1900’s fine wool felt men’s tailcoat
From a cupboard of the château across the road from my current house comes this beautiful 1900-1910’s tailcoat. Called a ‘queue-de-pie’ in French, meaning a magpie’s tail, this is made from an exquisite fine wool felt, lined in black silk and striped cotton. The collar and sides have a detail of candy-striped black and white trim which just peeks above the collar and from the bottom of the sides. The cut is amazing, a perfectly-set sleeve with just a touch of shoulder-rise, the back tail is beautifully cut, the whole offset with silk-covered buttons. I have had this dry-cleaned because it has been sitting for over a hundred years in a dusty cupboard and I need to be sure of its state (and not send the buyer any clothes-moths - but there are none!)
Please excuse the photos, it is almost impossible in my little studio to keep this fine jet-black garment free of the lint that is the inevitable result of working with textiles, no matter how much I vacuum and dust!
This is almost perfect - the body and lining have no sign of wear or holes that I can find. But the candy-stripe trim at the neck and sides is showing graze-marks from wear. This does not affect the look from the outside - it is just something to note. There are two interior pockets.
This style of coat was cut to fit extremely close to the torso, and would have probably been paired with a corset (yes, men wore corsets) or at the very least a very tight-fitting high cummerbund, plus a heavily starched to the point of cardboard rigidity dress-shirt. It wasn’t meant to be particularly comfortable when done up, and in fact it will not do up over the front of my female mannequin. For a size comparison, I am about a French 40-42, with quite wide shoulders, and this is just a touch too small for me in the arms when it is left open. I have no hope of ever getting it closed though!
Here are the measurements as best as I can give. Please note that the arms are shaped slightly.
Done up, lying flat, measurement taken from one armpit to another: 47cm
Along the back of neck from shoulder seam to seam: 40cm
From the top of the shoulder at the shoulder seam to the edge of the cuff along the arm: 59cm
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.
From a cupboard of the château across the road from my current house comes this beautiful 1900-1910’s tailcoat. Called a ‘queue-de-pie’ in French, meaning a magpie’s tail, this is made from an exquisite fine wool felt, lined in black silk and striped cotton. The collar and sides have a detail of candy-striped black and white trim which just peeks above the collar and from the bottom of the sides. The cut is amazing, a perfectly-set sleeve with just a touch of shoulder-rise, the back tail is beautifully cut, the whole offset with silk-covered buttons. I have had this dry-cleaned because it has been sitting for over a hundred years in a dusty cupboard and I need to be sure of its state (and not send the buyer any clothes-moths - but there are none!)
Please excuse the photos, it is almost impossible in my little studio to keep this fine jet-black garment free of the lint that is the inevitable result of working with textiles, no matter how much I vacuum and dust!
This is almost perfect - the body and lining have no sign of wear or holes that I can find. But the candy-stripe trim at the neck and sides is showing graze-marks from wear. This does not affect the look from the outside - it is just something to note. There are two interior pockets.
This style of coat was cut to fit extremely close to the torso, and would have probably been paired with a corset (yes, men wore corsets) or at the very least a very tight-fitting high cummerbund, plus a heavily starched to the point of cardboard rigidity dress-shirt. It wasn’t meant to be particularly comfortable when done up, and in fact it will not do up over the front of my female mannequin. For a size comparison, I am about a French 40-42, with quite wide shoulders, and this is just a touch too small for me in the arms when it is left open. I have no hope of ever getting it closed though!
Here are the measurements as best as I can give. Please note that the arms are shaped slightly.
Done up, lying flat, measurement taken from one armpit to another: 47cm
Along the back of neck from shoulder seam to seam: 40cm
From the top of the shoulder at the shoulder seam to the edge of the cuff along the arm: 59cm
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.
From a cupboard of the château across the road from my current house comes this beautiful 1900-1910’s tailcoat. Called a ‘queue-de-pie’ in French, meaning a magpie’s tail, this is made from an exquisite fine wool felt, lined in black silk and striped cotton. The collar and sides have a detail of candy-striped black and white trim which just peeks above the collar and from the bottom of the sides. The cut is amazing, a perfectly-set sleeve with just a touch of shoulder-rise, the back tail is beautifully cut, the whole offset with silk-covered buttons. I have had this dry-cleaned because it has been sitting for over a hundred years in a dusty cupboard and I need to be sure of its state (and not send the buyer any clothes-moths - but there are none!)
Please excuse the photos, it is almost impossible in my little studio to keep this fine jet-black garment free of the lint that is the inevitable result of working with textiles, no matter how much I vacuum and dust!
This is almost perfect - the body and lining have no sign of wear or holes that I can find. But the candy-stripe trim at the neck and sides is showing graze-marks from wear. This does not affect the look from the outside - it is just something to note. There are two interior pockets.
This style of coat was cut to fit extremely close to the torso, and would have probably been paired with a corset (yes, men wore corsets) or at the very least a very tight-fitting high cummerbund, plus a heavily starched to the point of cardboard rigidity dress-shirt. It wasn’t meant to be particularly comfortable when done up, and in fact it will not do up over the front of my female mannequin. For a size comparison, I am about a French 40-42, with quite wide shoulders, and this is just a touch too small for me in the arms when it is left open. I have no hope of ever getting it closed though!
Here are the measurements as best as I can give. Please note that the arms are shaped slightly.
Done up, lying flat, measurement taken from one armpit to another: 47cm
Along the back of neck from shoulder seam to seam: 40cm
From the top of the shoulder at the shoulder seam to the edge of the cuff along the arm: 59cm
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.