I made this for myself to attend a fairytale themed banquet. I decided to be Rumplestiltskin and chose to set him in the Empire period as opposed to medieval. I did this for two reasons: 1. The Brothers Grimm compiled and published the first edition of their fairy tales in this time period and 2. I have always been fascinated with men's clothes of the early 19th century. I find these two points especially interesting because the solidification of Germany in particular, and the very concept of national identity in general, was just becoming a reality at this time; Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm's efforts to catalogue the indigenous folklore of the Germanic speaking people being of no small contribution to this very thing, and also the fact that the modern mode of male costume, the suit, was being sartorially revolutionized and set on the path to tailored perfection in this period, starting ostensibly with Beau Brummel and his dandies.
My main Design goals were to Firstly maintain historical accuracy as much as possible, particularly regarding silhouette and construction, and Secondly to incorporate a Teutonic flavor to color and texture. The modern suit was being pioneered in Britain in what is now known as The Regency, while in France this neo-classicalism was known as Empire Style, and in the Teutonic states, The Biedermeier style. I used as many primary sources regarding patterning and tailoring as I could as well as incorporating as many period specific hand sewing techniques to maintain the former goal the later goal I pursued using mostly my artistic "gut feelings."