Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1891 — How the Dress Coat Came. [ARTICLE]

How the Dress Coat Came.

Perhaps few men who wear the conventional cla ivhammer coat are aware of its origin. Mr. W. W. Story, in his delightful Conversations in a Studio, says: The dress coat is the great product of the French revolution. The old coat out of which it was created was not beautiful in itself, but it had a certain character and effect as a costume. It was long in skirt and buttoned across the chest. The sleeves were loose and turned up, with facings from beneath; while in full dress, lace ruffles depended over the hand. Also the coat was faced with a different colored lining,' which it showed when unbuttoned. In walking, the skirtg, faced also, were turned back and buttoned up to two buttons on the back. Gradually it was lopped and reduced to the thing it now is. The skirts in front were cut away instead of being turned back. But the two foolish buttons behind were still kept after their use had gone. The front was permanently turned back, and the coat made too narrow to button, the foolish cuts now remaining in the collar representing the old division of the front lappets. As time went on more and more of the skirts were cut away, until they were reduced to the ridiculous swallowtail in which Beau Brummel said there was safety. The collar was piled up behind the facings and colors were don© away with, and thus little by little grew up the glorious thing called a dress coat. t ,