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The mess jacket is a type of formal jacket that ends at the waist. It features either a non-fastening double breast cut or a single-breasted version that fastens.
Accessed August 4, 2012]. The jackets have shawl or peak lapels. Used in military
by Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com Other stories say Spencer—frustrated by his tails catching onMaking a Man's Tailcoat
by J. Gottfred. In the early 1800s, Eton College adopted it for first year students' uniforms; it was referred to as an Eton jacket. Civilians first adopted a white mess jacket in 1933 to wear in the hot and tropical weather of Palm Beach. The mess jacket soon fell out of fashion for two main reasons. One is that the jacket only worked well with an athletic and slim fit. The other reason is that the mess jacket had gone on to be worn by musicians, bellhops and waiters, leading the class conscious of the era to abandon the garment. It is still used in service industries.
Today, the jacket continues to be used as part of military mess dress. It was adopted as part of mess dress, the military formal eveningwear equivalent to civilian
The mess jacket is a type of formal jacket that ends at the waist. It features either a non-fastening double breast cut or a single-breasted version that fastens.Accessed August 4, 2012]. The jackets have shawl or peak lapels. Used in military
mess dress
Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white dr ...
, during the 1930s it became a popular alternative to the white dinner jacket in hot and tropical weather for black tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...
occasions. It also was prominently used, in single-breasted form, as part of the uniform for underclassmen at Eton College
Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...
, leading to the alternative name Eton jacket. Its origin was a spencer, a tail-less adaptation of the tailcoat
A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away.
The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding in the Early Mode ...
worn by both men and women during the Regency period
The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, h ...
.
History
The waist-length style of jacket first appeared in the 1790s whenGeorge Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, (1 September 1758 – 10 November 1834), styled Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician. He served as Home Secretary from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was ...
removed the tails from his tailcoat
A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away.
The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding in the Early Mode ...
. Spencer, it was thought, singed the tails of his tailcoat while standing beside a fire and then cut off the ends, unwittingly starting a new fashion.Regency Fashion History. 1800s Costume Historyby Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com Other stories say Spencer—frustrated by his tails catching on
bramble
A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...
s—tore the tails off his coat when hunting one day.by J. Gottfred. In the early 1800s, Eton College adopted it for first year students' uniforms; it was referred to as an Eton jacket. Civilians first adopted a white mess jacket in 1933 to wear in the hot and tropical weather of Palm Beach. The mess jacket soon fell out of fashion for two main reasons. One is that the jacket only worked well with an athletic and slim fit. The other reason is that the mess jacket had gone on to be worn by musicians, bellhops and waiters, leading the class conscious of the era to abandon the garment. It is still used in service industries.
Today, the jacket continues to be used as part of military mess dress. It was adopted as part of mess dress, the military formal eveningwear equivalent to civilian white tie
White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal in traditional evening western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a wh ...
and black tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...
.
References
Note: reference 3 leads to a page that seems to be advertising online casinos.External links
* {{clothing Jackets 1790s fashion 1820s fashion 1930s fashion Semi-formal wear