A man in high society wore a three-piece suit called a habit à la française, consisting of:

• Justaucorps: Long coat with a wide skirt, often in silk or velvet, richly embroidered. 
• Waistcoat: It should fall below the waist and cover the trouser buttons, often in contrasting fabric with embroidery. 
• Trousers: Knee-length, tight-fitting, with knee braces. The trousers should really fit tightly, not fall down over the calf. 
• Shirt: White with ruffles at the neck and cuffs. White cravat. 
• Socks: Silk socks and shoes with buckles. 
• Wig: Powdered, with rolled sides and tail. Hairpiece. Or your own long hair styled. 
• Accessories: Tricorn hat, gloves and often a cane.

Please note!

It can be difficult and very expensive to obtain these embroideries, and we understand that. But the important thing here is that the overall impression and silhouette are as historically accurate as possible. If you are unsure, choose plain fabrics rather than patterned ones.

Make sure to make your own, buy or borrow a wig that is styled according to the fashion of the time. Unfortunately, not just any wig is suitable for this purpose.

The wig

Choose a wig in shades of grey, and it should be powdered, not shiny. The appearance of the wig varied, but the basic style was combed back at the top and curled at the sides, with the rest of the hair in a ponytail and preferably a hair pouch in black silk.

A hair pouch in the 18th century was a bag of fabric, often black, which was used to gather and hold together the hair at the back of a man's neck, and sometimes also the hair of the wig. It was then tied with a ribbon or bow. The style varied and could be short, long, wide or narrow.

Hair pouches were used by both men with their own hair and those who wore wigs.