Privy Counsellor's Civil Uniform (Levée Dress) (coatee)

item details

NamePrivy Counsellor's Civil Uniform (Levée Dress) (coatee)

ProductionEde & Ravenscroft; tailor; 1931; United Kingdom

Classificationcoats, uniforms

Materialswool, gold, brass, silk

Materials SummaryVelour wool and silk velvet with gold embroidery and braid, gold thread and sequins, and gilt brass buttons

DimensionsOverall: 460mm (width), 1025mm (height), 0mm (depth)

Registration NumberPC001947

Credit lineGift of Michael Myers, 1979

Overview

The rich gold embroidery decorating this Privy Counsellor’s Civil Uniform coatee is real. It was made for high-ranking Privy Counsellor Sir Michael Myers, following strictly enforced British royal court dress rules. The presence of real gold gives the wearer power, authority and prestige.

Sir Michael Myers was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1931. He would have worn this uniform in London in 1936 when he became the first New Zealand-born member to sit on the Privy Council.

There were at least five ranks of civil uniform. The higher the rank, the wider the embroidery. Sir Myers was in the highest classes.

The British court dress code was more precise and enveloping than that even of Versailles and Vienna, but, the British wore their uniforms on fewer occasions. Uniforms were used by the British Empire to help instil confidence in its officials and respect in its subjects.