This French waistcoat is remarkable for the richness and complexity of its techniques. The satin ground is woven with black silk plush dots and overlaid with white silk net. Embroidered elements including coiled wire, metal strip, faceted quartz and silver-gilt sequins,complete the design.

The waistcoat illustrates the judicious use of expensive materials: sequins are used only where they will be seen and the waistcoat's back is of sturdy flannel.

This splendid waistcoat illustrates the vogue in England for yellow silk embroidery on linen ground that decorated both dress and furnishings in the early eighteenth century.

Although the design is not symmetrically arranged on the fronts, the waistcoat was nonetheless embroidered to shape. As was customary, only the parts visible under the coat were embellished, leaving the upper sleeves and back plain.

A profusion of color and pattern creates an eye-catching effect in this man's waistcoat from the mid-eighteenth century. The shading of the floral-and-foliate motifs and their naturalistic rendering are typical of English woven silks and needlework during the rococo period.

The range of stitches in this example - satin, long-and-short, stem, and French knots - and the twilled linen and cotton ground are characteristic of crewelwork pieces, both dress and furnishing, that were executed by women at home.

At the turn of the eighteenth century, voluminous wigs were fashionable for men whose own hair was cut short or shaved. When a gentleman relaxed at home without his wig, he wore an undress cap. Decorative as well as functional, these caps were made of various materials including embroidered silk and linen and woven silk.

The blue silk faille is richly embroidered with two kinds of silver metallic thread. The stylized floral and foliate motifs are executed in padded satin stitch and couching, maximizing the reflective quality of the silver. Sophisticated designs such as this were often taken from pattern books which provided both inspiration and instructions.