Habit à la française
The French man’s suit of embroidered coat, waistcoat and breeches, the 18th-century court dress for men.
The suit was in three parts of the same or matching cloth and was standard at the courts of Europe. The embroidery of waistcoat and coat showed rank and taste. Examples are in the Metropolitan Museum, the Royal Armoury in Stockholm and the Musée Galliera.
Materials: Silk or velvet embroidered in silk and metal thread
Manufacture: The embroidery was worked before the cloth was cut, following pattern drawings along the coat’s edges.
The embroidery along the coat fronts, pockets and cuffs.
The coat that cannot be buttoned – it shows the waistcoat.