The Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes
The Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes
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Late Victorian American Cabinet Card dated 1889 to 1890; a handsome, well-dressed young man in his proper suit of clothes.
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What constituted the Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes?
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This surprising announcement from The Hutchinson Examiner, of Hutchinson, Kansas (August 24, 1876) might raise a question or two. What, precisely, was a “suit of clothes?”
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“Ordinance No. 104. Be it ordained by the Mayor, and Council of the City of Hutchinson. That on and after the publication of this ordinance. It shall be unlawful for any person to go in bathing or swimming in any waters inside the city limits between sunrise and sunset, except it be in a proper suit of clothes.” The Hutchinson Examiner of Hutchinson, Kansas. August 24, 1876.
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Were the good citizens of Hutchinson wrapped around the axle about skinny dipping? Swimming in long underwear? Or the lack of a proper and decent bathing costume?
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Men’s “Suit of Clothing“, from a Merchant Tailor, advertised in Fort Scott Daily Monitor of Fort Scott, Kansas on May 13, 1883.
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Just as Victorian women wore costumes (and occasionally, dresses), their male counterparts wore a “suit of clothes“. Yes, the term “suit” was used for short.
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“A good home-made, all wool suit can be bought for $10.00 at Woodwards, 46 Calhoun street.” Advertised in Fort Wayne Daily Gazette of Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 23, 1870.
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Tailor shops were known by a variety of terms. Clothiers. Merchant Tailors. Men’s Furnishers. Many were called by the name of the business.
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The following clip shows creativity in advertising. John Sinclair & Co. Merchant Tailors, Men’s Furnishers & Shirt Manufacturers in Denver, Colorado, advertised within a Denver cookbook published in 1883.
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Merchant Tailors advertise in a Denver cookbook published in 1883.
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“Harris the Clothier’s $10.00 Outfit, consisting of Coat, Pants, Vest, Hat, Shirt, Shoes, Suspenders and Socks, all for ten dollars!” This advertisement ran in the Great Falls Tribune of Great Falls, Montana on April 27, 1889.
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To be properly dressed, the majority of men wore a proper suit of clothes. As mentioned in my most recent post, Victorian Collars and Cuffs (for men), to wear the shirt exposed (without vest and coat) was deemed highly inappropriate for gentlemen. This etiquette rule seems to be confined to upper classes and “white collar” professions, and not to most laborers.
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Log Chute with Ox Teams. Chutes had to be kept wet in dry weather to prevent fires. Notice the laborers working in shirts without vests or coats. Image: courtesy of Pinterest.
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Men in the nineteenth century developed other clothing as demanded by their labor. For instance, the invention (1871) of durable, much longer-lasting, riveted blue jeans trousers for gold miners by the infamous Levi Strauss.
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(Quoted directly from the image reference label): “One Hip-Pocket “201” Waist-Overalls Levi Strauss & Co., 1880s or 1890s. “201” used to be an economy version of “501XX.” These pants are a rare example with popular length & waist size. Note the original candle wax dripping from miners!” Image: courtesy of Pinterest.
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Victorian Suits for Men
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Men’s Fashion Plate, 1890.
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White Tie Fashion Plate, 1890. Image originated with blacktieguide.com
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Unless a manual laborer, men dressed “properly” in a full “set of clothes.”
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Delegates at the Wyoming Constitutional Convention in the autumn of 1889 in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. Context of my new release, Isabella’s Calico Groom, contained within CALICO BALL: Timeless Western Collection.
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Tailors Cleaned Suits
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Tailors advertise in the Sterling Standard of Sterling, Illinois, September 22, 1898. Services offered include finely tailored suits of clothing to fit the man for whom they were made, fine repairs, cleaning and pressing of clothing. (Who knew tailors did “cleaning” and pressing?)
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Surprising, isn’t it? Tailors not only made repairs to custom-made clothing, but also cleaned and pressed.
Here’s another. Tailoring, Cleaning & Repairing:
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J. D’Bois. Tailoring, Cleaning & Repairing. Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel of Santa Cruz, California. March 20, 1872.
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Men’s Suit of Clothes: On Sale!
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1 of 5. Men’s Suits Styles, “Sacrifice Sale” at Famous Shoe & Clothing Co. with steep discounts. Advertised in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 1891.
2 of 5. Men’s Suits Styles, “Sacrifice Sale” with steep discounts. Advertised in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 1891.
3 of 5. Men’s Suits Styles, “Sacrifice Sale” with steep discounts. Advertised in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 1891.
4 of 5. Men’s Suits Styles, “Sacrifice Sale” with steep discounts. Advertised in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 1891.
Men’s Suits Styles, “Sacrifice Sale” with steep discounts. Part 5 of 5. Advertised in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 1891.
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Gabel the Tailor, Suits made to order in 10 hours. Published in The Salt Lake Herald of Salt Lake City, Utah Territory on August 23, 1892.
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Victorian Laborer’s Clothing
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Not Levi’s riveted “201” Waist-Overalls? Maybe they’re Pepperell Jean Drawers.
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Pepperell “Jean Drawers” advertised at 47-cents, alongside gauze undershirts and dress shirts and Balbriggan Half-Hose. Richmond Dispatch newspaper of Richmond, Virginia on August 1, 1886.
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Men’s Jeans for sale, along with shirtings, tweeds, and Cottonades. Advertised in the Kansas Farmer of Topeka, Kansas on May 5, 1880. Part 1 of 3.
Men’s shirts and men’s overalls for sale (ready-to-wear), along with many fabrics and accoutrements for women. Advertised in the Kansas Farmer of Topeka, Kansas on May 5, 1880. Part 2 of 3.
Conclusion of Bartholomew & Co’s advertisement, “Cheap Cash Store.” (Note: “cheap” was a highly positive term in the 19th century, meaning low-cost, affordable, and signifying a good deal. Additionally, ‘cash store’ meant the merchant did not deal with credit and only cash would be accepted, thus keeping the prices down). Advertised in the Kansas Farmer of Topeka, Kansas on May 5, 1880. Part 3 of 3.
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Vests Important to The Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes
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“Fancy Vests for Fancy Swells”, Part 1 of 4. The Inter-Ocean of Chicago, Illinois. February 9, 1896.
“Fancy Vests for Fancy Swells”, Part 2 of 4. The Inter-Ocean of Chicago, Illinois. February 9, 1896.
“Fancy Vests for Fancy Swells”, Part 3 of 4. The Inter-Ocean of Chicago, Illinois. February 9, 1896.
“Fancy Vests for Fancy Swells”, Part 4 of 4. The Inter-Ocean of Chicago, Illinois. February 9, 1896.
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The Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes evidently was not required to match. Stylish vests (also known as waistcoats) were often colorful.
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“Red Vests are in vogue.” The Montgomery Adviser of Montgomery, Alabama on January 9, 1894.
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Related Articles: Nineteenth Century Fashion for Men and Women ~
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Updated April 2022
Copyright © 2018 Kristin Holt LC
The Victorian Man’s Suit of Clothes
