Victorian Wedding Fashion: Tradition and Preparation for the Ceremony Part II. Dress of the groom
by Karen
The groom, like the bride, did not lag behind fashion and applied great care to his garb, referring to fashion magazines in search of a successful option. At the beginning of the Victorian era, the groom wore a frock coat of blue, dark red or burgundy color with a flower on the lapel. In 1865, special buttonholes appeared for this purpose. The waistcoat was usually white, and the suede trousers of lavender color, with black never an acceptable option. The chauffer and friends also wore frock coats, but with a more subdued tone. The grooms of the Wild West wore a flower from a bridal bouquet on the lapel of their best suit. By the middle of the Victorian period, the coat was replaced by a more elegant jacket. Some of the suitors still wore frock coats, combining them with black fabric vests, dark gray trousers, a wide neutral tie and lavender gloves with black trim.
The fashion of the late Victorian period was changeable. In 1885, gloves were not a necessary part of the outfit, but by 1886 they became an obligatory accessory. Men wore mostly pearl gloves with a black embroidered trim. By 1899 the frock coat returned to fashion, this time complete with a double-breasted light waistcoat, dark tie, gray striped cashmere pants, lacquered buttons and tinted leather gloves. Throughout the entire Victorian era, men could not do without a black hat. By the end of the Victorian era, the boutonnieres were large – complete with branches of the lily, gardenia, or the escape of stephanotis. If the wedding was in the evening, as English law allowed at that time, the men dressed in tails with white gloves and a vest. The bride's father dressed in concert with the groom and friends, in accordance with the time of day in which the wedding took place.
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