever dispensed with by men doing hard manual labor--though they often sported one as well.

In the 1860s, colorful vests, often of patterned Chinese silk were popular, especially in the South and the West. They are now associated with gamblers, but they had a wider appeal in their time. Gamblers were the last to give them up.

From the 1870s on, vests tended to be black or white for wear with frock coats, morning coats or evening dress coats, which of course, were also black by that time. When worn with a sack suit, they would be of a color to match the suit. Evening vests were cut low to show off the shirt. In the 1860s, the day vest was also often fairly low cut with a broad shawl collar. From the 1870s, the day vest would tend to be fairly high cut and have a small, notched lapel.

Another frock suit from the 1860s. Note his unbuttoned vest. This was a highly fashionable thing to do in the '60s. Note also his small tie. His vest is plain black wool. Click on the picture for a larger image.

There are a few points of difference between 20th Century vests and 19th Century vests. 19th Century vests usually (though not always) had lapels, either in a shawl or notched style. They also nearly always had a lower hem that was parallel to the ground, rather than the modern vest which tapers downward in front.

A sailor style square knot tie.(1870) He is wearing it with a soft unstarched falling collar. This style was very common from the 1850s to the 1880s, when stiffer collars became the norm.

The 19th Century American man had a considerable choice of necktie styles--and many working class types did without them entirely.

By far the most common was the small, black, tidy bow tie, but various forms of cravat, from the Windsor, to the Ascot, found their way onto American throats.

He also wore a wide variety of collars: some removable, some attached, some starched, some soft and some hardly there at all.

 

The Windsor tie, introduced around 1860, and popular in the US from about 1880. The tie pin is a common addition. Note also the banded collar. Click on the image for a larger view.

The man on the left is wearing the ever popular black bow tie, made from a black silk ribbon, about an inch high and a yard long (click on the image at left for a larger view). The fellow on the right has no tie, but his collar is closed with a stud.

This fine looking young man from the 1890s is wearing a Windsor tie, in patterned silk, tucked in after a fashion that seems to have been popular in the US (I have seen several examples of it).

His collar is the winged style often called "Patricide", based on a fictitious story that a young man returned from university wearing the new style starched collar (new in the 1850s). When his father embraced him, the points on the collar cut his father's throat.

This, of course, never happened but the story was enough to name the collar. This style was frequently worn with frock suits, morning suits and evening wear (he seems to be wearing a morning suit). It was seldom worn with sack suits.

Stiff collars were usually removable, so they could be washed and starched apart from the shirt, and thrown away when they became worn, while the shirt could remain in service for years to come.

Removable collars were usually made of linen. Cheap paper and then celluloid collars came on the market at the end of the 19th Century.

The Shirt

This is a men's dress shirt with a small standing collar. It is typical of men's shirts of the second half of the 19th Century.

It is a pull over, with three small bone buttons. It is long, and comes down to the wearer's knees.

The cuffs close with cufflinks.

It is cut full, though not so full as shirts of the 18th Century. It is made of white cotton.