Editing Tailcoat (section)

==History==
[[File:BrummellDighton1805.jpg|thumb|left|[[Beau Brummell]] wears a Regency period dress coat as daytime dress. The coat is able to close and the tails are knee length.]]
[[File:General Winfield Scott.JPEG|thumb|[[Winfield Scott]] wearing a tailcoat at the [[Battle of Veracruz]]]]
[[File:1939 tailcoat.jpg|thumb|A women's black wool tailcoat, 1939]]

===Shadbelly===
{{further|Shadbelly}}
In [[equestrianism]], a variant called a shadbelly is still worn in certain disciplines in its eighteenth-century role as daytime formalwear. It is basically a form of dress coat which is closer in cut to the early nineteenth-century style worn by [[Beau Brummel]] than to the modern version worn with evening formal dress. The male version of the shadbelly is often called a "weaselbelly".

===Levée dress coat===
{{see also|Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom}}
This is a type of dress coat traditionally worn with [[court dress]], until the mid-twentieth century. It was made of black velvet and traditionally worn at court, [[Levee (ceremony)|levées]], and evening state parties by those who did not wear uniforms. A version made of black [[barathea]] was also worn as [[Diplomatic uniform|diplomatic dress]].

It was single breasted with a stand-up collar, with plain gauntlet cuffs, and two three-pointed flap pockets on the waist seam. It had six metal buttons at the front, and two decorative buttons at the back. The body of the coat was lined with black silk, and skirts with white silk. It was worn with breeches, black silk hose, white bow tie, white gloves, and court shoes (pumps) with steel buckles. The front of the coat was cut away squarely like a standard dress coat.<ref>An example of such a levée coat can be seen at {{cite web|url=http://www.henrypoole.com/court_dress.cns|title=Henry Poole &mdash; Court Dress|access-date=2008-10-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013143033/http://www.henrypoole.com/court_dress.cns|archive-date=2008-10-13}}</ref>

=== Military coatee ===
{{further|Coatee}}
[[File:Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, engraving after John Kay, 1789.jpg|thumb|Military issue tail coat, 1789]]
From c. 1790 until after the [[Crimean War]], a red tail coat with short tails, known as a coatee, was part of the infantry uniform of the [[British army]]. The collar and cuffs were in the regimental colors and the coats had white braid on the front.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.19thfoot.co.uk/|title=19th Regiment of Foot, The Green Howards - Crimean War Impression|website=www.19thfoot.co.uk|access-date=2009-02-12|archive-date=2021-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422052118/https://www.19thfoot.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Elite light infantry units like the 95th Rifles were issued short green coats to provide camouflage and ease of movement.

The Americans issued a similar uniform in dark blue to enlisted men during the [[War of 1812]]. This remained in service until 1833 when it was replaced with a [[shell jacket]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jarnaginco.com/1812catframe.html|title=C&D Jarnagin 1812 Catalog in "Frames" mode|website=www.jarnaginco.com|access-date=2009-02-12|archive-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226015925/http://www.jarnaginco.com/1812catframe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Officers continued to wear tail coats until after the [[Mexican–American War|Mexican War]] when [[frock coat]]s became the standard field wear. By the time the [[M1858 uniform]] was introduced tail coats had been relegated to full dress.

The [[Royal Navy]] had an elaborate hierarchy of tailcoats for the officers, allowing further buttons and gilding according to rank and seniority. These were single-breasted for junior officers and double-breasted for those with the rank of lieutenant and above.

===Highland coatee===
{{further|Highland dress}}
This is worn with Highland dress, and has a square cut away front like a dress coat, but the tails are cut significantly shorter.

===Footman's coat===
{{further|Livery}}
This was worn as [[livery]], a servant's uniform. It was knee length with a sloped cut-away front like a morning coat. It was single breasted with a stand-up collar and gilt buttons. There were three-pronged side pockets similar in style to the levée dress coat.