Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video,
we'll be looking back through the ages at some of history's craziest menswear moments.
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If you haven't already seen it, we've previously produced a video on some of
the 20th century's biggest menswear fails, and you can find that here.
Today's video, though, will be all about blunders before the 1900s, but not quite
as far back as the loincloth. I think we can all agree that a little modesty is never a mistake.
It's often said that fashion is fickle, but the reality is that fashions evolve - going
through innovation after innovation. The quintessential example is probably the suit.
Its fundamentals have remained largely the same for 150 years or so, but the details have changed
subtly over time. But, for every positive innovation like the suit that history has given
us, it's also given us plenty of examples where we can simply look back and say, "What was thou
thinking?" So, let's take a light-hearted look at ten of history's biggest menswear mistakes.
First on our list today is the coif. This medieval accessory is a piece of fabric that covers the top
and back of the wearer's head. It can also cover the ears as well, and it uses ties to secure the
quaff under the wearer's chin. The quaff has been around since the 900s, effectively making
it a piece of western clothing for over a millennium. That's right, they still are
available to purchase, even though today they're usually just used for historical reenactment. It
originated as an item of protection to be worn under a man's hood or other headwear.
Being inexpensive to produce, the coif acts as a barrier so that more expensive or uncomfortable
garments wouldn't be in direct contact with unwashed hair and skin. So, if you think about it,
the coif was really underpants for your head. It could also serve a heavier-duty purpose as well,
as padded quaffs were worn under chain mail so that sharp metal elements wouldn't come
into direct contact with the head. And much like the foam layer of a bicycle helmet,
padded coifs would also protect the wearer from blows to the head during battle,
at least to an extent. What's fascinating here is just how widespread the coif
was during its heyday, being worn by rich and poor alike. The wealthy would
wear it under other layers, and the less well-to-do would typically wear it just
by itself. And although women and children continued to wear coifs up until the 1700s,
men stop wearing them round about the 14th century,
and we are certainly glad that they aren't in a modern man's
wardrobe today. Next on our list is another piece of hilarious headwear:
the chaperon. This was a type of hat that became popular in the late-15th century and
was originally used to denote wealth. This is perhaps a bit ironic, though,
as the chaperon stemmed from an earlier trend, mostly done by common folk. At the time of
the chaperon's creation, one of the most common pieces of outerwear was a hood that would cover
the wearer's head, shoulders, and neck. This meant that a hood could be removed separately from your
other outer layers. The problem here was people wanted to remove their hoods indoors but didn't
want to misplace them, so the solution was to take off the hood, roll up the shoulder and neck
portion, flip it upside down, and put it back on your head. And even though this trend started in
taverns and poor houses, it was soon enough adopted by the wealthy as well and could be
seen in paintings of the era in various styles. The chaperon quickly became a
symbol of opulence and grandeur, similarly to how expensive wristwatches are used today. However
fancy these hats were meant to be though, there's no denying how comical they look.
If you don't just look like someone has dumped a pile of laundry on your head,
then you look like you've tried to take off your sweater and given up halfway through.
So, let's just take this as one more historical reminder that - then,
as now - money can't buy taste.
Number three on our list is super-tight breeches. Breeches - also called "britches" - are
essentially the forebears of the modern day trouser. The main difference is their length,
as breeches generally stop around the knee and are meant to be fastened tight with buttons,
drawstrings, or buckles; and their short length is derived from the fact that they were either
worn with tall boots or stockings. Don't worry, by the way, those are next on the list. Worn
from the 16th century to the early-19th century, breeches were undoubtedly the number one choice
for men before they evolved into the modern day trouser. And even after adult men moved to
wearing trousers, the majority of the time, young boys still hung on to breeches for quite a while,
and the ceremony of breeching is when a boy would be given his first pair of long pants to
become a man. And you can still see breeches worn in some traditional ceremonies today,
like for court uniforms in Britain. Some were even made with several pieces of billowing fabric,
resembling pumpkins, hence the nickname "pumpkin breeches." And here I thought
pumpkin britches was just a nickname that your grandma would give you. [ba dum tss]
However, the majority of breeches were designed to be worn tight to the leg to
show off the wearer's masculine thighs and calves. This, of course, is an element that
has come and gone throughout menswear's history with skinny jeans and athleisure
leggings taking the place of breaches to some extent in the modern day. But, at least today,
we have the advantage of stretchier fibers. I certainly wouldn't want to put on a pair
of leggings made from linen. Ultimately, though, I think we can agree that everyone looks better
in a pair of well-fitted trousers that attractively show off your silhouette,
especially if you happen to have skipped leg day at the gym. As promised, the next item
on our list is stockings or hose, which, to be clear, is neither this nor this. Historically,
hose were tight-fitting, trouser-like garments that covered the lower half of the body from the
waist to the feet. They were worn from the Middle Ages all the way up to the 17th century. This,
by the way, is why Robin Hood is so famous for wearing them, as his adventures took place
during this time period. Eventually, hoes would be split in two for a short period;
becoming upper hose, which extended from the waist to the knees, and nether hose, which
would evolve into stockings. As we previously mentioned, upper hose would become breeches,
but before this, it was actually the stockings that took precedence as the outer garment.
