Country suit
Category
Costume
Date
1740 - 1750
Materials
Needlecord, velvet, linen and silk
Order this imageCollection
Felbrigg, Norfolk
NT 1402353
Caption
The image of the 18th-century gentleman who spent large parts of the year at his country estate was synonymous with British national style and describes generations of the Wyndham family at Felbrigg Hall. Leisured and respectable, his dress followed the prevailing fashionable silhouette and form – the classic three-piece suit of coat, waistcoat or jacket, and breeches – although it was plainer in decoration and more sober in colour and material. The simplicity of cut and the pared-back adornment emphasised the superior tailoring skills of British artisans and celebrated the quality of domestic textiles, such as woollen cloth and needlecord. Practical features such as double buttons on the frock coat collar allowed for tighter fastening against bad weather, while a looser cut at the elbow enabled the pursuit of country sports like hunting and shooting with greater ease and comfort. The curved, deep flapped pockets in the skirt of the coat and the fine, hand-worked buttons in black silk add a subtle elegance to this country suit. Kate Bethune
Summary
FEL18C. A man's country suit. A three-piece suit of a frock coat, jacket and breeches. A frock coat of ginger fine needlecord with a natural linen lining throughout and a black velvet collar. A fly front with nine covered buttons and long holes. Two buttons and holes in the collar for buttoning against the weather. Breast pockets each side with single buttons, lined. Two deep-flapped pockets in the skirt; two poachers pockets in the lining. The buttons are hand-worked in black silk. Two deep pockets in the shirt, buttoned with three buttons. Small cuffs on the sleeves. The jacket is sleeved of the same fabric. A small stand collar. Two flap pockets in the skirts. The breeches have a small fall front. Centre back holes for lacing, two side pockets buttoning, two front pockets buttoning onto the waistband. A leg opening with four buttons and a tie closure. Linen lining for facings of the breeches. For country sporting wear, c.1740-50.
Provenance
Part of the Windham Collection. The hall and contents were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1969 by Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer (1906-1969).
References
Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, p. 70.