Rediscovering the ‘Windsor Uniform’

Our January meeting was originally to feature Adie Hess talking to us about the mysterious kohl-eyed decadent Luisa Casati, but Adie subsequently realised she would possibly not be in the country at the time. Instead, I'm delighted that Zack Pinsent (or "TV's Zack Pinsent", to give him his full title) volunteered to jump in and speak to us instead.

As you may know, some years ago Zack decided to eschew modern clothing and wear nothing but Regency attire, and his talk was entitled The Windsor Uniform: George III’s Jeans and T-Shirt. It examined a form of dress created by George III—possibly, Zack feels, in response to the dwindling of various monarchies around the world at the time—as a dress code for all courtiers, and as a way for George not to have to think about what to wear each day. Known as the Windsor Uniform, it effective superseded all other uniforms, meaning that George did not have to worry about what to wear if he was spending time with one military regiment of another.

Zack's journey began with the desire to recreate the Windsor Uniform—and he gave his talk while wearing the finished outfit. But the process was hampered by the fact that none of the originals is extant, and illustrations show that it clearly evolved over time. Tailoring manuals gave elliptical instructions, sending Zack on a hunt, for example, to find out exactly what a "French riding sleeve" was.

You can see a video of Zack giving his talk on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ErgavKta1bE and you can see still photos from the evening at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheridanclub/albums/72177720313870258.