Jo here, thinking about men's fashion, helped by Charlie in sartorial excellence as a pirate. The blog on the appeal of the Scottish historical often mentioned the kilt, and it got me wondering what style of men's fashion we find most appealing. I'm going to run through some general historical styles, and invite you to have your say.
For some reason Typepad still won't let me adjust image placement, so I apologize for the slightly messy layout. Click on any image to enlarge it.
Ancient We'll touch briefly on the loosely garbed ancients. For this blog I'm not considering armor. I get that the toga was probably supposed to suggest that the man didn't have any manual labor to do, but it's not exactly sexy, is it? But by all means praise it if you want!
On to the middle ages, which covers a whole lot of time. This handsome tunic is for sale here Again, the style is for his leisure hours, showing he's not having to dig ditches or fight the enemy, but giving him time to compose songs in praise of his lady's eyes . I do find such long robes very attractive on the right man. Do you?
It's a dress, though, isn't it? Does that matter? Kilts are skirts.
Speaking of which, let's take a moment to admire the men secure enough to join the Greek Guard.
(By Robin from England (athens077 Uploaded by Future Perfect at Sunrise) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
So, when are men in skirts sexy and when are they not?
Let's look at the 15th/16th centuries, time of the peascod belly. Did they all have beer-bellies, and if not, why did they prize the look? I have a soft spot for the gorgeously-garbed guy, and this guy's garb is gorgeous.
What of the wild Restoration rakes? The thing they had going for them was the periwig! What can I say? I love the look of a manly guy with really long, thick hair. John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester was one of the baddest of the bad, but I have a soft spot for him, perhaps because he was a poet. Or perhaps it's just the hair!
I know it doesn't show his regular clothes, but they weren't a lot different to the next few generations in the 18th century.
Of course you know I love the fine plumage of the 18th century gentleman. The silk, the lace, the embroidery and braid. It's a shame the men in period portraits are never as fine as their clothes!
Which brings us to the Regency. I confess I don't find men's Regency clothing particularly sexy, though those high cut waistcoats and jackets did their best to flaunt their wares! This Ingres drawing illustrates the look very well.
Which means I have to go back in time and mention the cod-piece. They did like to show off a good leg as well, didn't they?
Beyond that, we come to the Victorian and the end of flamboyance in historical men's clothes. There is something about a man in a well-cut suit, but I still have that soft spot for flash.
So, what style of clothing do you think best makes a handsome hero even more handsome?
Have your say.
Jo
Coming in August. Read more about Seduction in Silk here.