Cranky Directoire

Incroyables and fashion		Pommel from the end of the eighteenth century; we see an Incroyable; the tail of the redingote wrapping on the shaft, as well as legs. He hold in hand eyeglass that he takes to his right eye. The delicacy of the work is enhanced by polychromatic parts. Catherine Dike's collection.
Under the period of the French Directoire, The shirt without jabot nor cuffs is hard to see but the neck is stiffly encased in a large muslin puffy tie, said "écrouellique" (of imprisoned). The fashion isn't always cranky. Elegant men wear the green or blue frock coat, quality fashioned at their measures, bare at the front.
The eccentric Incroyable loves the trousers "à pont" [1], which pucks, makes creases, buldges on the knee where it is fixed by buttons sued at the front or by a flow of ribbons; braces are necessary. The redingote or the frock coat show creases everywhere, are tight-fitting and give the appearance of a hunchback, wide lapels sprawling on the breast." The hairs, slightly powdered, then without powder, are brushed down over the temples in "oreilles de chien" (dog's ears) and turned-up in the back into a bun by a round comb, or cut "à la Brutus", "à la Titus" or curled "à la Caracalla". A spyglass, large spectacles simulate the myopia. The rough stick, then replaced by the switch.
		[1] Culotte à pont: short trousers that had a piece in front that butoned to the waist. Source: Historical boy's clothing website. Top

The hat is a truncated cone, high crowned and decorated with a three couloured cockade or it is a large cocked hat or an opera hat.

We can see on the illustration on the right the high crowned hat and the bourgeois's Cane. Source: the website Sépulchritude that has gathered intersting plates about the revolutionary period.

Directoire: name given to the "government that came after the one of the National Convention and governed the France from 5 Brumaire Year III to 18 Brumaire Year VIII", that is from 27 October 1795 to 9 November 1799."

It had been organized by the constitution of the 5 Fructidor of Year III, "that entrusted the legislative power to two assemblies, the Elder's Council and the Five Hundred's Council, and the executive power to five members elected by the constitution."

The executive Directoire is the name given to "the five members body, to which the constitution of Year III had entrusted, in France, the executive power." Source Larousse Paris, 1931

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