When we think of the Regency era, most of us think of empire waist dresses, insane pompadours, and hot hook-ups in carriages. But it wasn’t all Bridgerton-style ripped bodices and intrigue in those days.
Though the fashion was undoubtedly cool, the Regency era was one where getting dressed was a major, time-consuming event. If you had any doubts about that, spend some time with the incredible TikTok account @pinsent_tailoring, in which a gay man walks you through every piece of period-appropriate attire you’d need to present as a gentleman in that era. And he does it very cheekily, of course!
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After spending what seems to the modern viewer like a truly crazy amount of time to get dressed, our narrator leaves us with an amazing result—and a few lovely peekaboo moments along the way.
Getting dressed in the Regency era was a momentous event, involving pantaloons, stockings, cravats, and top boots (for riding, of course.) And if you’re sweating just hearing about the insane amount of layering going on even at the peak of the British summer, don’t worry—you also get a fan as a nice fruity accessory!
But if getting dressed was this much of a production, getting undressed was even more of an event. They call Regency-era romantic tales “bodice-rippers” for a reason. With all that buttoning and unbuttoning, people (understandably) got impatient!
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Which makes you wonder why the custom of forcing men to wear a million layers of clothing stayed strong even up until the early 19th century, when Gilded Age men still had to show up in frock coats, ties, vests, and starched shirt fronts. And while these looks were probably not the most comfortable to wear, they are, admittedly, dazzling to look at.
Take, for instance, the beloved Gilded Age zaddy George Russell, aka “railroad daddy,” played with magnificent zaddiness by Morgan Spector.
While it’s a shame that the fashions of the time cause those magnificent thighs and perfect pecs to be covered up, there’s something to be said for the power of suggestion.
Whatever the era, the takeaway is clear. Clothed or bare, there are some men who stay gorgeous in every time period.
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