Each leg of the hose was cut separately and was worn up and over the upper hose,
which had the side effect of creating an awkward gap in the middle. Look, this guy
is also wearing a quaff, and he's apparently confused about the nature of a walking stick,
so he's probably playing his own version of "Menswear Fail Bingo."
And as upper hose evolved into breeches to become a more considered garment,
the stockings would start to be worn underneath them.
And, of course, they would eventually transform into the socks that we all know and love today.
And to clear up any doubts, yes, the socks that we sell at Fort Belvedere are knee-high, but please,
wear them under your trousers. For the fifth item on today's list, we've got codpieces.
[sharp inhale]
Oh boy, let's not get demonetized. I think we should be able to get through this one if we're
clever about it. The codpiece was popular in the 15th and 16th centuries and was a
form sitting below the belt and between the knees. And before you ask, no,
I am absolutely not demonstrating anything in this section of the video. Interestingly, during the
period that they were popular, it was actually extremely taboo to talk about intimate anatomy,
so why men would walk around drawing attention to this exact area, I have no idea. Still,
people would take their codpieces very seriously to denote class and wealth,
so they became quite fashionable for around a century. Safe to say,
we are glad that the codpiece has gone the way of the dodo,
with its only remnants today being for practical use while playing sports or for fighting crime.
[clip from "Batman & Robin"]
Moving swiftly along then, we come to the collar that Shakespeare made famous:
the ruff collar. These were stiff, linen collars made from fluted frills that surrounded the neck
and were often trimmed with lace. The ruff was popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobian eras, from
the mid-16th century to the early-17th century. They were worn by men, women, and children and
were primarily about showing off how much money you had. They evolved from shirt collars that
were originally attached and drawn with a string, but they became bigger and frillier over time;
to the point that they became a separate piece that had to be stiffened with starch.
I'm sure you'll agree that these things are just hilariously impractical as shackling your neck in
place at the beginning of the day isn't going to get you off to a great start. I guess, what
we're learning here is that size really has always mattered - whether it's cars, ruff, or codpieces.
Our next historical menswear blunder followed this
trend of wealthy excess in the form of [magical swoosh and finger snap]
powdered wigs. Wigs certainly aren't new as the Ancient Egyptians carefully shaved their heads
and then wore wigs to protect them from the sun, and Queen Elizabeth the first had over 150 wigs
during her lifetime, but the powdered wig is a trend that we'd just as soon forget. It began
with French King Louis XII and boomed with his son and successor, Louis XIV. A head full of long and
luscious locks was seen to denote wealth, status, and class, so Louis commissioned many wigs - or
periwigs, as they were then called - to be made for him. Royal fashion trends tended to trickle
down to the rest of society, and this one was no different, with wig-wearing spreading throughout
Europe and even to America. To get rid of the odor that the wigs produced and to stop lice
and mites from infesting them, lavender-scented starch was used to powder the wigs. This is what
gave them their bluish-gray color. And even if men of the time didn't wear a wig, they still powdered
their own hair to follow the trend. Here in the 21st century, of course, all of this fuss seems
a little over the top, and we'd rather just wear a hat than a powdered wig. On a more serious note:
If you are looking for ways to deal with hair loss, Raphael can help you out in this video.
But, on a less serious note: What do you think? Can I pull it off? Let's actually
pull it off. Number eight on our list is a menswear mistake I probably would have
made myself if I were alive in the time of powdered wigs: tie on glasses. In the 1720s,
spectacles didn't have arms that were ergonomically bent to sit easily on the ears.
