Oh yeah, that anecdote - can you believe that I never, ever read it in French? It seems to be very popular in English though. From what I read - I admit I didn't read all the Thermidorian pamphlets evar - I didn't find any Thermidorian speaking of those breeches-made-of-human-skin - and you know, with all the creepiness mentioned by Courtois, he might have as well talked about that. (Although I admit I lack one of the reports of Courtois, that I couldn't put my hands on. Maybe it's in this one, I don't know.) From what I can see from what I read, however, is that this anecdote circulated in very royalist texts (and thus it's logical the republican Thermidorians wouldn't mention it) which would also explain why they were, very early on, translated in English. Unless proven otherwise and given the proof it came from the Thermidorians too, I stick to that for now.

However, Georges Duval talks about the breeches-made-of-human-skin and the tannerie Meudon... but he only says that, um, Le Bas for example worn them. Of all people - Le Bas, really? Since Georges Duval is very catholic, a former member of the Jeunesse dorée, and probably went full-royalist during the Restauration (as his generation and age-group did), I wouldn't be too surprised that he took it from royalist sources.