Fashion Plate, 1828

Rapidly changing styles created a need for fashion plates as people needed new ways to keep up with the latest in fashion. In the late 1700s and into the 1800s, “fashion plates showed ladies and their dressmakers what fashionable society was wearing in London and Paris” (Ingham, n.d.). During this time, as fashion styles were constantly changing, fashion plates increasingly served as a makeshift news source for what fashion was in style, and provided inspiration for these fashion trends.

Consumers were able to easily envision themselves in the outfits that were featured as the models all looked very similar besides their outfit and hair (Fay, 2010). Descriptions accompanied these images to help customers copy the outfits accurately. Artists created each of the drawings, which were then engraved, printed, and hand-colored, a time consuming and labor intensive process (Ingham, n.d.). The plates were then bound into a magazine, creating the final product.

Specific fashion plates now offer us a way to study and understand fashion during various time periods and show how individuals were wearing different items. This fashion plate is probably taken from the magazine Journal des dames et des modes, which was published between 1797 and 1839. The year is identified as 1828.

The description written in French just below the image states “Longchamp. - Chapeau de castor. Redingote de drap. Gilet de poil de chêvre à boutons d'or. Pantalon de velours à côtes. Cravate de satin.” This can be roughly translated to “Beaver hat. Cloth frock coat. Goat hair vest with gold buttons. Ribbed velvet pants. Satin tie.” The garments depicted fit other documented descriptions of men’s dress during the Romantic period in France and England which took place from 1825 to 1850. This particular fashion plate can also be seen in the digital collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Men’s wear 1790-1829, plate 017, n.d.).

In the early 1800s, the silhouette was a key aspect of changes in fashion and apparel (Franklin, 2020). The frock coat, featuring a tight waistline seam and knee-length skirt, became increasingly fashionable for informal daytime events following its introduction in the mid-1810s. During the 1820s and 1830s, the male silhouette evolved into an even more defined shape, occasionally enhanced by corseting and padding. The 1820s frock coat showcased a significantly fuller sleeve cap, a wider skirt, and a cinched waist. Trousers also adopted a fuller style compared to the preceding decades (1826 Frock coat, n.d.).

Trousers were also becoming popular, as opposed to the previously dominant pantaloons. Typically, these had a narrow fit and were shoe-length, continuing to show how the silhouette was evolving. In addition to this change, men usually wore light colored trousers with a dark colored coat (Franklin, 2020). This preference in color would have been reflected in fashion plates suh as this one, providing further inspiration for menswear.

Neckwear was a very important element of men’s dress at this time, typically being either a cravat or a stock. In the fashion plate being discussed, the man appears to be wearing a bow-tied cravat. To finish off the look, top hats were also commonplace, varying in color and shape, but remaining a staple in men's fashion (Franklin, 2020). Other accessories include an impossibly delicate cane or wlaking stick, what appears to be a monocle on a ribbon around the neck, and a ribbon peaking out from under the waistcoat, most likely a watch fob. 

References

1826 Frock coat. Fashion and decor: A cultural history. (n.d.). https://mediakron.bc.edu/fashiondecor/silhouettes-romantic-men/1826-fashion-plate.

Fay, E. A. (2010). Fashioning faces: The Portraitive Mode in British Romanticism. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jMjZ0pSaTEsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA191&dq=fashi on%2Bplates%2Bromantic%2Bperiod&ots=OfIedsuZu-&sig=hMjAhAcLCuBE0tBy0n7Pp5ec GDc#v=onepage&q=fashion%20plates%20romantic%20period&f=false.

Franklin, H. (2020, May 27). 1820-1829. Fashion History Timeline. https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1820-1829/

Ingham, E. (n.d.). Fashion plates introduction. Fashion Plates introduction - National Portrait Gallery. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/research/new-research-on-the-collection/fashionplates/fashio n-plates-introduction.

Men’s wear 1790-1829, plate 017. Thomas J. Watson Library Digital Collections. (n.d.). https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll12/id/2454/rec/44.