Early Male Victorian Clothing

Queen Victoria of England was the influence for the fashions of the nineteenth century. Everybody wanted to be her, and the closest thing that anyone could reach, was to be just as fashionable and show off their wealth. Men demonstrated their wealth by covering their wives in jewels. Women always wore restricting ensembles for everything they did; men, on the other hand, had different attires for different occasions and probably were much more comfortable too.

While ladies dressed themselves in gorgeous and fancy outfits, it seemed only proper for men to show off their elegant outfits as well. According to Huronia Museum (14 November 1998), men wore a three piece suit that had to include a vest. Less formal outfits were accepted, for the most part, for fox hunts and riding horses. What were to become known as business suits and sports coats were often seen in fashionable country houses in the late 1860s (Hibbert 13).

Beau Brummel influenced the color of men's suits and changed the way men wore their attire in the early nineteenth century. He dressed in conservatively colored fitted suits instead of the flashy colored suits that were worn in the eighteenth century. The new colors of his styles were tan, green, brown, blue, gray, and black. Beau's new look spread quickly through Europe and North America (Kalman 12).

Coats and jackets were a must for the stylish Victorian male. The jacket was a wonderful way of showing elegance for the men. There were a couple of different categories of jackets and coats. There were frock coats, morning coats, box coats, waist coats, and smoking jackets. These were divided into long coats and short coats.

The frock coat was a full, lengthy jacket with flared skirts. The morning coat, with its short front and long tails in the back, was most popular for day or evening wear. The box coats looked much like the suit coats of today, with its all around shortness and lack of a waistline. The waist coat wasn't really a coat at all, but more a kind of vest. It was very useful because of its pockets. Men stashed their pocket watches and such in its two front pockets. There were also overcoats, and for those with more money, greatcoats, which were fancy and fur-lined, for colder weather (Kalman 13). Smoking jackets were also worn after dinner if a gentleman wished to enjoy a cigar with a drink at home, (although smoking was often objected to) (Hibbert 14).

Jackets could be buttoned at the chest, or only at the waist. In any case, men liked to have a slender waist as much as women did and tied wide sashes around it. Cloaks originally meant for soldiers became common, and in order to tie the cravat, which was usually white or black, with comfort, men adopted shirts with high collars (Ventura 52-53).

A suit isn't a suit without pants. In the very beginning of the nineteenth century, a popular item in the "pants" category, was the breech which was slowly becoming less fashionable. In an era where horses were prominent and the only mode of transportation, besides the increasingly popular bicycle, one wanted to look fashionable while astride his mount. Buckskin breeches which appeared between 1795 and 1815 are described by Antiques by Reflections of the Past as:

The front flap breeches have seven buckskin buttons at the front, two at the side, two at the back, and two sets of back lacings with "string" ties. There are three pockets. There are four buckskin covered buttons at the bottom of each with leather "string" ties. High waist: 28 inches, side length:31 inches, inseam: 20 inches... (Antiques 19 October 1998).

While the women of the early nineteenth century wore dainty shoes, men often wore elegant boots or shoes. They wore boots in the winter and for riding, and wore shoes otherwise.

As quoted by Kalman, "Footwear was almost always made of soft black leather. Shoes had low heels and laces replaced buckles, which were popular in the eighteenth century. Leather oxfords are one example of a late century shoe style. The most common boots were called Wellington boots, named after the British Duke of Wellington" (17). The Wellington boots strongly resemble the common English equestrian footwear of today.

To protect pants from the mud, gaiters were worn. They were often constructed of canvas that went up the leg and buttoned at the side or in the front and were strapped over the top of the shoe. Two other devices used to protect footwear from the harsh elements were clogs and pattens, which were worn by mainly the upper class. A clog was a thick sole that fit beneath a shoe and pattens were rings that raised the shoe above the mud. Working men and women wore heavy leather shoes with thick soles (Kalman 17). Around the house men wore a pair of slippers, perhaps with their smoking jackets. A pair of slippers are described by Antiques by Reflections of the Past as, "Berlinwork slippers (needlework) with chenille flowers (a raised plush work). Done in shades of purple, red, yellow, and green Berlin wools. Length:11 inches" (19 October 1998) .

Like everyone else, men had to wear underwear. Most men wore cotton underwear, known as drawers, and they also wore cotton undershirts. In the winter, men of the Victorian Age, wore long underwear called union suits. This was a one piece under garment that had a trap door in the back and came in only white or red (Kalman 15).

During the Victorian Age, doctors announced that they thought that sea water was very good for one's health. The doctors even recommended it for drinking, but they recommended it more for bathing, so began frequent trips to the beach. Up until the 1870's, men thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of bathing naked. Francis Kilvert describes the feeling as:

. . .a delicious feeling of freedom in stripping in the open air (on the sands at Weston-super-Mare) and running down naked to the sea, where the waves were curling white with foam and the red morning sunshine glowing upon the naked limbs of the bathers. (quoted in Hibbert 98)

Two years later, however, it was no longer suitable for men to swim in the ocean naked. Men were now expected to wear at least some sort of drawers, but that soon became too immodest and bathing suits were adopted (Hibbert 98). A photograph from Antiques by Reflections of the Past, (19 October 1998 ) shows suits covering a good deal of the man's body. The sleeves cover to just below the elbow and the shorts cover to just above the knee.

When people hear the word "accessorize", they most likely think of ladies with purses and jewelry. In the nineteenth century, accessories made the fashionable male, especially his hats. According to Huronia Museum, (14 November 1998) , no respectable man ever left his home without a hat. Some types of hats were the top hat, the derby hat, the homburg, and the deer-stalker hat (Kalman 18).

Top hats were the most popular accessory for the Victorian man. They were made of silk or beaver felt and came in various earth tones. They had a tall crown and a narrow brim and, around the base of the crown, a wide ribbon encircled the hat. The derby hat, also Known as the bowler hat, was popular in the 1850's and was made of felt and had a narrow brim and a round crown. The derby was popular until the end of the century when the homburg hat came into style. This hat was much like the derby except it had a dented crown. Another common hat was a hunting cap known as a deer-stalker hat, (think along the lines of Sherlock Holmes). Straw hats with ribbons were also stylish for men of the nineteenth century in the summer (Kalman 18).

Other accessories of the nineteenth century were the ties and cravats that were worn with many suits. There was also the pocket watch, which was worn with the waist coat and the ever so fashionable cane.

"Fashionable" isn't exactly a word one would use to describe some men today, but in nineteenth century Europe, that's what every man tried to achieve, while being functional as well. These men had their own trend setters and approached every aspect of their clothing and styles carefully.

This page was created by E. Wegmnann for Rich East High School, Park Forest, IL. Last revised 4/1/99.

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