A justacorps or justaucorps (/ˈʒuːstəkɔːr/)[1] is a knee-length coat worn by men in the latter half of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century. It is of French origin, where it had developed from a cape-like garment called a casaque.[2] It was introduced in England as a component of a three-piece ensemble, which also included breeches and a long vest or waistcoat. This ensemble served as the prototype for the modern-day three-piece suit. The justacorps itself evolved into the frock coat.[3] The fabric selection and styling of the justacorps varied over time, as fashions altered through history.
Forerunners and parallels
The justaucorps, according to historian Susan Mokhberi, was influenced by a similar Persian coat,[4] which also featured floral embroidery and tight-fitting body and sleeves. As the Persian rulers had done with their native garment, King Louis XIV bestowed it upon key subjects of his as an emblem of his favour.[5] It came to be associated with absolutism in France, highlighting links and commonalities between the Safavid and Bourbon absolutist regimes.[6]
Similar coats known as achkans and sherwanis had been worn in India for centuries, and could be either sleeved or sleeveless. These were often worn by wealthy travellers who visited the East during the early 1600s, and some may have been brought back to Europe.[7][8]
A garment that came into fashion in Poland and Hungary at the same time was the żupan or dolman with its distinctive turn-back cuffs and decorative gold braid. The żupan started out as a long and heavy winter gown[9] before becoming shorter and more fitted during the 16th century.[10][11] These Polish garments (kontusz and żupan) were also based on oriental influences, due to the Polish cultural ideology of Sarmatism.[12] These Central European and Indian long coats probably influenced the design of the justacorps later favored by Louis XIV of France[13] and King Charles due to their exotic appearance, comfort and practicality.
Military apparel
The casaque was a travellers' or military cloak with separate front, back and shoulder pieces that could be worn as a semicircular cape or, with simple adjustments, as a jacket.[14][15] It became popular during Louis XIII's time for protection from the elements.[16] While adaptable in general use, it proved to be cumbersome military clothing as it impeded soldiers' easy access to their weapons. A redesigned version was given a more fitted cut, from which it acquired a new descriptive name just-au-corps, lit. 'just to the body', and a full-length central front opening with button fastenings. This practical military garment went on to be elaborated into a garment popular with civilians.[2]
Development
In France
In Britain
Under King Charles II of England a plainer, more sober take on the earlier but similarly-cut justaucorps, veste and culottes outfit which had been imposed by King Louis XIV in the French court was also introduced to England.[17] In 1666, Charles had made a deliberate effort to differentiate men's fashions in England from those of France, which up to then had been the major influence in the English court and fashionable society. He declared a new garment, referred to as a vest or waistcoat, to be the appropriate garment for gentlemen. The vest was knee-length, worn in conjunction with breeches and an overcoat of equal length. This outfit is considered to be the prototype of the modern-day men's three-piece suit.[3]
The justacorps was a short-lived trend upon Charles' initial introduction of it, lasting only six years. The king and his court gradually became more closely influenced by French fashions from around 1670 and from there French fashion spread to the English public. As a popular component of the Englishman's dress, the justacorps did not establish itself a until around 1680, when the French style was reintroduced.[18]
In Scotland there were two similar garments: the "jeistiecor" (a jacket; a waistcoat with sleeves) and the "justicoat" "justiecor" (a sleeved waistcoat).[19]
17th century
Becoming fully established throughout most of Europe by the last decade of the 16th century, the justacorps replaced the doublet, a previously popular shorter style of coat. The justacorps was worn to the knee, covering an equal length vest and breeches underneath. It opened center front, typically having many buttons and buttonholes lining the entire length of the opening. The sleeves were fitted, and featured deep cuffs. Some styles of the justacorps remained fitted throughout the bodice, though other versions feature a more accentuated, flared skirt through the addition of gores and pleats.[20] Justacorps also featured decorative pockets, often placed too low for the wearer to take functional advantage. Worn primarily by aristocratic, wealthy men,[21] justacorps were very ornate in design and made of luxurious fabrics. Colourful silk, satin, brocade, damask, and wool were commonly used textiles. Justacorps often were accented with contrasting fabrics of different colours and patterns, displayed through turned back cuffs or a decorative sash worn across the shoulders. By the early 18th century, the silhouette of the justacorps had become wider, with a fuller skirt, and laid the foundation for men's fashion throughout the rest of the century.[20]
18th century
In the first half of the 18th century, the justacorps altered in appearance. The garment's opening remained at center front, however the buttons only extended to the waist area, allowing extra room for the extension of a fuller skirt. The cuffs became tighter and no longer folded back, and pockets were functional, located at a more accessible, hip-level region. The opening of the justacorps was rounded towards the mid chest, and flared away from the body.[3]
In the second half of the 18th century, the justacorps skirt decreased in fullness, becoming narrower. A straight edge, similar to 17th-century-style openings, replaced the rounded opening of the coat, and sleeves reverted to a deep, turned back cuff. Textiles for the justacorps varied by use. Durable fabrics, like wool, were used in ordinary, everyday situations, and typically had less ornamentation compared to ones worn in elegant, formal settings. These coats were made of ornate fabrics like silk and brocade, and decorated with elaborate embroidery and lace.[3]
The justacorps should be distinguished as different from the frock coat, which was less ornate, differed in cut and silhouette, and not worn popularly until the late 18th century.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "justaucorps". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b Back, Francis (1998). "Un justaucorps du règne de Louis XIV". Cap-aux-Diamants: La revue d'histoire du Québec (in French) (55): 54–55. ISSN 0829-7983.
