The Zehnler Coat is a style of men's attire commonly worn in the wealthier echelons of society. While being of the most current style and fashioned out of the best materials money can pay for, it is kept in a style to resemble the clothing of a common worker. Most of the upper society is completely oblivious how tone-deaf this fashion is in the face of brutal working conditions and extreme poverty most workers live in.
Main pieces
The attire consists of a long sleeved shirt of usually pale color with a dark brown or grey vest above it. Long, streight trousers in a similar dark tone ar worn combined with calf high boots. The boots have a thin sole and almost no heel. Typically, a cap is worn matching the color of the vest, even at indoor gatherings. The outfit is often complimented with multiple high quality accessoires, alluding to the customs of the worker's class.
Accessoires
Chest and back
Coin on chest
On the left side of the vest, right above the heart,a coin is sewn into the fabric. Typically of pure gold, it is often specially minted with the owner's crest. The coin is alluding to the
Zehnel a worker would keep in their breast pocket at all times. This coin is meant to be the last payment of their
Copperbound Contract in the case of their passing, otherwise it is unclear who would pay for their burial.
Vest Clasps
The growing popularity of the Zehnler Coat almost completely replaced the usage of metal clasps for vests within the nobility. Instead, just like their worker counterparts do for their coats, the vest is held closed by wooden clasps. Not any wood would do, of course, but high quality golden
Assenbirch or the rare silver Sheynpine.
Neckerchief
A common accessoire popular both with the workers as well as the elite is a colorful neckerchief. Where it is made out of rough fabric, dyed with cheap solutions, the elite wears elegant satin neckerchiefs, dyed with the very best colors supplied by the famous shop
Leaf And Let Dye. Often, these neckerchiefs are intrically embroidered and tucked into the vest with very special care. Typically, the familly's color and crest are used.
On Arms and in Hand
Metal Should Markings
On the left shoulder there are metal stripes worked into the fabric to denote the person's rank or station. In most cases, this only denotes the family with an engraved crest on the stripe - but in the case of military, these mimick the rank insignias. This concept mimicks the marking on a worker's coat, which denotes the factory they work in and to which the coat belongs.
Valuable Dust
Many coats have the illusion of dust on the shoulders, by having golden or silver dust worked into the fabric. This alludes to the deeply settled dust seen at miner's outfits.
Tears and Stitching
The armes are covered in tears, skillfully stichted together with colorful threads. The tears were done pruposefully and often form spirals or flowers or other imagery. The colors usually match the neckerchief.
Fine Gloves
Gloves are of fine material with nice embroidery but without fingertips. Workers often cut the fingertips off to wear gloves too small for them or to keep working with them even in freezing workingplaces.
Great start already I will definetly return when you are further along :) This really is some dark humor of the elite to mimick those poor workers. Even that gold dust on the shoulders that really must sting :p