Spencer jacket is able to decorate the figure, stretching the silhouette and forming beautiful proportions. And he appeared thanks to the inventiveness of the ancestor of Princess Diana ...
Ralh lauren
What is a spencer jacket?
Trussardi
Spencer today is called a short, approximately to the waist, female or male jacket or jacket. Spencer, as a rule, has long sleeves, it can be single-breasted or double-breasted, tailored or freer, it can have a collar and lapels or not, female models can also have a basque. A modern spencer in everyday fashion is rather a women's wardrobe; in men's fashion, it is considered a kind of evening wear along with a tuxedo and dress coat.
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How Spencer Appeared: Three Legends of Princess Diana's Ancestor
Lord John George Spencer, who invented the jacket
According to historical information, the spencer appeared at the end of the 18th century, or rather, in the 1790s. It is named for its inventor, the English lord, Earl John George Spencer. A graduate of Cambridge, a politician who served as Minister of the Interior in 1806-1807, he was a famous bibliophile and put together a huge collection of books, including tens of thousands of volumes, including early prints. No less than his library, Spencer became famous for the invention of a short jacket / jacket, variations of which are still popular.
How this happened is not known for certain. There are three main legends.
According to the first, the lord, dressed in a tailcoat, either dozed off in a chair near the fireplace, or stood too close to the fire, and set fire to the halyards. Having shown resourcefulness, Spencer cut them off, shortening the tailcoat (option: ordered a shortened tailcoat from the tailor) - this is how a new piece of clothing appeared.
The second legend says that Spencer cut off the longs of his long jacket while hunting, catching on the spiky rosehip bushes, and then upgraded the model by shortening his jacket so that no more such troubles would happen.
The third version of events is the most interesting. According to her, the lord, who was very fond of betting, argued with his friends that he could come up with an absurd and useless piece of clothing, which, despite this, would become popular. As a result, a spencer appeared.
And here is Princess Diana? Lord Spencer was her paternal direct ancestor. By the way, the princess also wore jackets invented by her ancestor:
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What happened with the jacket next?
Shot from the film "Northanger Abbey" (2006) based on the novel by Jane Austen
But before Spencer began to wear Princess Diana, a lot of time passed. After the invention, the short double-breasted jacket, which looked more like a jacket, became popular first among men, and soon among women, becoming not necessarily double-breasted and having acquired a certain variety of cut. The heyday of the popularity of the Spencer came in the 1790-1820s. They wore it as casual clothes, put them on, for example, for walking or going out in the countryside, and they were complemented by elegant sets. The jacket could be made of velvet or cotton, satin or wool, be concise or adorned and decorated. For ladies, a very short spencer, approaching a bolero in length, turned out to be convenient, since then they wore Empire style dresses. For example, a lady in a spencer (and a boy in brown trousers - also in a similar jacket), an illustration of the 1800s:
And this is a set with a cotton Spencer jacket, France, 1815:
Also, a similar cut clothing was used (and is used) as a front-dress uniform for military officers.Female models of Spencers could also have references to military uniforms:
Even for female spencers of those times, lantern sleeves, characteristic of the then Empire style, were often used:
The popularity of female spencers in such their embodiment came to naught with the end of the popularity of empire silhouette dresses, because it was very convenient to wear this jacket complete with such dresses. In the XIX and XX centuries, the name Spencer extended to the designation of different models of short jackets, jackets, coats and some types of jackets or raincoats.
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Spencer: modernity
A modern women's spencer jacket can look very different.
Peruvian Connection / Trussardi
He can refer both to a military uniform, and to a tailcoat ...
Ralph Lauren / Michael Cors Collection
But this is completely optional.
Aquilano.Rimondi / Louis Vuitton
Spencer jacket is good with dresses of different cuts and styles, with skirts and trousers, both wide and narrowed. Such shortened models of jackets are able to create harmonious proportions and visually make legs longer.
Below are a few patterns of similar cropped jackets:
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Photo: Marines.mil, collections.lacma.org, libertabooks.com, Victoria and Albert Museum, collections.lacma.org
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