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HAIR
Stylish men wore their hair longish in this period. Shorter hair was indicative that the person had lice. It was brushed forward, either not parted, or parted just to the side. . Faces were either clean shaven, or with slight sideburns (I said slight, M'sieur l'Inspecteur!). Around 1828, a small moustache came into fashion.
HATS
Outside, everyone wore hats. It was both a protection from the elements, and a convention of decency. If nothing else, even the lowest beggar might at least have a rag tied about their head.
The top hat was the headwear for men of style. It was narrow-brimmed, rolled at the sides, and drooping a little in front. Usually bell-shaped, around '30 it started toward high and tapering. For travelling or sport, a gentleman might wear a cap in a cloth that matched his coat. High beaver hats in white, gray, fawn, or black were sometimes worn.
Peasants wore straw hats, usually in black. Other working class people would wear brimmed caps.
SHIRTS (AKA UNDERWEAR)
A white shirt was the basic garment, before, during and after this period. Shirts were underwear. You might expose the cuffs and the collar, and a bit of the bosom, but no decent person would be seen in only a shirt. The shirt was typically made of linen, the cheapest fabric available, but cotton was coming into more popular use, and silk was worn by the very rich. Drawers for men had just been introduced, but were not worn by many yet. The long shirt tails were tucked into the pants and served as underwear, as well.
The shirt had simple buttoned cuffs, much like modern shirts. Wrist ruffles were going out of style, but might still be worn. It did not open all the way down the front, just to mid-chest, and was pulled on over the head. The collar was high and starched. Some dandies went to the extreme of whalebone or paste stiffening in the collars. In the spring of '28, frilled shirt bosoms went out of style, and were replaced with pleated bosoms instead, finished with two coral or gold buttons. Those not on the cutting edge of fashion might continue to wear the frills.
A style called the Byron collar was worn by poets and the like. It was an unstarched collar, unfastened at the throat or tied loosely with a silk scarf.
NECKTIES
The high collar was held closed with a cravat. Black was the most popular color for day. White muslin was worn for evening dress, and sometimes day. Colors were also permissible. It was typically knotted in a full, large bow with long ends. In the late 20's, men began tying the cravat differently, in a tiny bow with the knot in front of it, so that only two little points were visible. For evening dress, it became fashionable to knot it in the front and bring the ends around to the back and tie them. This allowed a small section of the shirt bosom to be visible, either ruffled or pleated. Dandies might have whalebone in their evening cravats, but only the desperately fashionable would go to this extreme.
WAISTCOATS AND COATS
To cover the indecent shirt, bourgeois men wore a waistcoat. The waistcoat was a fitted, sleeveless garment, forerunner to the modern vest. The neckline was cut much higher than the typical modern vest. It had a collar, either standing or rolled. Double-breasted waistcoats were worn by some at this time, but the new style was single breasted, buttoned with many buttons, close to each other. This was necessary because it was tight, and the spaces between the buttons would tend to gap. It was the same length as the coat, or sometimes an inch longer. The lower edge was either square across the front, with one or two small points, or with a slight dip or curve. Frequently, an inner waistcoat in white or a light color, matching the lines of the outer, was worn beneath. It would be visible at the top, and perhaps at the bottom. The waistcoat was often lighter than the coat. Pale satin or cashmere embroidering on the edges was popular. Many different colors and patterns were used, according to how flashy a dresser the wearer was. Evening waistcoats were often white. Black cut velvet became stylish for evening in the late twenties. White Marseilles was a common fabric for riding outfits' waistcoats.
A womanish silhouette was the goal for men at this time. Foppish men wore waistcoats with lacing in the back and drew them tight, or wore men's corsets under their waistcoat to cinch their waist. Another evidence of this womanish trend is the sloping shoulders in coats, and the full skirts of the frock coat, which expanded as women's skirts expanded in width.
A coat was nearly always worn over the waistcoat. It was not indecent to appear in shirtsleeves in a very informal setting, but it was not acceptable to be in public like that. Coat collars were usually rolled high in the back. Sometimes, especially on frock coats, the collar was wider and flatter. Black velvet collars were common, moreso on dressy tail coats. Sleeves were moderately leg of mutton, full at the top and fitted from elbow to wrist. Coats had no set-on cuffs, instead the sleeve flared down over the hand, sometimes as far as the knuckles. They were open seamed and buttoned at the wrist with one or two buttons. Sometimes, the buttons were left undone to show off the shirt sleeves.
