Coat and trousers worn by Louis XVII, Louis Charles de France, Duke of Normandy, (1785–1795)

• Circa 1792
• Pink silk taffeta, round wooden buttons covered with pink silk thread.
• Habit : Gal 1992.478.1 et pantalon : Gal 1987.2.47
• Acquired by the City of Paris
• Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

In the 1790’s the French aristocracy, following the lead of Queen Marie Antoinette, adopted a new dress style for young boys: the sailor suit, inspired by the fashion in England. The innovation here was the trousers, worn by Scottish and Irish peasants and sailors. Often attached to a buttoned vest, the trousers were worn with a pleated-collar chemise and a cummerbund. Similar to the sailor suit, the dauphin's costume testifies to the Anglomania of the 1780s. Here the vest is replaced by a high-collared coat with lapels that imitates the coat with turned down collar worn by men; thus the ensemble is a mix of children's and adults' clothing.

Notice's author : Pascale Gorguet-Ballesteros