Today we're pleased to bring you the second installment of our new three-part mini-series, The Fashionable Rogue, which explores some of the possible historical inspirations behind Rhett Butler's wardrobe in Gone with the Wind. Last week, we looked at Rhett's white suit worn during the burning of Atlanta. This week we're bringing you an earlier sartorial selection by Captain Butler--the gray suit and black jacket combo he wore to tempt Scarlett with bonnets and bangles and lead her into a pit to present Scarlett with a very generous gift from the Rue de la Paix.
You'll find the fashion plate and corresponding GWTW screenshots for comparison after the jump. Check them out and let us know what you think!
 |
| Black suit coat with grey vest and pants. Gentleman's Magazine, 1853. |
Screenshots of Rhett's suit in Gone with the Wind.
A Small Bonus: And if you haven't had enough of Rhett's wartime wardrobe, you're in luck! We also found a fashion plate to go along with one of Rhett's most flamboyant clothing choices mentioned in GWTW the book: the "indescribably handsome" waistcoat made of "white watered-silk... with tiny pink rosebuds" (Gone with the Wind, Ch. XII). Although the fashion plate we've selected does precedes the Civil War era, men's fashion evolved at much slower rate than women's fashion in the mid-Victorian era, changing in generally minor ways from decade to decade.
Anyways, here's the floral creation in all its glory. It's definitely....memorable, no?
 |
| White waistcoat with flower embellishments. Modes de Paris, 1838. |
