Fashion The Definitive History of Costume and Style 2012

BAROQUE AND ROCOCO 149

FASHION ICON

MARIE-ANTOINETTE

When the Austrian-born Marie-Antoinette The queen experimented with eye-catching ensembles. △ THE YOUNG MARIE-ANTOINETTE
(1755–1793) arrived in France in 1770, she was She made weekly trips to Paris to meet the city’s most In this portrait painted when she was
handed over to the Bourbon court and stripped famous designers. Rose Bertin (1747–1813), originally a 12, the Archduchess Marie-Antoinette
naked. Relinquishing her Austrian nationality along with fabric seller, became her most trusted stylist. In 1780 her is shown as perfection personified.
her clothes, she was dressed in a gleaming ceremonial provocative robe à la polonaise, with a bosom-enhancing
gown. She was to marry the dauphin, Louis Auguste, bodice and ankle-baring skirt, soon caught on. Instead of ◁ THE PANNIER GOWN
the future King Louis XVI of France, and give the kingdom having panniers, gowns once again had bunched fabric at The epitome of exaggerated style, the
an heir. At first she played the dutiful wife, but struggled the back. Sleeves remained elbow length, but were tight material of Marie-Antoinette's dress is
to fit in with Versailles’ rigid idea of royal glamour: vast fitting and edged with a frill. The new “Polonaise” style was heavily laden with lace. Wide panniers,
pannier skirts (undergarments worn wide at the sides, adopted simultaneously by the French and English courts. often up to 12 ft (3.5 m) wide, typified
but flat at the front and rear) and whalebone corsets. the style of dress required at court when
Friendless, childless, and viewed with suspicion by a hostile Simplicity and star quality Marie-Antoinette first became queen.
French court, she turned to costume as a strategy for
survival and to bolster her prestige. One disapproving By the mid- to late 1780s Marie-Antoinette had changed
aristocrat remarked that she had staged a “veritable style completely. She offended her French compatriots
revolution in fashion.”
by adopting Anglophile fashions, wearing much
Extravagance and experimentation simpler, lighter dresses. As her look softened,
she outraged courtiers by wearing thin, muslin
Marie-Antoinette confounded expectations of a royal chemises à la reine loosely belted at the waist.
consort. In a scandalous move, she refused to wear the Without panniers, the fabric molded around
posture-enhancing corset. After learning to ride, she
abandoned the long, flowing skirts of a sidesaddle rider the legs. The peasant-girl look was topped with
and wore male breeches and a riding coat, drawing a broad straw hat, tilted at every imaginable angle.
swift condemnation. Her mother warned: “If you
are riding like a man, dressed as a man...I have to It was a trend condemned by French society but
tell you that I find it dangerous as well as bad soon copied. Through her dress, Marie-
for bearing children...” Antoinette conveyed total power, a queen who
wore whatever she wanted, no matter the
In 1774, when her husband Louis XVI cost. Her enemies at court spread rumors
was crowned King of France, all eyes of her financial irresponsibility and
were on Marie-Antoinette and her addiction to fashion, and in
new “pouf” hairstyle. Heavily revolutionary France her outfits
powdered hair was teased high came to symbolize a betrayal of the
above the forehead and topped people. Marie-Antoinette rode to her
with a cluster of white ostrich death in 1793 wearing a brand new
feathers. It was a look white chemise she had secretly saved.
soon emulated by all A trendsetter whose style had been
of French society. copied by commoners and courtiers
alike, Marie-Antoinette was a
queen of fashion to the very end.

1770 Brings Austrian fashion 1774 Stuns the court with 1780 Introduces Late 1780s Adopts
to the French court, but is made her new “pouf” hairstyle the much-copied “Polonaise” simple dresses and rustic
to wear the traditional corsets and
TIME LINE heavy dresses of the royal court dress, bringing the “bustle attire, rebelling against
look” back in vogue and strictures of Versailles
▷ Early 1770s baring the ankles
Refuses to wear a corset ◁ 1788 Poses with her
and dons outrageous Late 1770s Her young children in a
androgynous riding extravagant dresses
habits repeatedly cause a stir softer dress, showing
her maternal side
1770 1775 1780
1785

◁ A SUITABLE PORTRAIT This 1873 portrait, showing the queen clad in silk, swiftly replaced an earlier portrait of her posing in her muslin chemise à la reine, which had caused an outcry.

