Buttons on a Doublet

[JSFMACLJR]

Hello All,

Two thoughts come into my head. Firstly, JSFMACLJR, when were the Northern Meeting pictures originally painted. They are obviously the same artist, and also obviously not all painted from life on the date in question - so where did the artist get the original from? Or are we discussing a possible 'artistic impression' and not fact?

The second thing is the buttons on the 'tails' of a coatee. They were originally designed to button the tails back and out of the way while horse-riding. Some 'hunting pink' (think red) riding jackets still are made in this way. It is supposedly to do with having a good 'seat' on the horse and not sliding around on extra layers of cloth.

Getting back to point one. I wonder how much of traditional dress as we know it today, was originally dress eccentricity by a few (or maybe just one) influential people. After all, true mass production of clothing would take a hundred years from the time of the first picture.

Regards

Chas

I'm not sure when the drawings were made. I don't doubt their authenticity, though, as I can show you photographs which indicate the same button placement.

You are right to wonder about "dress eccentricity." Of course a gentlemen went to his tailor with specific thoughts. My evening waistcoats, for example, have four buttons, instead of the more commonly seen three. I personally find the 3 x 3 button placement not my favourite: that is why I asked my tailor to make this doublet up with buttons on one side, as was the standard for the "regulation style doublets" some time back. I can see the case for the 3 x 3 button placement on the PC, as it is a coat modelled after the full-dress tailcoat, but other than for the desire for more "bling" I don't quite know why the "regulation" copies this pattern nowadays.