Gorgeous Men in Tight Breeches and Ruffled Shirts II

What's Wrong With This Picture/Excerpt?

In Part I, we discussed Regency men's clothes. Although the era saw the birth of modern menswear, Regency clothing is not exactly the same. Errors abound in many romances. In this post we'll discuss three common errors in the portrayal of the Regency gentleman’s wardrobe.

What's wrong with Gorgeous Gentleman #1's clothes? The problem is his shirt. Men's shirts didn't button all the way down the front until the end of the nineteenth century. The front was open to about halfway down the chest, much like a present-day man's polo shirt. There may or may not have been one or two buttons to keep the collar closed. And a gentleman always wore a cravat to keep his shirt top closed.

The only way GG#1 could show off that great set of washboard abs in a historically correct shirt was to pull the shirt over his head. Or, the heroine could tear it off him in a fit of passion--the modern version of the bodice ripper.

The shirt GG #2 is wearing is correct. But what's wrong here? His shirt is correct, and our hero even has ruffles at his cuffs (oh, I do like ruffles on a man!). The answer--GG #2 is wearing a belt. Regency men held up their breeches (generic term for what they wore on their lower bodies) with braces, also called suspenders.

My third example is a passage from Miss Lockharte's Letters by Barbara Metzger:

"And I saw you trying to corner her in the choir loft. If you ever managed to keep your pants buttoned, we wouldn't be in half this mess."

The error here? The word "pants" is an Americanism, first found in the works of Edgar Allan Poe, around 1840, according to dictionary.com. An Englishman would refer to the garment as "trousers". And if he were in the presence of a lady, he would call them his "unmentionables", if he referred to them at all.

I found lots of pictures of gorgeous gentlemen as I searched for images for this post. But I hit the jackpot with GG#2. Unlike some writers, I don't use a picture of an actor or model as inspiration for my hero. But when I saw GG#2, I knew I had found Richard, the hero of Lady of the Stars, my Regency time travel and 2010 EPIC EBook competition finalist.

GG#2's hair is a little too long, he's wearing that belt, and he would never appear before a lady without a cravat, waistcoat and coat (jacket). I like to think he's in his bedchamber, early the morning after he met Caroline, the heroine. He's thinking about her, and already falling in love.

And here's our Happily Ever After.

Thank you all,
Linda

Gentlemen's Gloves

Gloves were as much a fashion statement as shoes or a hat, and just as functional, as well. To the best of my knowledge the gentlemen wore white gloves while inside a house. These were not the same gloves they wore against the cold, just outside, or when riding /driving, they were softer, lighter and white.

In this picture, the two gentlemen are wearing gloves,and one has the right one off, possibly to shake a hand. They are clearly dressed to the nines so they are possibly on their way to make a call or to attend a soiree.

How long they kept them on is a different story. They did not wear gloves when dining or when playing cards, of course. The etiquette about man's gloves was slightly different than that concerning women's gloves so there might be more times when they could go about without their gloves. For instance, gentlemen usually took off their gloves when they made a social call (they would be wearing outdoor gloves, and would leave them with their hat -- or hold them with their hat) while women would keep on their gloves unless eating or drinking tea. I think men were supposed to take off their glove to shake hands but women kept theirs on. Still, gloves were part of the man's evening and daytime attire. Of course, men and women both wore gloves when ever they went out of the house.


In this picture, the gentleman is dressed to go riding or hunting and has on the appropriate heavier leather gloves.

When a man came calling, his right hand glove always had to be removed because the gloved hand was never given to a lady, with the exception of dance. So when a gentleman arrived in a drawing room, he held his hat and single right hand glove in his left hand and would greet the lady with his right, ungloved hand. The whole idea of wearing only one glove and holding onto the hat is based upon the fact that it was a privilege to call upon a lady and unless she permitted him to place his hat and gloves aside, he was ready to leave in a moment's notice upon her request without being rude. Of course there were some jokes about that as well. That the hat was safer in one's hand depended upon who you were calling ;-)

Once the hostess invited the man to stay, both gloves were removed and the hat set down. On all other occasions, it appears that when in public (dancing, balls, opera), gloves were almost always worn by a man, except during dining.

Gloves bespoke of a man's wealth and character and were specifically tailored to a person's hand. So if there unusually large in appearance and did not fit well, people took note that a.) they were borrowed (heaven forbid!) or b.) funds were low (mothers beware!)

Gentlemen were expected to take their hats in with them into the drawing room and not to leave them on tables or benches in the foyer or hallway. Also says the man should put his hat under his chair with his gloves in it (one assumes the hostess has had the floors well dusted, swept.)

Gorgeous Men in Tight Breeches and Ruffled Shirts

Today we'll talk about men's clothes in the Regency era, which occurred about two hundred years ago in England. This post is a primer on the subject, because I'm no expert. But in order for my stories to ring true, I must know how to dress--and undress--my hero.

Our modern world began to take shape in the Regency. Many facets of the era are recognizable to our eyes, including men's clothes.

Here’s a list the Regency gentleman's wardrobe, and the modern equivalent, as close as I can find: (I apologize for the ragged table, but blogger is not cooperating.)

Modern--Regency

jacket--coat

shirt--shirt

undershirt--no equivalent

vest--waistcoat

suspenders--braces

tie--cravat

belt--no equivalent

boxer shorts--drawers

trousers--breeches, pantaloons, trousers (the Regency gentleman had 3 lengths)

socks--stockings (not quite the same)

boots--boots

shoes--shoes

Fabrics of choice were wool and linen because they were produced in the British Isles. Imported fabrics, like silk, and our everyday workhorse material, cotton, were luxury items and used mainly by the rich.

Here's a description of male attire from my Regency time travel, Lady of the Stars. The twenty-first century heroine, Caroline, gets her first good look at the Regency hero, Richard:

Good heavens, the aggravating man was gorgeous. Tall and slim, his broad shoulders tapered to narrow hips and long legs. But where had he found that outlandish outfit? He wore a top hat, out here in the middle of nowhere. His shirt collar was turned up and he wore a huge white tie. And his waist-length, double-breasted jacket had tails, like the one an orchestra conductor wore. Muddy black boots with the tops turned down came up to his knees. Skintight trousers, or were those breeches--of all things?--emphasized every well-formed muscle.

This passage illustrates another aspect of Regency men's clothes: they were tight. A man's coat often fit so closely he needed help putting it on, and then he might be unable to lift his arms as high as his shoulders. Form-fitting breeches literally left little to the imagination. Then, as now, such clothes could look good only on men with the best physiques, like romance novel heroes.

The Regency hero--a handsome man with a great physique and gorgeous clothes. What a fantasy.

Thank you all,
Linda