Contemporary Jack

The darkest time of the year is
here. We are changing the time at the clock back to wintertime. Today I am in
the mood for an hommage to the 19th century. For me the dark stories of Jack the
Ripper, Sweeney Todd and haunted places take centre stage. We all have watched
movies or saw pictures from the Victorian age. It seems there have been many more
dark mysteries, unsolved and hidden in the prospering but overwhelmed London at
the stage of the first industrialization. Hidden not only in dark corners full
of dirt and poor people, in the slums of the East, in the big green parks with
only a little candle to light the way and also in the massive palaces and
mansions. There was much more space for the unknown and mysterious and also
superstitious then. It is a different feeling, a bit more powerful to wear a
cape of Victorian style.




London, 1880´s. We are
upper-classmen having a walk around the city. Most city men would be wearing a
close-fitting shirt, usually with cuffed sleeves. Small, close-lying collars
topped vertical buttons or laces that stretched to the man’s midsection.
Neckties were usually made of silk and came in varying shapes and patterns.
Over the shirt, men would commonly wear waistcoats, which were the most varied
part of the wardrobe and a lot of money was spent on the details, colours and embroidery. Lapels were usually “notched”, meaning split into different
levels. Waistcoats also usually had a pocket on either side of the buttoned
centre in which men could store handkerchiefs and pocket watches. Lastly, a
belt or tie at the back of the waistcoat would keep it fitting tightly around
the man’s mid-section, accentuating his shape in the same way as corsets did
for women of the time. Trousers fell loosely to the ankle and were usually held
up by a pair of elastic suspenders or “braces”. They were made in dark or
subtle colours and plaids. 






Men wore boots that were fastened
either with buttons, hooks or laces. Boots typically had pointed, narrow toes
with details at the edges and sometimes covering them with spats. Socks came
with ribbed tops and almost as many patterns as current male dress socks. Men
wore brown or black leather gloves and they were customarily worn at all times.
Longer overcoats were as popular for men as they were for women during the
Victorian era. Suit jackets could be shorter and are very close to the ones we
wear today. The Inverness cape is a sleeveless outer coat which was often worn
in 1880s London. Often 'the Ripper' is depicted wearing a top hat, a
deerstalker hat or a black felt hat.



Happy Halloween!!!