18th century court suit, back

This ensemble is a good example of the embellished and colourful clothes worn by men to the royal court in the 18th century. The bright colours, fine materials, delicate and exquisite embroidery were typical for court dress at the time. Embroidery in the 18th century was done entirely by hand. It required attentiveness, dedication, and skill to master the different techniques. This suit would have taken months to complete. Consequently, a court suit like this would have been an extremely expensive purchase; it is reported that courtiers would mortgage their houses to enable them to pay for their court dress. In the 18th century you could benefit greatly from this type of investment; your dress was your passport for entry into the royal court, making it the preserve of only the very wealthy, a comment or invitation from the king or queen could reap life changing rewards. Towards the end of the 18th century this type of highly embroidered dress for men became less fashionable, and was a formal look often associated only with court dress.