Suit
Category
Costume
Date
1660 - 1662
Materials
Silk, ribbon and leather
Collection
Claydon House, Buckinghamshire
NT 1446624
Caption
This five-piece silk suit belonging to Edmund Verney (1636–88) is an extraordinary survivor of an extravagant men’s fashion that flourished following the restoration to the English throne of Charles II (1630–85) in 1660. Brought to England from France, where the royal court had been in exile, the style was notable for exaggerated breeches that were likened to women’s petticoats, and lavish embellishment with bunches of ribbons. The suit is the only complete example in England. The doublet, breeches, cloak and baldric are made of cream-coloured, patterned Italian silk. Together with the leather gloves (right), they are trimmed with nearly 200 metres of brightly coloured knotted and bowed ribbons. Edmund Verney came from a family of silk merchants who, like the royal family, had returned from exile, to their family seat at Claydon House. Verney marked his new social status by commissioning this made-to-measure suit. The complex tailoring reveals that he had scoliosis, and that padding was added to his doublet to mask the curvature of his spine. Emma Slocombe
Summary
A man's doublet, Spanish cloak, petticoat breeches, pair of gloves and a sword belt. Of figured cream brocatelle. Lined. The breeches trimmed with large bunches of ribbons.
Provenance
Linked to a bill in the Verney family archive dated 18 May 1660 and thought to have been made for the wedding of Sir Edmund Verney (1636-88); by descent in the Verney family; and accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the National Trust for display at Claydon House, 2005
References
Reynolds 2013: Anna Reynolds In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion Royal Collection Trust, 2013, pp.92-95. Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 46-47.