Well, we’re exhausted around here from Snark Week, so to make getting back to the grind slightly less painful, I offer you a Man Candy Monday round up of some fiiiiine examples of one of my favorite trends in historical menswear: Big Regency Collars. I thought about including Edwardian too, but realized that’s a different look/thing for me, and I want to save that for another time. Okay, some late 18th century and early-mid-Victorian ones slipped in.
There’s just SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I can’t put my finger on it, but if the guy looks like he can’t swallow or turn his head, I’m just all “rrrrRRRRRrrrr.”
Without further ado, and sadly without too much content because all I’m doing is panting, I give you:
David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice (1980).
Anthony Andrews as Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982).
And again.
Which makes me need to throw back to Leslie Howard as Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934).
Let’s hop forward to Rufus Sewell in Middlemarch (1994).
Because, Rufus Sewell.
See what I mean?
Okay, the best of the best? Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (1995).
You know he’d be waaaay mellower if he didn’t have all that shit around his neck.
But I don’t need him mellow, I need him hot.
I mean, *insert random glurping noise*
Oh but let us not forget Ciarán Hinds as Captain Wentworth in Persuasion (1995).
Sorry, forgot this one. THE LOOK. Which would be 75% less hot without all the collar action.
On to Hugh Laurie, grumpy and hot as Mr. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility (1995).
Which makes me NEED a dose of Greg Wise as Mr. Willoughby.
Hugh Grant, only improved by all those collars, as Edward Ferrars.
The 1996 Emma had its problems, but one of them was not Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley.
JUDGE ME ALL YOU WANT, MR. KNIGHTLEY!
Just keep smoldering.
Another jump forward to Richard Armitage as John Thornton in North and South (2004).
Not QUITE as good as if it were Regency era, but it’s Richard Armitage, so I’ll let it slide.
See? Look how uncomfortable he looks! *swoon*
Y’all know how I feel about Jonathan Rhys Meyers, but so much of that is mitigated by his collars when he plays George Osborne in Vanity Fair (2004). Rhys Ifans as William Dobbin doesn’t twinkle my toes that much, but the collar helps. And, of course, James Purefoy as Rawdon Crawley SLAYS ME.
Honestly? SO GOOD.
I had a hard time getting excited about Matthew Macfadyen in Pride & Prejudice (2005), but I totally support Rupert Friend as Mr. Wickham.
Oh here, I will throw you Matthew Macfadyen fans a bone but only because it’s mitigated by cutie Simon Woods as Mr. Bingley.
I feel like there should be some hotter collar-focused images of Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace (2006). This is the best I could do.
Luckily we’ve got Benedict Cumberbatch as William Pitt. ROWR.
But speaking of James Purefoy … as Beau Brummell in Beau Brummell: This Charming Man (2006). Kind of the ultimate in this arena.
I mean, COME ON.
GURL.
James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane (2007).
Because, velvet.
Tom Hiddleston as Mr. John Plumptre in Miss Austen Regrets (2008).
My second favorite Mr. Wickham, Tom Riley in Lost in Austen (2008).
Sidebar over to the much hotter (vs. the 2016 version) boys of the 2007 War and Peace, including Alessio Boni as Prince Andrej Bolkonsky.
Even Alexander Beyer as Pierre Bezukhov is made hotter by his collars.
Dominic Cooper as Mr. Willoughby in Sense & Sensibility (2008).
Oh, and then Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey in The Duchess (2008).
Shaping up quite nicely, Douglas Booth as Pip in Great Expectations (2011).
Then there’s my favorite Wickham, Matthew Goode in Death Comes to Pemberley (2013).
And let’s wrap up with a little Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (2012).
Is there anything hotter than Big Regency Collars on men? Discuss!
But what I really love in some of the earlier versions are those padded shoulders! Yeah. Right. The thing about Brummel was “quiet good taste.” He preferred simple and well executed to fancy and over-adorned.
A friend once described Colin Firth as “the thinking woman’s crumpet.” Yes, please.
Perfect!
If you need more Ioan Gruffudd high collar action (and who doesn’t, really?) there’s always the Hornblower series. Those made me feel feelings.
Ooo yes!
My cat LOVES Hornblower. Adores him. I’m not allowed to fidget while it’s on, or she gets very cross. However, she hates Sharpe which I just can’t figure out.
Mmm… Captain Wentworth… drool
For reals!
Ioan Gruffudd had some pretty hot collar action in Horatio Hornblower, too!
