Syurtuk originally - this is the upper men's double-breasted clothing with long floors, a turn-down collar and wide lapels. It is a short, usually fitted, double-breasted coat. A kind of frock coat is a redingote - men's or women's clothing with long floors. Syurtuk appeared in England in the 1720s as a riding suit. At first, the readings were not much different from the usual frock coat, but later became longer. In 19th-century Russia, a frock coat was an ordinary urban dress (see the photo of such a frock coat, which is presented below).
Origin of the word
The name comes from the French word surtout - "on top of everything."
To the question "what is a frock coat?" Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary answers the following:
A surtuk is a kind of long double-breasted jacket, usually in the waist.
In addition, the academic dictionary gives such a definition of a frock coat, and what it is we clearly present:
Syurtuk ( obsolete sertuk) is a double-breasted jacket, long as a coat, usually fitted.
What is a frock coat, we figured out. The following is an example of the use of this word - it can be seen in the book of S. T. Aksakov "Stories of my acquaintance with Gogol":
A syurtuk, like a coat, replaced the dress coat that Gogol wore only to the utmost extreme. The very figure of Gogol in a frock coat became more beautiful.
History of a frock coat
Syurtuk appeared in the 18th century in England, and on the territory of modern Russia in the middle of the 19th century. The name comes from fr. surtout - "on top of everything." In French itself, it is known as paletot or redingote, in English - frock coat. Unlike the dress coat, which was a weekend, an official outfit, a frock coat was everyday clothing of the upper and middle layers of the population. It also served as a uniform for civil servants, and in some countries was considered an element of a military uniform.
During the XIX century, the length of the frock coat, as well as the location of the waist, changed. In addition, the shape of the sleeves was constantly improved - with and without puffs. The sleeves were even narrowed or had sockets. At the beginning of the XX century. the frock coat was replaced by a business card and a jacket. Now this wardrobe item is worn as an element of a formal suit or just fans of the classic style.
What a frock coat is made of
Syurts, as a rule, were heavy wardrobe items, which gave them more solidity and elegance. The composition of the materials used when sewing frock coats is diverse: from budget synthetic to expensive, including alpaca wool. Three main materials used in sewing can be distinguished:
- Mixtures: the most common fabrics made in different proportions of wool and polyester. As a rule - 60% and 40%, respectively.
- Pure wool.
- Special fabrics: very rare due to their high cost. As part of these, you can find alpaca and vicuna wool, as well as natural silk.
Modern use
Despite the fact that in 1936, on the orders of King Edward VIII, the obligatory official attire was canceled in the British royal court, the frock coat - the embodiment of all modern civilian clothes at that time - did not completely disappear.
Some modern weddings can not do without a groom dressed in a frock coat - a civilian or military option. A vivid example is the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. He and his brother, Prince William, chose military versions of frock coats. Photos from this event are presented below.
Tailor and renovator Tommy Nutter could often be met dressed in a frock coat. An example of this thing becoming fashionable at the beginning of the 21st century is the autumn issue of the 2012 Prada magazine, in which these types of outerwear were largely represented. In addition, frock coats in various colors, except black, have been preserved until now in the uniform of the staff of some hotels. Also, this type of clothing was preserved in the women's wardrobe.
Military version of a frock coat
The first military frock coats were issued at the end of the Napoleonic Wars for the French infantry line and Prussian troops. In order not to mess up the expensive coat in a military campaign, the French began to put on a loose single-breasted jacket with a bright collar and cuffs. Photos of the coat of the French army, see below.
Also, in order to save money, the Germans, who became bankrupt during the war years, could not afford a complex and expensive form. Therefore, their army chose a cap and a blue jacket, again with a bright collar and cuffs. By the 1840s, frock coats entered the American, Prussian, Russian and French armies. During the Mexican War, US officers were first given dark blue dresses with golden epaulettes and caps of the German army pattern. The United States Marine Corps received a double-breasted frock coat with a scarlet edging and a scarlet shako. This was done in order to emphasize the status of an elite unit.
Frock coat era sunset
Roughly in the 1880s, during the era of King Edward, a new riding coat with the name "Newmarket" began to come into fashion. Gradually, a new type of clothing began to be called a business card, which began to displace the frock coat as casual and weekend clothes. The business card was gradually becoming more and more popular, like everyday comfortable urban clothing, a good alternative to a frock coat. However, they were used on an equal footing - that is a business card, that a frock coat. This situation has developed due to the conservatism of some and the desire for innovation of others.
The business card became especially popular among fashionable and young, and adult and conservative gentlemen began to wear a frock coat more and more often. The business card gradually pushed aside the frock coat, which they began to use only in business and formal situations. In the end, only state and diplomatic employees began to wear it.
The modern suit was once used only as clothing of the intelligentsia for relaxing at the cottage or the coast, but in the mid-19th century its popularity began to grow rapidly. He took on the role of a more informal alternative to a business card for everyday wear. The more fashionable a business card becomes, the more it becomes uncomfortable, and the more acceptable a suit becomes as an unofficial alternative.
At major events during the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919, heads of government were dressed in frock coats, but at more informal meetings they wore business cards or even modern suits. In 1926, King George V of England expedited the rejection of his frock coat when he surprised the public by appearing at a business card at the opening of a flower show in Chelsea. Syurtuk barely βsurvivedβ in the 1930s only as a form of court personnel, until he was finally officially canceled in 1936. Since then it has been used very rarely, although it has not completely disappeared.