- ^ a b c d Tortora, Phyllis G. (2010). Survey of Historic Costume. New York: Fairchild Book.
- ^ "Dress – European Fashion, 1500–1800". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 11 June 2024.
- ^ FitzGerald, Ciara (1 September 2023) [First published 19 June 2023]. "The Quirky Fashion of the Royal Court of Versailles". Culture Frontier.
- ^ Mokhberi, Susan (2019). The Persian Mirror: French Reflections of the Safavid Empire from the Seventeenth to Early-Eighteenth Centuries. Oxford University Press. pp. 105–106, 132. ISBN 9780190884796.
- ^ Atherton, Ian; Sanders, Julie (19 September 2006). The 1630s: Interdisciplinary Essays on Culture and Politics in the Caroline Era. Manchester University Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7190-7158-4.
- ^ Howarth, David (1997). Images of Rule: Art and Politics in the English Renaissance, 1485–1649. University of California Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-520-20991-6.
- ^ McGann, Kass (18 December 2006). "16th and 17th century Polish Dress — Żupan". Reconstructing History. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ Varvounis, Miltiades (3 March 2015). "Islam's Long-lasting Influence on Polish Culture". Muftah.
- ^ Forster, Karol (1840). Pologne (in French). Firmin Didot frères. p. 192.
- ^ Jan Chryzostom Pasek (2022). Memoirs of the Polish Baroque: The Writings of Jan Chryzostom Pasek, a Squire of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. Univ of California Press. p. xliii. ISBN 9780520367647.
- ^ Challamel, Augustin (1882). The History of Fashion in France: Or, The Dress of Women from the Gallo-Roman Period to the Present Time. Translated by Frances Cashel Hoey and John Lillie. Via: "Reign Louis XIV: French fashion history". History of Costume and Fashion. World4u.eu.
- ^ Doering, Mary D., ed. (2015). Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion From Head to Toe. [4 Volumes]. Vol. 1: Precolonial Times through the American Revolution. José Blanco F., series editor. Bloomsbury, ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9798216062158. OCLC 904505699.
- ^ Carl Kohler (1930). A History of Costume. New York: G. Howard Watt.
- ^ Robinson, Scott R. "Restoration". Costume History. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016.
- ^ Motta, Giovanna (2018). Fashion through History: Costumes, Symbols, Communication. Vol. II. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9781527511965.
- ^ Tony Claydon, Charles-Édouard Levillain (2016). Louis XIV Outside In: Images of the Sun King Beyond France, 1661-1715. Routledge. pp. 64–68. ISBN 9781317103240.
- ^ Warrack, Alexander, ed. (1911). Chambers Scots Dictionary. Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers; pp. 292 & 298
- ^ a b Condra, Jill, ed. (2008). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History. Vol. 2: 1501-1800. Greenwood Publishing Group.
- ^ Ribeiro, Aileen (2005). Fashion and Fiction: Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England. Yale.
Sources
- Ribeiro, Aileen (2005). Fashion and Fiction: Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England. New Haven, US; London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10999-7.
- Tortora, Phyllis G.; Eubank, Keith (2010). Survey of Historic Costume: A history of Western dress. New York: Fairchild Publications. ISBN 978-1-56367-806-6.
Further reading
- Condra, Jill, ed. (2008). The Greenwood encyclopedia of clothing through world history. Vol. 1: Prehistory to 1500CE. Westport, Connecticut (US): Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33664-5. OCLC 156808055.
- Larimore, Jules (21 January 2022). "How Louis XIV Changed French Society with Haute Couture". THE HUGUENOT TRILOGY Author's blog.
- Payne, Blanche (1965). History of Costume from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century. New York: Harper & Row.
- Picken, Mary Brooks (1957). The Fashion Dictionary. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
- The Fashion Dictionary: Fabric, sewing, and apparel as expressed in the language of fashion. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1973. ISBN 978-0-308-10052-7. ISBN 0-308-10052-2.
External links
- Media related to Justaucorps at Wikimedia Commons
- The dictionary definition of justacorps at Wiktionary