Der herrlich biedere Mann: Vom Siegeszug des bürgerlichen Herrenanzuges im 19. Jahrhundert

The peacock goes gray: at the end of the 18th century, the sober three-piece men's suit is born. It is an act of bourgeois rebellion against aristocratic grandeur. In the 19th century, this masculine shell loses its color and pattern. Its form solidifies and eludes the system of constant change of styles. From then on, the playful, pleasurable shaping of one's own person is attributed to the female gender character. The change of fashion becomes a woman's business and finally the symbol of the woman par excellence. Men, on the other hand, who do not cultivate a businesslike demeanor, who want to please instead of convincing through discretion, are accused of unmanliness. The book focuses on the man, who has so far been neglected in the history of clothing. Through this artifice, the "gendering of fashion" becomes clear: the signs of clothing now primarily distinguish male "anti-fashion" from female fashion. At the same time, a momentous structural change takes place in production and distribution: the tailor working for customers is displaced by the trade with increasingly industrially produced ready-made clothing. Fashion thus becomes affordable for the masses for the first time. The guiding principle of the bourgeoisie becomes established for the whole of society.