Official Wears Satin Breeches: Toronto Folk Are Startled

[Noble Savage]

Official Wears Satin Breeches
Ontario's Lieutenant Governor Appears in a Gorgeous Windsor Court Uniform.
TORONTO FOLK ARE STARTLED
People of Dominion Worrying Over the Safety of Their Holdings in Mexico.

[Special telegram to Gazette Times.]

TORONTO, Feb. 15.—When Sir John Gibson, lieutenant governor of the province of Ontario, arrived in state to open the Legislature the other day, he surprised the natives with his gorgeous Windsor uniform, including white satin knee breeches and white silk stockings. This is the first appearance of the white satin breeches at a state occasion in Toronto and the democrats, who, however, are not quite as numerous as one would expect from the professions of the nation, scarcely knew what to make of them.

White satin breeches have been the custom at Ottawa for some time—seven years, to be exact. They are the chief outward sign of a civil uniform of the second class, which is now the prerogative at state occasions in Canada of federal cabinet ministers, of privy councillors, whether they are in the cabinet or not and of lieutenant governors. Previous to seven years ayo these distinguished persons were entitled only to the civil uniform of the third class. This was not entirely satisfactory. In the first place, the third class uniform is not pretty. It has, it is true, gold braid and buttons, but it does not differ materially from a bellboy’s uniform—a sort of glorified combination suit—in its effect upon the eye. In the second place, it did not distinguish cabinet ministers from their deputies, who are also entitled to the third class uniform. Thirdly, it made them look cheap when they appeared at court functions over the sea. But lastly and chiefly, the third class uniform lacked the white satin breeches.

So there were years of envy and discontent and bickerings with the lord chamberlain until finally Sir John Han-bury-Williams, who was chief of staff for Earl Gray as governor general, secured a step up to second class uniform for the leading Canadian officials.

Breeches Fatal to Pioneer.

Since then the white satin breeches have come on with a rush. The first to wear them at a state function was Jabez Snowball, lieutenant governor of New Brunswick. He actually anticipated by some years formal consent, but figuratively he dared anyone to take them off him, and he got away with it. A visitor, a Maj. Wilcksbad, came nest, but he caught pneumonia and died. These these were the pioneers in the movement. Now the use of the white breeches is general, and they do say that they are worn by some who are not entitled to them. On the other hand a few of the old guard decline to adopt the new-fangled fancy dress. Sir Mackenzie Bonell formerly premier, now a remarkably active and bright nonogenarian, will have none of them. The old dark trousers are pood enough for him, and when he doesn't like that uniform he will dress “like a gentleman” in regular evening dress. But he is an exception. Officialdom has jumped at the white satin breeches, the $750 a suit being a small obstacle.

Sir John Gibson, who has introduced the white breeches to Toronto, believes in upholding provincial dignity, and he has pet an example which will no doubt be follpwed by all succeeding lieutenant governors here. Sir John is widely known in the United States as a past grand master of the Masonic order.

The Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Sunday, February 16, 1913. First Section—Page Four.

[Testudo_Aubreii]

Interesting. I take it they're talking about Official Court Dress ca. 1900, as here
http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/in ... ost&p=1673

That's Full Dress, which I understand nobody (?) now wears. Does anybody in Canada now wear the Informal Dress version, with blue trousers? Steven Point of British Columbia does, but does anyone else?

[Noble Savage]

Interesting. I take it they're talking about Official Court Dress ca. 1900, as here

ca. 1912: Dress worn at His Majesty's court : issued with the authority of the Lord Chamberlain (1912) http://archive.org/details/dresswornathisma00trenuoft

[Testudo_Aubreii]

Hmm. So that Levee Dress uniform is the third-class "bellboy's combination suit"? The coat is definitely less dressy than the full-dress coat.

So it seems that when Windsor Uniform is worn at all these days, it's the blue 1912 Full-Dress coat with the 1912 Levee-Dress trousers.

Was the red full-dress coat in my above link retired in favor of the blue coat?

[CaptainCook]

The red dress coat I believe is the uniform of the Lord Great Chamberlain.

Here is the Marquess of Cholmondeley, the current Lord Great Chamberlain:


Here is his grand father, the 5th Marquess in the same uniform:



As the original article alluded to, wearing riding breeches with court dress was not a common practice in Canada, dress trousers were worn instead, like Sir John A. Macdonald is wearing here:


and a more recent take on the uniform,
The Honourable Donald Ethell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta:


The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia also wears the Windsor Uniform, the female version simply substitutes the trousers for a full length skirt.

[Testudo_Aubreii]

Great images, thanks! So in the "Official Court Dress" in the 1890 Cutter's Practical Guide plate in Sator's post 9 in the above C&T thread, the gent modeled on Joseph Chamberlain is wearing the blue full-dress coat, not the red one? I guess it could be blue and not red.

I'm surprised that the sixth-ranking Great Officer of State is entitled to the red dress coat, but the others aren't. Could it be that all Great Officers are entitled to the red coat?

So is Macdonald wearing an incorrect version of what the original article calls "second-class uniform?" I.e., with trousers instead of breeches? Or is he wearing the third-class uniform? I'd thought the third-class uniform had the less fancy coat which the 1912 plate above describes as for Levee Dress.

[Testudo_Aubreii]

It appears that Kings of Arms can wear the red coat. Here is Norroy and Ulster KofA in 1984 wearing it. Of course, things may have changed since then:


http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/008.htm

[hectorm]

Captain Cook:
you have made your debut in the LL in grand style! I really enjoyed (and learnt from) your post.
Thank you very much