Fashion Plate - Men's Fashions, 1830s

Petit Courrier des Dames, probably late 1820s  

The fashion depicted here is the frock coat, termed “redingote” in France. The redingote, or riding coat, originated in England in the eighteenth century as outerwear. In this image, it is worn with a silk moiré vest, white trousers, ruffled shirt, and white cravat.

The difference between trousers and pantaloons was determined by how closely the garment fitted the leg. Trousers were looser and sometimes shorter than pantaloons. The latter employed foot straps to render the pant leg taut (Chenoune, 25).

References

Chenoune, Farid. A History of Men’s Fashion. Paris: Flammarion, 1993.