150 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Tightly curled
Campaign wig
1720 –1770
Coat, buttoned
BAROQUE TO just at neck
NEOCLASSICAL
Deep cuff
(boot sleeve)

France was the center of fashion in the 18th century 1725
and dressing well was seen as the cornerstone of
an established society. France had the finest textile Cotton or linen stock
industries, and throughout the salons of Paris, and Europe, with lace-edged scarf
over the top
clothes were the visible elements of social standing. It was

English country dress, however, that became increasingly

important as the century progressed. Fashions changed

slowly, but there was an awareness of slight nuances,

such as new styles in silk design or a change in the Order pinned Waistcoat with
to coat long skirts
length of waistcoats (vests). The components of men’s

dress remained constant—an outer garment,

waistcoat, and breeches—but the look changed Blue sash, an
alternative way to
across the century from the heavy baroque wear chivalric orders

through the lighter rococo to the Bulky cuffs In early 18th-century Europe
there was a baroque heaviness in the style
beginnings of the neoclassical. By of fashionable menswear, exemplified by
the oversized turn-back cuffs on a man’s
the end of the period there was a coat, which reached almost to the elbow.

new garment called the frock, which Silk coat with Natural hair, dressed
matching with one side curl
was based on English sporting dress. Contrasting breeches on either side

waistcoat, with

embroidered edges

Black stock, and
lace-edged neckwear

Linen shirt Small, folded
with small, linen stock
frilled cuffs
Deep
Deep cuffs and turn-back,
numerous buttons, embroidered

fashionable in cuffs
earlier decades

1750 1760 Longer length
waistcoat

1762

Black Red-heeled Matching
breeches shoes, worn silk knee
breeches
Old style This man wears a bob wig, at court
a style that was going out of fashion at
this date. His suit, with its deep cuffs and Summer shades Full suits (matching coats and Grand tour Wealthy men traveled to Italy
its coat and waistcoat made of the same breeches) in colorful tints were worn as formal to study classical antiquity and to experience
wool cloth, is old fashioned. dress at European courts, with pink silks and satins polite society. An appreciation of fine dressing
a popular summer choice. Men switched to heavier was part of gracious living. This man wears an
suits of patterned silk velvet in winter. embroidered matching silk coat and waistcoat.

Coat with applied Colorful, Single roll BAROQUE TO NEOCLASSICAL 151
tasseled gold patterned, at side of
braid, only long waistcoat WAISTCOATS (VESTS)
bagwig
closed at waist Embroidery
Gold braid in silk or linen
1730 or gold
Long linen
embroidered waistcoat with
decoration rich detailing

Bright pink
silk coat

1747

Black
breeches

Silk hose Embroidered
(stockings) worn oral trails at
over breeches
edge
Red-heeled shoes,
a style associated Long
waistcoat
with aristocracy with floral
sprig motif
Revealing skirts The skirts of men’s coats were Bagwig By the 1740s throughout both mainland
often stiffened with buckram so that they stood Europe and the European colonies most men wore
away from the body showing the richly decorated a wig. The prevalent style was the bagwig, with
waistcoat beneath. Waistcoat panels were woven or a series of rolls at the side, and the tail caught up
embroidered to shape before being stitched together. into a small bag at the back.

