off the cuff

Drawing, Design for Embroidery, Gentleman's Waistcoat Pocket, ca. 1785;
Designed by Fabrique de Saint Ruf ; France; 18.4 × 31.3 cm (7 1/4 × 12 5/16 in.);
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt; 1920-36-324 http://cprhw.tt/o/2BkT6/

France, 1785:  this could have been hand-embroidered on your waistcoat, and you could have enjoyed it for a season or two before you ordered one or two or six new fashion-forward garments.  Meanwhile, the political dynamic in France was shifting toward the Terror; in six years Louis XVI would be beheaded.  So much for your leisurely aristocratic days at the hunt, and for lushly decorated clothes, probably left behind when you bailed to England.