Elope Admiral Bicorn Hat

Product Information

Few historical figures can be identified so easily by their hats as Napoleon Bonaparte. The bicorne, a headpiece originally designed for equestrian activities that became a male standard in the 18th century, was worn so frequently by the Emperor of the French that it has become a defining feature of his dress. Until about 1965 Foreign Office Regulations and Consular Instructions had required even junior foreign service officers to acquire this formal dress, following completion of their probation period. However, by the end of the 20th century the use of this uniform had greatly diminished. Sergey Lavrov, Igor Ivanov". Sulekha. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013 . Retrieved 23 October 2013. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, center, both wearing official Russian diplomatic uniform, and Head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yevgeny Primakov, former Prime Minister, share a laugh after a meeting marking the professional holiday in Moscow, Wednesday, 10 Feb. 2010. (AP Photo) The current Swedish diplomatic uniform consists of a dark blue tailcoat with gold olive-leaf embroidery on the collar, chest and cuffs with gilt buttons. Dark blue trousers with gold stripes, dark blue cape and a bicorne with a white plume are also worn, plus white gloves and a gilt smallsword. Of the 120 felt bicornes produced by the Parisian hat maker Poupart & Cie. for Napoleon, only twenty to thirty have survived. The model that will be auctioned off at Bonhams in October, which experts have described as the "hat of the winter military campaigns", was reportedly worn during the battles of Jena and Auerstadt in 1806 and is believed to be the only one of the emperor's hats to bear traces of his DNA. Horace Vernet, 'Napoleon I passing in front of the troops at the battle of Jena, October 14, 1806', 1836, oil on canvas, Palace of Versailles. Photo public domain

Several non-European courts adopted European-style diplomatic uniforms during the 19th century. Notably, Japan during the Meiji Revolution introduced European uniforms instead of traditional clothing for all officials in 1872. [1] The Ottoman court was another non-European court that adopted the uniforms, which were introduced during the Tanzimat period. The final period during which the majority of diplomatic services retained formal uniforms for the accredited members of their overseas missions was that prior to World War II. A detailed study of contemporary uniforms, both military and civil, published in 1929 [2] gives descriptions of the diplomatic uniforms still being worn by representatives of the majority of states then in existence. These included most European nations and a number of Latin American and Asian countries. It is however noted that several states which had only been created following World War I, had not adopted diplomatic uniforms and that others had discarded them. The uniforms described are nearly all of the traditional style of bicorne hat and tailcoat with braiding according to grade, from third secretaries to ambassadors. Consular staff were less likely to have authorised uniforms than their diplomatic colleagues and where consular uniforms existed they were generally of simpler style. As an example, the British Consular Service had silver braiding rather than the gold of diplomats. [3] a b c Schuyler, Eugene (1886). American Diplomacy and the Furtherance of Commerce. Scribner's. pp. 62–63 (2009 reprint). ISBN 978-1-150-20435-7. Officers edit Ceremonial Day Dress edit Ceremonial Day Dress, as worn by Vice-Admiral Sir Adrian Johns Imperial Household Ordinance No. 12 2 May 1947. Kōshitsurei oyobi fuzoku hourei haishi no ken ( 皇室令及附属法令廃止ノ件)

About

Osakabe, Yoshinori (April 2010). 洋服・散髪・脱刀 : 服制の明治維新 [ Western Clothes, Cut Hair, No Swords: The Meiji Restoration of Clothing] (in Japanese). Kodansha Ltd. ISBN 978-4-06-258464-7.

Main article: Court uniform and dress in the Empire of Japan Hiroshi Saitō, the Japanese ambassador to the United States, wearing the Imperial Japanese diplomatic uniform with its distinctive paulownia embroidery (1937) Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police in full dress uniform. [3] Davis, Robert Ralph (1968). "Diplomatic Plumage: American Court Dress in the Early National Period". American Quarterly. 20 (2): 164–179. doi: 10.2307/2711029. ISSN 0003-0678. JSTOR 2711029. a b c Israėli︠a︡n, Viktor Levonovich (2003). On the battlefields of the cold war: a Soviet ambassador's confession. Penn State Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-271-02297-0. Main article: Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom Historic edit Sir Edward Malet wearing the old-style Ambassador's uniformThe bicorne was widely worn until World War I as part of the full dress of officers of most of the world's navies. It survived to a more limited extent between the wars for wear by senior officers in the British, French, US, Japanese and other navies until World War II but has now almost disappeared in that context. a b Diplomatic Protocol 2.0: Tradition and Innovation at the service of foreign affairs (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy. 2014. [ dead link] Law No. 203 1 July 1954. Act on the Adjustment of Cabinet and Prime Ministerial Laws and Ordinances ( 内閣及び総理府関係法令の整理に関する法律, Naikaku oyobi sourifu kankei hourei no seiri ni kansuru houritsu) In 1825, the white breeches were replaced by trousers for officers serving in the United Kingdom, although the practice of wearing white trousers with naval uniforms (popularly known as “Wei-Wei Rig”) continued for officers serving overseas (e.g. in the West Indies and China) until 1939. Throughout the nineteenth century, there was great variation; officers paid for their own uniforms, and often adapted it to fit civilian fashion of the time, as the Admiralty regulations were not highly prescriptive. [1]