Men's Clothing and Accessories
Noblemen and Gentlemen wore suits. Suit coat, pants or breeches, stockings and waistcoat were part of their everyday apparel. Below are pictures of some of the styles that inspired me as I thought about not only my main male character, but minor male characters also. Of course, the more wealthy you were would determine the quality and extravagance of the clothes. Although I didn't address it in my story, some of the very rich would even have jewels sewn into their clothing.
The Poor Working Man would have had similar styles, but they would have been more likely to leave off a suit coat and gone without or worn a heavier coat. The materials would have been coarser and probably homemade. They also would have worn more neutral colors, because that would have cost less. Just by reason of working and living a harder lifestyle, their clothes would have become worn out sooner.
Cravats and Shoes
The cravat was an early form of a tie. These could be worn in different colors, but white seemed to be the most commonly worn. Also, the cravat could be tied in a variety of ways from fancy to plain. Here are some examples of the cravat.
I personally think that look is pretty attractive, maybe it'll come back in style one of these days...
Here are some shoes that would have been worn. I'm not really looking for these to come back. They speak for themselves.
Hats, Wigs and Hairstyles
During this time many men wore wigs from the poor to the rich. Just like the clothes, they could be extravagant or simple. Hats were worn as part of their outfits. The gaps were wide between the wealthy and poor. Each part of the dress, could be an indicator of what class a person belonged to. Hairstyles were worn short or long. Many would keep their hair short though since they wore wigs.
Poor Boy's Clothing (the street urchin)
Most of the clothing during this time period for children, simply looked like small adult clothing. I didn't have any wealthy children in my story, so I didn't spend my time there, but I do have some adults and children servants I'll plan to talk about in another post. Here are a few examples of what the poor boys of the time may have dressed like.
If I'm thinking of the poor children in England's past, my mind goes to Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Who remembers the pitiful children of that story, especially Oliver?
So, there you have it. I know I had more pictures this week and didn't write as much, but a picture is worth a....ooops a writer can't say that! 😉
Anyway, come back again next week, where I plan on looking at some of the servant's inspirations for my story. If you are enjoying this series, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
Come visit my website, I've been making some updates. You'll also learn about our Read & Review for this month. It's not too late to start. Hint: You don't have to buy a book this time.
So glad you came! May God bless you and yours this week with faith, hope and love.
In Christ,
Sandy
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Certainly enjoyed reading about the clothing during the era of your book. Also, the pictures were self-explanatory and very helpful to view. This series has been enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are enjoying it. It's been fun for me, too. Like doing my research again. I like to keep it all fresh on my mind as I am editing.
DeleteReading all these six "inspirations" showed me how much dedication and work you put into writing your novel. It's very encouraging!
ReplyDeleteA tremendous amount of work goes into a book. I didn't realize how much until I started the process myself. It gives me a whole new respect for Authors, that's for sure!
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