Full Dress Suit (habit à la française)
From the beginning of the 18th century men wore a three-piece suit, the habit à la française. The prescribed combination as of mid-century consisted of a light waistcoat with dark knee breeches and a jacket. The pattern of the embroidery served to unify the pieces of this suit. The fabric was already embroidered before being cut and sewn to fit. This method of embroidery was called à la disposition.