Striped Men's Jacket with Plush Lining

The upper material, striped velvet in a stylish colour combination of mint green and red-brown in combination with its full faux fur lining, make this jacket a remarkable object. It has a small stand-up collar and long sleeves that end in high cuffs. The faux fur flashes ornamentally from all of the edges, the pocket flaps and the tails. The large, highly stylish, ornamental buttons, which are particularly eye-catching, are covered with the primary fabric and equipped with mother-of-pearl. During the 1780s the buttons of men’s suits became larger and more extravagant. In 1787 Baroness Oberkirch commented on this fashion: “Les boutons des habits n’étaient non moins bizarres. Ils représentaient tantôt des portraits, tels que les rois de France, les douze Césars, quelquefois des miniatures de famille” (“The buttons of men’s jackets were no less bizarre. They showed portraits, such as that of the kings of France, the twelve Caesars and sometimes family miniatures”) (Oberkirch 2010: 652).