Overview
Throughout the period, men continued to wear the coat,
waistcoat and breeches of the previous period. However, changes were seen in
both the fabric used as well as the cut of these garments. More attention was
paid to individual pieces of the suit, and each element underwent stylistic
changes. Under new enthusiasms for outdoor sports and country pursuits, the
elaborately embroidered silks and velvets characteristic of "full
dress" or formal attire earlier in the century gradually gave way to
carefully tailored woollen "undress" garments for all occasions
except the most formal. This more casual style reflected the dominating image
of "nonchalance." The goal was to look as fashionable as possible
with seemingly little effort. This was to be the new, predominant mindset of
fashion.
Coats
The skirts of the coat narrowed from the gored styles of the
previous period. Waistcoats extended to mid-thigh to the 1770s and then began
to shorten. Waistcoats could be made with or without sleeves.
As in the previous period, a loose, T-shaped silk, cotton or
linen gown called a banyan was worn at home as a sort of dressing gown over the
shirt, waistcoat, and breeches. Men of an intellectual or philosophical bent
were painted wearing banyans, with their own hair or a soft cap rather than a
wig.
A coat with a wide collar called a frock coat, derived from
a traditional working-class coat, was worn for hunting and other country
pursuits in both Britain and America.
Shirt and stock
Shirt sleeves were full, gathered at the wrist and dropped
shoulder. Full-dress shirts had ruffles of fine fabric or lace, while undress
shirts ended in plain wrist bands.[2]
Breeches, shoes, and stockings
Knee-length breeches fitted snugly and had a fall-front
opening.
Low-heeled leather shoes fastened with buckles were worn
with silk or woollen stockings. Boots were worn for riding. The buckles were
either polished metal, usually in silver—sometimes with the metal cut into
false stones in the Paris style—or with paste stones, although there were other
types. These buckles were often quite large and one of the world's largest
collections can be seen at Kenwood House.
Hairstyles and headgear
Wigs were worn for formal occasions, or the hair was worn
long and powdered, brushed back from the forehead and "clubbed" (tied
back at the nape of the neck) with a black ribbon. Wigs were generally now
short, but long wigs continued to be popular with the older generation. Wigs
were made with a lot of white powder.
Wide-brimmed hats turned up on three sides called
"cocked hats"—called tricorns in later eras—were worn in mid-century.
The macaroni
The trend of the macaroni grew out of the tradition of those
who partook of the Grand Tour. Elite men in the 18th century would travel
abroad across Europe, namely Italy, to broaden their cultural depth. These men
adopted foreign fashions and tastes and brought them back to England where they
interpreted them further. The original macaroni of the 1760s was characterized
by elaborate dress consisting of short and tight trousers, large wigs, delicate
shoes and small hats. As the general population of English males became exposed
to the luxurious appeal of the macaroni trend, they began to adopt and
replicate the trends they saw. By the 1770s, any man could appear as if they
themselves had been on the Grand Tour-based solely on their outward appearance.
The macaroni and the subsequent imitators were criticized
for being gender ambiguous and effeminate. Frequently, the macaroni fashion
trend was the subject of satirical caricatures and pamphlets. Their large
costume like wigs and short coats, which deeply contrasted the masculine
British dress of the time, were ridiculed for their frivolity and were said to
be threatening the stability of gender difference, thereby undermining the
nation's reputation. The question of farce and inauthenticity comes into play
as well because by dressing as a macaroni, one claimed the status and the means
of an elite who went on the Grand Tour.
Although many mocked the macaroni for their outwardly
eccentric characteristics, some celebrated them for their commitment to the
demonstration of personal identity. The idea of a unique character was becoming
an important concept that spanned many types of media including books and
prints as Britain wanted to distinguish itself from France.
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