Trying to get some writing done...and so I wind up spending the better part of an hour looking up whether mens frock coats circa 1830s had outer pockets.
I managed to find some online stores that sell patterns and so had some illos, and even a few sites with photos. But the best photos couldn't be enlarged, and the guys wearing the coats were holding their arms in such a way that I couldn't tell.
But. Inner pockets only, and pockets in the coattails, which is weird. But if the back of the coat is split, the man could just pull the tails around so he didn't sit on them...because otherwise it could get danged uncomfortable.
The dumb thing is that the clothes look wrong to me. They look too modern. I'm still expecting to see Colonial-era styles and have to keep telling myself that they would be decades out of date, even for folks in rural Illinois.
Pockets are a bad idea in really tightly tailored clothing, and it looks like most of the frock coats were tightly tailored in the 1830s - to the point that some men wore corsets! Somehow I don't think a shoulder holster is going to work for your protagonist either.
Given that the men in question live quite far from any major cities, I *think* their fashions would not be cutting edge. But still and all, no exterior pockets from what I can see.
My protag is a woman who is not with the frock coats wearing, nope.
I think you're right - that people who were of different social classes than the extremely wealthy, and people who lived far from fashion would have a little more relaxed view on clothing. Also, it depends on character. My husband's grandfather was a dandy, and dressed up for everything. He was quite dashing. But photos of him with other men often show a very wide gap between the way he dressed and the other men dressed.
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winterfish
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Date: 2008-10-27 01:45 am (UTC)*spent more hours than I care to count last week looking at frock coats*
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Date: 2008-10-27 02:25 am (UTC)But. Inner pockets only, and pockets in the coattails, which is weird. But if the back of the coat is split, the man could just pull the tails around so he didn't sit on them...because otherwise it could get danged uncomfortable.
The dumb thing is that the clothes look wrong to me. They look too modern. I'm still expecting to see Colonial-era styles and have to keep telling myself that they would be decades out of date, even for folks in rural Illinois.
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Date: 2008-10-27 03:38 am (UTC)Adrianne
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Date: 2008-10-27 03:47 am (UTC)My protag is a woman who is not with the frock coats wearing, nope.
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Date: 2008-10-27 04:38 pm (UTC)I think you're right - that people who were of different social classes than the extremely wealthy, and people who lived far from fashion would have a little more relaxed view on clothing. Also, it depends on character. My husband's grandfather was a dandy, and dressed up for everything. He was quite dashing. But photos of him with other men often show a very wide gap between the way he dressed and the other men dressed.
A