The frock coat was typical sports and morning wear. Students would probably wear this to class, and possibly to meetings, if they weren't going out before or after. It was single-breasted with 6 buttons, or sometimes double-breasted with 4 or 5 pairs of buttons. The lapels were squared off. It was fashionable to leave the coat unbuttoned, or only fasten the last two buttons. The coat skirts fell just above the knee, were narrow across front, and pleated at the back on either side of a slit.
The other main style of coat, the tail coat, was becoming evening dress as well as daytime. The tails curved back well over the hips and were cut square, just below knee length. This coat was always double-breasted. It was often left open to display waistcoat beneath.
For riding, a coat similar to the frock coat was worn, with skirts less full and shorter, small cuffs, and a high standing collar, which was influenced by military design.
An informal bob-tailed coat was worn by young boys and adults of inferior position, and occasionally, sportsmen. It was single breasted, slightly cutaway in front, and had a modestly rolling collar. This coat gradually evolved into the modern suit coat.
SMOCKS
Peasants, laborers, and other poor men did not wear waistcoats and coats. Their typical upper body garment was a baggy smock, gathered to a yoke at the top, with full, gathered sleeves. This would probably be linen or perhaps wool, in solid colors or stripes or small checks. This garment was little changed since medieval times, and still is worn in some regions of France today.
A man who made his living by manual labor, but was not too bad off, might also own a nice suit of clothes for Sundays, going out in the evening, and weddings and funerals.
PANTS
There were three main types of pants worn at this time. The way a man wore his pants could be very political. The 'sans-culottes' of the Revolutionary period were so called because they refused to wear the breeches of the nobility, and wore trousers, like the lower classes. After the Revolution, breeches were revived for court dress, and were still worn by some countryfolk, and conservative older men, such as Grandfather Gillenormand, but trousers remained as every day dress.
Zippers would not be invented for another half-century. Pants were closed in one of two ways: fall front and button fly. The fall-front style consists of a waistband that fastens in front, and then a flap buttons to that waistband. There were small falls, with the flap just being the center front of the waist, and full falls, with the flap being the entire front from side seam to side seam. Button flies had just been developed, and were known as the "French fly"; however, they aren't seen in many fashion plates, and probably hadn't quite caught on yet.
Breeches had been the only style of pants for wealthy men since the 1660's. They were slim fitting, but not snug. There was a great deal of room in the seat to allow for easy movement. This was covered by the coat. They were fastened just below the knee with ties, buckles, or buttons.
Pantaloons were long, tight-fitting pants, worn by gentlemen for evening dress or riding. They were moderately loose at the top, and very tight from the knee down. They were typically made of stretchy wool, silk, or knits for evening; or doeskin, drill, velveteen or corduroy for riding. They were open seamed from the calf down, and fastened with buttons. Evening pantaloons were not quite ankle-length; riding pantaloons would be longer. They would be pulled over short boots, and strapped underneath, much like modern riding pants. Riding pantaloons were often light colored.
The trousers worn in this period were very much like our modern definition of trousers. Loose and comfortable, they were most often made of wool, or a heavy linen or cotton. Sailors wore them bell-bottomed, as they had been doing since the Renaissance, and would continue to do.
STOCKINGS AND SHOES
Knit stockings of solid colors, and occasionally striped, were worn under the pants, gartered at the knee to avoid having them fall down. Evening stockings were made in gray, white, or transparant black silk.
Men wore ankle-high laced shoes or short black Wellington boots, with blunt toes and low, square heels. It was no longer fashionable to pull the boots over the trousers in the city, but doubtless some still did so. Black riding boots with brown turnover cuffs were also worn, these were pulled over the pantaloons.
Evening pumps were black, low heeled, short vamped, and decorated with black bows or small buckles. They were very similar to modern women's flats.
OUTER WEAR
The most fashionable overcoat was of dark blue, green, or brown wool, with a black velvet collar. It was double breasted, had full skirts, vertical or diagonal slit pockets, and was trimmed with braid.
The many caped overcoat was going out of style at this time, but would still be worn by all but the very richest, as overcoats were expensive to replace on a whim.
With evening dress, men wore capes. The most popular was blue broadcloth made with contrasting lining. It had a velvet collar, and fastened with cord.
LOUNGEWEAR
For the truly wealthy and lazy, there was a fashionable costume for lying around the house. It consisted of a chintz dressing gown, matching pantaloons, yellow morocco leather slippers, and an India silk handkerchief knotted around the neck over open shirt collar. On the head, a stocking cap of varicolor knitted silk.
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Remember, fashion history can never be truly definite. There is often a division of opinion between different researchers, and we can only suggest what the masses were wearing; there is no accounting for individual taste. For a great piece on bohemian clothing, and other aspects of life, check out The France Of Victor Hugo.
Other fashion questions about this period and others can be directed to the author.
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