On this holiday of freedom from tyranny, including the tyranny of conventional expectations, it seems appropriate to spend a moment admiring the calm, unembarrassed self-assurance of Zack MacLeod Pinsent, a twenty-five-year-old Brit who dresses in Georgian clothing every minute of every day, without so much as a JASNA meeting for excuse.
Most of us were introduced to Pinsent last week, when the BBC posted a two-and-a-half-minute story that included footage of him boarding the New York City subway attired in a cream-colored top hat, cravat, flowered waistcoat, linen jacket and trousers, and black slippers.
Apparently, Pinsent’s unruffled aplomb – or perhaps his elegant dishiness and Downtown Abbey accent – has widespread appeal. As of a few days ago, the piece had been viewed 2.6 million times on Twitter, and Pinsent’s count of Instagram followers had ballooned from 35,400 to 231,000.
“Wearing what I wear, it makes you feel ten feet high,” Pinsent told the BBC. “It’s a huge confidence-builder.”
Pinsent, who says he taught himself to sew and burned his last pair of jeans at the age of fourteen, runs a tailoring business making bespoke period clothing for men and women using historically accurate materials and techniques. He specializes in the Georgian and Regency eras, and although the BBC story doesn’t mention a Jane Austen link, his Instagram seems to include photos taken during the annual Austen festivals in both Bath and Louisville, as well as at events with the Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society.
Pinsent’s website does not list prices (money: so common!), but it’s pretty clear that they are high. (“If you want cheap, go elsewhere. If you want correct and well-tailored, then come here,” reads one testimonial from a satisfied customer.) Still, it’s not hard to imagine that attending the next JASNA ball in an original Pinsent will become a marker of Janeite status.