An Indian cashmere shawl was ingeniously remade into this man’s waistcoat from the 1780s. An attractive feature is the fringed ends of the shawl, which have been incorporated into the edge of the revers (lapels). Revers, or the ‘reverse’ of the coat or waistcoat front, appear in men’s fashionable dress during the 1780s. One of the innovations of this new style was to wear the revers of a brightly decorated waistcoat over that of the coat. This fashion was eventually assimilated into men’s evening dress and can be seen in the silk lapels found on all formal tail coats and dinner jackets.