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Men's Clothing (Doublet), from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.

By Svetlana Kiseleva

July 16, 2021

18669

At all times, a suit has been an important part of the ideal male image.

Neither a knight in military uniform nor a nobleman in a luxurious outfit could do without him.

Doublet is one of the first samples of clothing, which at one time had a huge impact on the cut of the suit. Its development took place over three centuries.

Let's get acquainted with the concept:

Doublet (from French doublet) - men's clothing, widespread in Western Europe in the period from 1330s to 1660-1670s [1]. The doublet appeared primarily as a military vestment [8]. This was the first piece of clothing to fit snugly on the body. In the XV-XVI centuries, it was used as subarmor or independent armor with sewn-on pieces of chain mail, metal plates or thick leather

Military doublet 1550-1650 The creator is unknown. Europe.

The doublet replaced him. Male cotardie It was an elongated jacket with fasteners in the center of the front and a low-lying belt.

Fragment of medieval manuscripts. Around 1380 The Morgan Library. New York, USA

At different times, in European countries, people called the same clothes differently. Then the local names of the doublet appear.

The French version of the doublet is gippon - quilted camisole, detail of male and female costume of the 14th-15th centuries

Armor (jippon) made of red damask taffeta, made for fifteen-year-old Charles V (1338 - 1380), at the time when he was a dauphin. France, 1350 - 1353. Chartres Museum of Fine Arts.

In England, at the end of the 16th century, they began to call the doublet Jerkin – a tight-fitting sleeveless jacket worn over a doublet. Both were similar in their silhouettes.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Sir William Broadrick. 1614. Wandsworth Museum. London, England.

Basic doublet with XIV century was made of wool and linen lining.

Clothes could be slightly padded and quilted. By the middle of the century, a doublet is also found in a civilian suit. It was fastened in front, in the center, with the help of lacing or buttons. The doublets were long and simple sleeves tapering to the wrist.

The early doublets were tight-fitting clothing, tailored to accentuate the masculine physique. They had basques up to the middle of the thigh, on the inside of which there were holes for lacing and loops for tying separate highway stockings, and later stitched highway (breeches) [3,6,7].

Melozzo da Forli. Fresco. Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Chapel of Bessarion, mid-XV. Rome, Italy.

When stitching came into fashion highways, the length of the doublet was shortened. The chausses were fastened with laces with a doublet peplum that covered the space between the edge of the chausses and the man's waist.

Domenico Ghirlandaio. The Legend of Saints Giusto and Clement of Volterra, or The Miracle of the Bread of Saints Giusto and Clement. 1479 National Gallery, London, England

In the XIV century, the doublet was the underwear, it was worn under the capes. Further doublet continued to exist as an undergarment.

Since the middle of the 15th century, the doublet has become an outer garment.

It fit closely to the waist, it could have a low and wide v-neck that opened the shirt on the chest. Fastened in front with buttons or could be laced up. Sleeves are narrow, reaching the wrist, can be sewn in or attached with ties to the armhole

The author of the doll is George Stuart

It is important to note that among different strata of society this type of clothing did not differ in cut, but in material and richness of decoration. The shoulders and cuffs had slits for freedom of movement and were laced up. From the 15th century, a standing gate appeared [7]. By the end of the 15th century, many doublets did not have a basque at all or had only a rudimentary basque [8], which slightly covered the hips.

Albrecht Durer Self-portrait. 1498. Prado National Museum. Madrid, Spain.

In the 16th century, the cut of the doublet was influenced by the fashion for the "anatomical exaggeration" of the silhouette.

The author of the doll is George Stuart

The volume of the figure, the richness of the decoration showed the state of the master. The costumes of rich and noble people were sewn from expensive fabrics - velvet, brocade, silk, decorated with pearls, gold and silver embroidery. In front, from the high collar, there was a fastener, and the floors could be of different lengths: very short or up to the hip line. The sleeves have become large and fluffy around the rim. They are decorated with bolsters protruding above the shoulders or trimmed with strips of fabric fastened with rosettes with precious stones [5].

Unknown artist. Portrait of Henry VIII of England after drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger. 1600 - 1610 Weiss Gallery. London, England.

From the middle of the 16th century, the doublet became outerwear. From 1570 to the beginning of the 17th century. in some countries absurd styles of doublets were in vogue, making their owners look like a pea pod, giving the silhouette the shape of a “goose breast”. At this time, there is another name for the doublet - panseron (fr.le panseron).

Panseron was a variant of the doublet with a protruding top extending over the waist, creating an artificial bulge in the abdomen. The doublets were cut and padded, and the ledge was formed with glued linen and padding (a mixture of horsehair, wool, hair, hair, etc.) placed between the pad and outer fabric to form a raised belt. Sleeves could also be padded to give them a shape similar to a ram leg [2, 9].

Unknown author. 1578. Portrait of Sir Philip Sidney. National Portrait Gallery. London, England.

A fencing doublet with a goose bust silhouette - a rare example of 16th century men's clothing, c. 1580. Leather, silk, linen, cotton. Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, USA.

The doublet is decorated with silk embroidery, gold and silver metallic threads. The soft ribs on the chest, back and sleeves indicate that the doublet was intended as a protective garment during the practice of fencing, which was an integral part of every gentleman's education [2].

Doublet, early 1620s. Silk. France - Metropolitan Art Museum. New York, USA.

This unusual doublet is one of two surviving examples from the 1620s. Here we can see the cutouts on the sleeves on the back and chest.

Deliberately cutting the fabric was a popular decorative technique. This style made it possible to demonstrate snow-white shirts and shirts, which testified to the well-being of the owner.

Otto van Veen (Presumably). Painting of the Flemish family (Detail). Around 1625. Weiss Gallery.

To the middle XVII in. the shape of the doublet has been simplified.

The goose bust silhouette gradually fell out of fashion in favor of a more even, natural fit, and by 1625 the lining was more evenly distributed over the chest area [2].