Because I guess that would have just made too much sense. Instead,
a piece of ribbon was tied through loops at the ends of the arms that
would go around the back of the head and then be secured in a knot,
effectively creating the world's least stylish pair of swim goggles. And because powdered wigs
were still all the rage at the time, as well you had to make the choice of whether you wanted
to appear stylish by tying your glasses over or under your powdered wig. Needless to say,
I'm definitely pleased that we don't have to put up with this one anymore,
and that we live in an era of stylish eyewear,
where you don't have to compromise on looks for functionality. Second to last on our list today
are the famous medieval pointy shoes, known alternatively as either crakows or poulaines.
This shoe style was popular between the 12th and 15th centuries, and they were so-called
because it's believed that they originated in the then-capital of Poland, Krakow. "Poulaine" refers
to the French souliers à la poulaine, which translates to "shoes in the Polish style."
The pointed toes of these otherwise soft shoes could reach impressive lengths up to 50 percent
the length of the foot, and the toes were often stuffed to ensure that you could still walk in
them. That way, they wouldn't be flopping around like you'd accidentally stepped on a slinky. As
far as footwear goes, though, these are famously impractical. During the Battle of Sempach in 1386,
the soldiers of the Duke of Austria, Leopold III, were forced to cut off the toes of their poulaine
shoes because they wouldn't allow for good mobility otherwise. This image was immortalized in
an illustration of the battle, where the severed tips of the shoes can be seen in the background.
So, when it comes to footwear, it seems as though these soldiers made the right choice by ditching
the long-pointed toe and opting for a more modest chiseled toe, even if it was by accident. And as
our final entry on today's list, we come to a menswear method more so than a specific item;
that is the trend of using shirts as underwear. The modern length of a shirt's tails is actually
around the shortest that they've ever been. Shirt tails used to be much longer reaching
to round about the knee or sometimes even past. So, before the age of boxers and briefs,
men would simply take these long shirt tails and use them to wrap up their nether regions
for an all-in-one shirt undergarment. If cartoons had existed back then,
I guess he would have been Spongebob Shirtpants? [heckler: Boo! You suck!] Now, considering
that people back then bathed far less frequently and also washed their clothes far less frequently,
the state of their shirts is really grossing me out. To be clear, undergarments in general aren't
a new invention, as they've existed in some form or another for millennia. And while this shirt
hack would have saved on buying separate undergarments or doing additional laundry,
there's no denying that it's just a little icky. So, now that we've brought this list of
menswear fails to a close, you can definitely see that, living here in the 21st century,
we're dodging some sartorial bullets. And, of course, it can be gratifying to look back and
see how far we've come. But, who knows where we might be in another few hundred years? The key
takeaway here, as Yves Saint Laurent famously said, is that "While fashions fade, style is
eternal!" And for that, we are certainly thankful. So, what did you think of today's list? Were any
of these fashion fails ones that you were previously unaware of or is there a doozy
that we missed today? Let us know in the comments below. In today's video, I'm wearing an outfit
that pays a bit of a subtle tribute to fashions of the past - setting aside the powdered wig,
that is. I'm working today with a blue and orange color palette, and the main elements
are my two-piece, navy blue suit from Suit Supply, which I'm wearing over a plain light blue French
cuffed shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt. For a bit of historical flair, I'm also, of course, wearing
an ascot in a bright orange and yellow color scheme with a floral, almost psychedelic pattern.
Meanwhile, my shoes are Adelaide Oxfords with a slight amount of broguing in a dark brown shade
from the Swedish brand Skolyx. And the remainder of my wardrobe elements today
are all from Fort Belvedere. We'll start with my two-tone, shadow-striped socks,
which are in midnight blue and royal blue to harmonize with my suit, as well as my shirt.
My cufflinks are our gold-plated, sterling silver eagle claw models, featuring blue lapis lazuli as
the stone. And further reinforcing the orange and yellow color feel, my boutonniere is a peach spray
rose, and my pocket square has a yellow body and a slightly bolder yellow x-stitch around
the edge. And, of course, you can find all of the Fort Belvedere accessories I'm wearing in today's
video in the Fort Belvedere shop, but we're not selling any powdered wigs - at least, not yet.
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