Regency Fashion: Polychrome Embroidered Men's Waistcoats

1760, embroidered cloth of silver waistcoat. Image @Christie's

Polychrome silk embroidery, which used a variety of colors, was popular for men's waistcoats in the 18th and 19th century. These exquisite and expensive garments, worn under coats, had become a fashion statement and a way of displaying one's wealth and individuality.

1780 embroidered silk waistcoat

1800-1815 French silk vest. Image @Metropolitan Museum of Art

Polychrome silk thread embroidery "became fashionable in the reign of Elizabeth, and from c. 1590 to 1620 a uniquely English fashion arose for embroidered linen jackets worn informally or as part of masquing costume. These jackets usually featured scrolling floral patterns worked in a multiplicity of stitches. Similar patterns worked in 2-ply worsted wool called crewel on heavy linen for furnishings are characteristic of Jacobean embroidery. - Under Creative Commons License: Attribution