AC: Syndicate Part 1

Let me say first, that I have no idea who's reading this blog, but thank you!

For some reason I've dreaded doing this...not sure why. (This post is going to be covering the assassins and some of the historical characters. There are a bunch of templar characters, who I will be looking at in another post.)
There is one thing about this game that makes it easier to analyze: it's set in a single year 1868 and this was a year when photography was in common(enough) use. Actually I was a bit disappointed when it was announced that the (main) game would take place in 1868 rather than in the late 1870s/1880s, mainly because I love bustle gowns

Evie Frye
So obviously Evie doesn't wear a costume that eve vaguely resembles women's fashion of the time. The late 1860's saw the development of the crinolette, which eventually gave way to the bustle. Because of this I am going to be looking at the fabrics it seems to be made of (using the hi-res version of this image here) and the accuracy of their use for the time period.

The shirt collar looks like it's made of linen, which has been in use since pre-history. Linen is valuable because it keeps the wearer cooler and is better at wicking moisture away from the body. It makes some sense that she's wearing it as her innermost layer. The coat looks like parts of it could be made of denim, but said fabric wasn't widely used as a textile until the mid 1870s. This makes me guess that it is made from chambray. This woven fabric has been in use since the 16th century and until WWI was part of US naval uniform. I'm not quite sure about the inclusion of so much leather in her garments. In Victorian England leather was mainly used for accessories and shoes, rather than clothing accents. I'm also a bit confused by the patterned parts of her jacket. My instinct wants to shout brocade due to it's regularity, but it could easily be embroidery.

If you look at her movements she obviously isn't wearing a corset, but her bust placement is the same as a person who is wearing a bra. The first iteration of the modern bra called the corselet gorge was invented in 1889 by Herminie Cadolle (aka 21 years after the game takes place).

Original. Evie wears a Dutch braid leading back to a bun at the nape of her neck. There is evidence of  braided hairstyles in the early 1860s, but by 1868 popular hairstyles seemed to be moving towards looser hairstyles. Despite this, I think it's still a believable hairstyle, it's just a bit behind the times.

(yes I did submit this confession)

Admittedly the top is better suited to this era, but the bottom is just wrong. Ball gowns in 1868 had a round silhouette, in the front and sides, but had long trains in the back.

Jacob Frye (Default Outfit)

Originals here and here.
That coat is wool tweed and no one can tell me otherwise. This one is a bit more believeable as a frock coat. It's about the right length, I do wish it had a more volume/pleating in the back, but I do like the fact that it uses a 3-piece back design, which was accurate. The waistcoat looks decent, it appears to use a step collar rather than a shawl collar. Plaid pants were a thing in the 1860s, mainly as part of daywear. I can't really comment on the socks being worn over the pants. They do look like the thick woolen socks worn by many people.


Jacob Frye (Second outfit-the one used in most promo materials)

Original here. From the front it's a long frock coat-at a stretch. In all honesty it seems to take it's inspiration from a modern trench coat, which wasn't invented until there was trench warfare which wasn't used in Europe until the first world war. His waistcoat/vest is more plausible. The lapels look a bit too wide, and they should be tucked under, but I will admit that the fabric is fabulous. The top hat is an interesting touch, specifically because word-of-god says it's collapsible. This seems like it would be anachronistic, but it's not. By 1850 the Gibus hat, also known as the opera hat and chapeau claque, invented in 1812 by Antoine Gibus was on of the most popular top hats in Europe.

Original. His hair isn't bad. I'm actually happy that it's slicked back, but the beard(?) bothers me. There were many different beard styles in the 1860s, but a 5 o'clock shadow was not one of them.

Henry Green
India began fighting for it's independence in 1857, but the British Raj maintained control of the country until 1947. It isn't difficult to assume that pert of this invasion included the creeping influence of western fashion on Indian clothing.

Original. The sleeve of the outfit has a paisley design on the left shoulder. The paisley design dates back to the Sassanid Empire in ancient Persia. Large production of woven fabric bearing paisley designs originated in the Kashmir region in India and Pakistan. The British East India company began importing paisley shawls in the 1800s, and the design became popular in Europe. It looks like he might be wearing churidar pants. These are cut widely at the top, and narrow at the ankle. I know next to nothing about the history of Indian footwear, but the shoes look like they could be mojaris.


The nice thing about historical people from this era; there are photos!
Alexander Graham Bell

I have a couple of nitpicks. I wish the collar of the game model's shirt was folded over(standing collars were popular in the regency era), and also that he had facial hair.

Charles Dickens

I'm pretty sure they were looking at this photo when they designed the character model, because the coat looks almost identical.

Charles Darwin

I really like the fact that they have him wearing a bowler hat. The bowler was invented in 1849 for gamekeepers to protect their heads. It made it's way into popular wear and eventually became one of the most widespread articles of clothing in the Victorian era.

Karl Marx

The thing in front of hi shirt is a monocle, which I think is one of the dumbest eyewear inventions ever. WARNING RANT STARTING Eyeglasses have been around since the 13th century, and were originally used by scholars and monks. Even in their original wearable form, they had lenses ove both eyes. Here's some simple math for you: 2 eyes with corrected vision is better than 1 eye with corrected vision. Monocles are stupid. RANT OVER

Queen Victoria

The iconic image of Victoria really comes from the 1880s, but to be fair, it's what people recognize, so I'll take what I can get.

*I skipped Abberline because I couldn't find any clear, verified pictures of him.

After doing the research for this post, if I hear "steampunk" one more time, I'm going to scream. THe next one will be about the Templars in the game.
Thanks for reading.