Cotton waistcoat with mother-of-pearl buttons, Met, c. 1860-69

Cotton waistcoat with mother-of-pearl buttons, Met, c. 1860-69

Man’s suit (British), Met, c. 1865-70

Man’s suit (British), Met, c. 1865-70

Italian suit, Met, 1740-60

Italian suit, Met, 1740-60


French waistcoat, Met, 1760-70


Wedding Vest (Wool and Silk), Met Museum, 1879

Wedding Waistcoat, Met Museum, 1860 For all the men out there!

Wedding Waistcoat, Met Museum, 1860

For all the men out there!

Military Coat, American | Metropolitan Museum | c. 1775-1783 This example of a uniform jacket worn by an officer during the American Revolution is completely hand-made. Owned by Col. William Taylor, it shows a significant amount of wear. Color, style and number of buttons are among the features used to identify one’s military unit, or regiment, in this case Connecticut Regiment 1776.

Military Coat, American | Metropolitan Museum | c. 1775-1783

This example of a uniform jacket worn by an officer during the American Revolution is completely hand-made. Owned by Col. William Taylor, it shows a significant amount of wear. Color, style and number of buttons are among the features used to identify one’s military unit, or regiment, in this case Connecticut Regiment 1776.

Military Ensemble, American | Metropolitan Museum | c. 1776-1783 According to the donor, this ensemble was worn by Obedeak [sic] Herbert, a Continental Naval Admiral of the Revolutionary War. This form of jacket, the tail coat, persisted first, as men’s everyday wear and, later, as formal attire throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The epaulettes retain sense of delicacy and refinement as handmade objects. The silk on the underside is padded and sewn into a roll at the edge to enhance the shape of the tassels as they fall over the shoulders. The tape on the other end is meant to tie into corresponding studs on the shoulders of the jacket. The phrase on the medallion of the bicorne, “E Pluribus Unum” (translated as “Out of Many, One”) was submitted by the committee Congress as part of a design for the seal for the United States of America in 1776, which, upon revisions, was passed as the official seal in 1782. The phrase was considered the motto of the United States until 1956 when it was replaced with the motto, “In God We Trust.”

Military Ensemble, American | Metropolitan Museum | c. 1776-1783

According to the donor, this ensemble was worn by Obedeak [sic] Herbert, a Continental Naval Admiral of the Revolutionary War. This form of jacket, the tail coat, persisted first, as men’s everyday wear and, later, as formal attire throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The epaulettes retain sense of delicacy and refinement as handmade objects. The silk on the underside is padded and sewn into a roll at the edge to enhance the shape of the tassels as they fall over the shoulders. The tape on the other end is meant to tie into corresponding studs on the shoulders of the jacket. The phrase on the medallion of the bicorne, “E Pluribus Unum” (translated as “Out of Many, One”) was submitted by the committee Congress as part of a design for the seal for the United States of America in 1776, which, upon revisions, was passed as the official seal in 1782. The phrase was considered the motto of the United States until 1956 when it was replaced with the motto, “In God We Trust.”

Waistcoat | V&A Museum | c. 1730-39 Satin dyed, a brilliant sunshine hue forms the body of this court waistcoat of the 1730s. Such a rich yellow was fashionable in men’s and women’s dress from the 1730s until the 1780s. In keeping with the lavishness of court dress, the waistcoat is embellished with embroidery in coloured silk and silver threads of several textures. A pattern of large flowers and leaves with feathered scrolls cover the front edges, the pocket flaps and the front of the waistcoat skirts. The scale of the embroidery pattern and its range of textures are characteristic of Baroque design in general and 1730s embroidery in particular.

Waistcoat | V&A Museum | c. 1730-39

Satin dyed, a brilliant sunshine hue forms the body of this court waistcoat of the 1730s. Such a rich yellow was fashionable in men’s and women’s dress from the 1730s until the 1780s. In keeping with the lavishness of court dress, the waistcoat is embellished with embroidery in coloured silk and silver threads of several textures. A pattern of large flowers and leaves with feathered scrolls cover the front edges, the pocket flaps and the front of the waistcoat skirts. The scale of the embroidery pattern and its range of textures are characteristic of Baroque design in general and 1730s embroidery in particular.

Read "The Art of Tying The Cravat" by H. Le Blanc (1828) online -

and then make the man in your life wear them :D