The Fatal Cravat

[louiselux]

Writing crack AUs with emungere means I get to research all kinds of nice things, like the types of undergarments worn by 19th century gentlemen who are about to be ravished by highwaymen. For example. Also, the whole of polite society was obsessed with cravats. It's true.

The Art of Tying the Cravat demonstrated in Sixteen Lessons; including Thirty-Two Different Styles

"When a man of rank makes his entree into a circle distinguished for taste and elegance, and the usual compliments have passed on both sides, he will discover that his coat will attract only a slight degree of attention, but that the most critical and scrutinizing examination will be made on the set of his cravat.

Should this unfortunately, not be correctly and elegantly put on - no further notice will be taken of him... all eyes will be occupied in examining the folds of the fatal cravat."

Shock! Social death!! I am guessing this book sold a lot, somehow...

Also, working on the idea that at least one of my flist knows about 19th century gentlemen's underpants, what did they wear under their clothes? Nice linen drawers?

eta: Between a Gentleman and His Tailor

Comments

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

The history of men's underwear (http://manstouch.com/mensunderwear/historyofmensunderwear.html)! Wikipedia underwear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwear)!

The answer seems to be - anything they could afford! Mmm, scratchy woolly knickers. No wonder the sojers stood so straight.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Ha! Thanks for the links. :)

Oooh, chafing woollen underpants - nice!

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

So that look on Sean Bean's face in Sharpe (phwoarrr!) was actually due to scratchy wooly underpants huh! ^__^ ...although what 19th C would be a little later than the period in Sharpe right? Uh...my ENglish history is so baaad!...

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Sean Bean! *drifts into reverie*

I don't know when Sharpe was set, I failz.

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

19th century gentlemen who are about to be ravished by highwaymen

*rubs hands in glee*

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Heee! :D

[mendax.livejournal.com]

Whee! The cravat thing reminds me of Percy Blakeney, and that just makes me happy.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew has only this to say about 19th c. gentlemen's undergarments: "Shirts and underwear were of linen. It was cool, long wearing, and easily washed ... The upper classes wore linens made to a thin consistency"

Very much looking forward to the crack AU. Ravishing! Highwaymen!

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Yay! :D

Hmmm, thin linen. That's very useful, thanks!

[sedens.livejournal.com]

*raising hand from the back corner* C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington, The History of Underwear. Wonderful book!

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[sedens.livejournal.com]

Oh, dammit. The title is actually The History of Underclothes. My brain works on time-delay sometimes.

[emungere.livejournal.com]

All these comments are more useful than what I found, which is several long rants by 19th century German men about how it was unhealthful for women to wear underwear at all, due to the build up of moisture, leading potentinally to disease and rot! Thanks, old German dudes.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Heee! I wonder if that ranting lead to the invention of Dr Jaeger's Sanitary Woollen System? Which these days is just Jaegaer, aka pricy clothes for posh women.

Usefulnesss! I am glad. Are you writing more about underthings or do you want me to?

[emungere.livejournal.com]

It is up to you. How bored are you at work?

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

I is busy. Woe!

Plz rite moar.

[emungere.livejournal.com]

kay!

[emungere.livejournal.com]

PS: Is there some way we can justify calling this story The Fatal Cravat? There must be, surely.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

I am sure we can think of something! Maybe someone is strangled to death with his own perfectly starched and creased necktie.

[emungere.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! And Gojyo gets the blame for it and that's why the sheriff goes after him?

[new-kate.livejournal.com]

Clearly! The fatal error in the tying of cravat caused the unfortunate gentleman to flee the social gathering in dismay and inner turmoil, and he only found solace in the arms of a highwayman who knew nothing about the gentle art of cravat-tying so all his eyes were occupied in examining the contents of the gentleman's linen undergarments!
Plus, gravats were probably awesome for bondage. Were they pure silk?

[emungere.livejournal.com]

Starched white linen, apparently, 12" by 60". Perfect for bondage indeed. Also:

If one wrinkle was too deep or too shallow, the cloth was thrown aside. Once, when a visitor saw Brummell's valet carrying an armload of lengths of tumbled white clothes as he descended from his master's dressing room, he asked what the man was taking away and was informed, "These are our failures, sir."

Such dedication! The highwayman should by all means divest him of his ill tied cravat, and of everything else. I'm sure he'll feel much better once he's less...restricted.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

I rather liked that bit too.

Mmm, cravat bondage. It would probably make a good gag too. I'm just sayin.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Yes! Hence the rising desperately through the tangled undergrowth!

[toscas-kiss.livejournal.com]

Social death by cravat? [raise eyebrow]

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Heh. Not literal death. I hope.

[viridian5.livejournal.com]

We will not speak of the cravat-tying failures. They always disappeared in the night and were never heard from again. As it should be.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

And their whalebone stiffeners shall be taken and passed out only among those worthy souls who have perfected the Cravatish Arts.

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

ooh! rubs hands in glee and anticipation!

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

It shall be ready for presenting to a discerning public at the end of July!

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha! Can I wait two months?...does Hazel make a cameo appearance? He just seems so right you know he has the look and he WOULD be the type to worry about not having tied his correctly. Sorry...*slinks away!*

[aqua-eyes.livejournal.com]

*____*

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Heee!

[aqua-eyes.livejournal.com]

Since I watched the Scarlet Pimpinel cravats have been love.

Of course the thought of him being removed from said cravat (and undergarments) also has vast appeal all on its own. ;)

[cicer.livejournal.com]

Writing crack AUs with emungere means I get to research all kinds of nice things, like the types of undergarments worn by 19th century gentlemen who are about to be ravished by highwaymen.

I wholeheartedly approve of this activity. :D

Hee! And woe to the poor gentlemen who couldn't manage a good cravat-tie. Were they thrown out into the streets? Disowned by their families? One assumes they were at least shunned by polite society for their inability to learn the noble art of cravat-arranging. If they were thrown from their homes, I hope they at least met a nice highwayman to take proper care of them!

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Right! A nice highwayman, who hopefully might not prioritise cravats quite so much.

[baka-gaijin.livejournal.com]

oooooh.. the Dynamic-AU-Crackfic-Duo of Dooom: emungere!louiselux are working on a fic! I am extremely happy just thinking about the possibilities. XD

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Awwww, thanks. :D

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

I love that gentlemen in that era were so fucking bored that they spent their time stressing over cravats.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

Right! And the tightness of their nankeen breeches, too, apparently. The aim was to look as much like a marble statue as possible.

This was all Beau Brummel's fault, it says here, because suddenly everyone was obsessed with being clean and perfectly creased.

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

I hate to blame him too much, though, because he also encouraged bathing.