Costume ideas?

Question:

Costume ideas?

I am going to play Peter from "A Christmas Carol" and I need Costume ideas. All I know is that it is set in the 1840's and 50's. PLEASE HELP!!!

Thank you!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Dickens was writing about Victorian London during the Romantic era. What this means for men is tighter pants, though lower classes would have still been wearing them somewhat looser, a longer coat, standing collars, a cravat and waistcoat. Is there no costume designer for the production who can guide you?
If it comes down to looking in thrift stores, try to avoid pants that have an obviouse zipper placket (zippers weren't invented yet) and definitely stay away from pants with patch pockets or front pockets. Pockets of this time period were horizontal and set in at the waistband. As far as shirts go, if you can find a vestige of the late 80's early 90's craze for collarless shirts, the one of those would work nicely. Just be sure to look for something that is made from natural materials in neutral colors. A waistcoat might be rather more difficult as the cut of them has changed rather drastically over the last 200 years, but browse around and see what you can find and possibly modify.
An excellent online resource is the costumer's manifesto at http://www.costumes.org/
Break a leg!!