THE MET
Deep Purple Silk Velvet Double-Breasted Coat
Victorian Late / Bustle · 1880s · French
Production
handmade
Material
silk velvet
Culture
French
Influences
adult women's bustle coat styling · military-inspired double-breasted closure
A child's double-breasted coat in deep purple silk velvet featuring ten decorative buttons arranged in two parallel rows. The coat displays characteristic 1880s tailoring with a fitted bodice that extends into a flared skirt section, creating the fashionable bustle silhouette. The garment has long sleeves and a structured collar, both typical of Victorian formal children's wear. The rich velvet fabric shows subtle variations in color depth, appearing almost navy in certain areas. The coat's construction demonstrates skilled tailoring with precise button placement and clean lines that mirror adult women's fashion of the period, reflecting the Victorian practice of dressing children as miniature adults for formal occasions.
coatfit and flareknee length
Connected To
Influences·military-inspired double-breasted closure
SHARED10 years · cross-culture
These two Victorian children's coats reveal how military precision could be softened into childhood luxury through radically different approaches. The purple velvet coat doubles down on martial authority with its rigid double-breasted formation and gleaming metal buttons marching down like medals, while the cream wool coat transforms the same military DNA into something almost confectionery—those tiny pearl buttons climbing up through clouds of lace trim that would make a general blush.
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