My favorite MCM ever! Thank you for the effort and all the great photos!
thank you…your mcm never disappoints
Mmmm. A post that starts with David Rintoul’s Mr. Darcy and Anthony Andrews’ Sir Percy Then Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth — be still my heart. As Marliese suggested, Ioan Gryffudd as Horatio Hornblower is also worthy of this company.
I think if James Purefoy had ever played Mr. Darcy the universe would have just exploded from the sheer sexiness of it all.
YES. Ditto Richard Armitage.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Looking at all those high collars, I can’t help but wonder if it’s even possible to slouch in one. Good posture does improve appearance.
My other half assures you that no, it’s not possible to slouch. But it’s not only the collars: it’s the cut of the coat, with the armscye right high up into the armpit.
In a properly cut Regency coat, if you stand and move as a gentleman should the thing can be absolutely skin tight (both of my beloved’s red coats are so tight that after fighting a battle on a hot day he can’t actually get his coat off till he has cooled down and the coat dried off a bit) and still it is not only comfortable, but you can execute the entire range of sword moves without it restricting you at all.
If on the other hand you insist on standing like a chimpanzee, the coat will be crucifyingly uncomfortable.
“There’s just SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I can’t put my finger on it, but if the guy looks like he can’t swallow or turn his head, I’m just all “rrrrRRRRRrrrr.”
Dang. That description makes Big Regency Collars sound like the “gateway drug” to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posture_collar
and:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_corset
;-)
I may have had to fan myself a couple of times while scrolling through this post.
I feel like there’s a Baby Got Back parody in here, my brain just hasn’t evolved enough to write it.
Oh my paws and whiskers! It really IS something isn’t it! I was going to suggest that Alan Rickman should be in this but checked him out in S&S and really, he is at his best with his shirt undone so I forgive you lolz.
SO MANY HOTTIES. Maybe it’s because they would have to look you in the eye not randomly gaze at something to the left, or the idea that any man would willingly wear something uncomfortable for fashion that levels the playing field of empathy. Intriguing!
If I might suggest another. Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington in Waterloo.
Thank you! My era in historical costuming! (Yep, the collar prevents slouching. No wonder you look insufferably proud.)
I just slipped in my own pile of drool and concussed myself and now all I can make are guttural “rawwr” noises.
Belter of a MCM (* going to need a lie down now *). Thank you for the sacrifices you make, putting these things together for us!
Mmm, so many of my darlings here. It makes me especially happy to see Rufus Sewell represented here in full romantic glory, because it feels like the world has forgotten the perfection of his Will Ladislaw since he’s been cast in so many villainous roles.
I’m still drooling since I saw this waiting for my supervisor to arrive at work and open up. I’m going to take a leaf from Catherine II and choose them all to shag (excluding JRM).
This is pretty much what I needed today. Who knew high collars make men hot? Oh wait I did! Throw in proper period sideburns and rowr!
This entire post was one extended WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
These are some very handsome fellows. Bring back regency collars! Actually quite a bit of good menswear in this period.
Also, I’ve seen Amazing Grace a few times. My prof spotted rubber on the shoes but otherwise lots of delightful to look at people (which is a weird thing to say about a movie with such a serious topic!).
I need no more than Leslie Howard.
sink me
This post made me check that my IUD was still in place.
BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH
Wonderful post! You’ve made a lot of us happy with so many of our favourites all in the one post! I don’t know if that’s ever happened before… :)
Better them than me! I can’t stand lots fabric or anything around my neck. Northam and Armitage are delicious. Well, ok, most of this list is full of yummy treats. sighs
Oh, gosh, I see what you mean about Them Collars. But Hugh Laurie in S&S? No, his one real failure. On the other hand, “Because, Rufus Sewell.”–yes; Richard Armitage as well.
Push dat collar HIGHERRRR! Yes. It is… a Thing.
Definitely if it’s a snooty, fey piece of Fair Folk:
http://images.amcnetworks.com/bbcamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/jsmn-marc-warren-bio1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aiEr0Rt.png
http://images.amcnetworks.com/bbcamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/JSMN_107_nobug.jpg
Be he ever so clueless about relationships, still sir Walter Pole is dapper in his outfits:
https://sfbluestocking.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/vlcsnap-2015-07-26-14h11m13s249.png
Self-assured Jonathan Strange is really… well, I mean… oh my. My kind of magician:
http://images.amcnetworks.com/bbcamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/strange-howtodress.jpg
And, possibly, the smartest of them all in that series – Stephen Black
https://thevelvetonion.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/8334372-high-jonathan-strange-mr-norrell.jpg
Alas, too few good photos were found of ruggedly handsome Childermass, but… I think no one will miss it, since the post above is filled with goodies to last for a while.