Bagwig with Natural Silver metal
two side hair thread
curls
Tight-fitting Linen
Frock with sleeves waistcoat
fold-over with metal
collar
braid
Close-fitting
sleeves

Tricorn hat

Buff-colored
waistcoat and
breeches

1765 1769

Side vents, to Turn-down In the 1720s and 30s men wore long
take a sword, riding boots waistcoats, and there was a vogue for
required wear hand-embroidered white-work styles in
at court Sporting clothes Thomas Graham, Baron white cotton or linen threads on a white
Lynedoch, who later fought in the Napoleonic wars, linen ground. The mid-18th century saw the
Shoes with was a Scottish country gentleman and a daring rider start of more color, with delicate naturalistic
oval buckles in his youth. Country dress worn for such sports embroidery in colored silk threads,
activities was known as a particularly British style. sometimes with metal thread, around the
Tricorn hat A hat was an essential part of waistcoat edges and the pocket flaps. There
a man’s ensemble, and the tricorn was the were embroidery workshops throughout
height of fashion in the mid-18th century. As Europe, with the finest in France and
wigs became taller in the 1760s, the tricorn England. Portraits also show men wearing
was carried increasingly under the arm. waistcoats decorated with broad bands of
applied braid, giving a military appearance.

152 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO

1770 –1789 Powdered Fall-front breeches For this style, two side
wig with flaps buttoned together at the center, across
MACARONI the stomach, then the front panel flapped up
TO DANDY exaggerated tail over them and buttoned at the waist. This
illustration is a caricature of the style, and
also of the fussy neckwear in vogue.

Draped, folded
linen worn as
stock at neck

The 1770s saw the final flicker of flamboyant 1757
male fashion. Earlier in the century, the term
“macaroni” had been coined for young men
who affected fussy foreign dress and grooming (other

labels were “fop,” “exquisite,” and élégantes in

France). The name seems to have come from the Breeches Bagwig—hair
informal Macaroni Club, made up of young reached from tied in “queue”
waist to knee (ponytail), kept
in black bag
gentlemen back from their Grand Tour, much of it

spent in pasta-loving Italy. Then, toward the end of Macaronis often wore
the century, powdered wigs fell from favor and the striped breeches
and stockings

collared frock coat, based on English sporting dress,

became popular. The inspiration for men’s fashion had

begun to move from France to England, from formal

city to relaxed country, and (during the Age of

Enlightenment) from the worship of rank to the belief

in democracy. This was reflected in simpler, subtler

styles—fashionable men of the time, tastefully free Satirical prints Caricaturists
from macaroni excesses, were known as “dandies.” of the time lampooned the
macaronis mercilessly in
Finest wigs contemporary illustrations
were French that were distributed in large
numbers, and enjoyed by all
levels of society. This detail is from
a print of a 1773 oil painting titled

Pantheon Macaroni.

Hair powder Tight sleeves end
made from with oversized
rice our lace ruf es

1773 Long Waistcoat buttons Ribbon
jabot all the way down rosettes at
Short (wide tie)
coat Macaronis These men wore knees
Supple silk or extreme versions of current
Close-fitting leather shoes fashion—tottering wigs, Stockings with
stockings sumptuous suits, and peacock elongating
colors were favorites. The folk stripes
song “Yankee Doodle Dandy”
ridiculed provincial Americans Flat dancing
by claiming one of them “stuck shoes, also
a feather in his hat and called with rosettes
it macaroni.”

MACARONI TO DANDY 153

Bundle on Soft, round hat
back is with at crown
exaggerated and broad brim
bagwig

Turn-back Short, slim High linen Lace-edged Tricorn hat,
lapels coat, typical of stock neckwear still required
macaroni style at court
1771 Cutaway
displays
waistcoat

1772

Garter, Riding Pale-
possibly crop colored
from a lady breeches

Plain, large metal
buttons

Turn-down Short, simply Flat shoes with
riding boots striped waistcoat cut-steel buckles

Turf macaroni This was the nickname of Augustus replaces longer, Coat and waistcoat For formal occasions such
Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton and British prime patterned ones as court, gentlemen wore elaborate, expensive
minister (1768–70). An ineffectual leader who often clothing, usually in the form of a fitted coat and
slept at cabinet meetings, he invested most of his waistcoat—often embroidered finely at the
energy in horse racing, women, and fashion. edges, and sometimes matching.

Small, round hat Coat cut
straight across,
Wigs would have without side Hat with cockade
been itchy—sword pleats (knot of ribbons)
makes a handy and feather plume
scratch stick Lace ruf e
at chest Red,
Flouncy ruf e Breeches stand-up
instead of folded, fastened at knee collar

linen stock with buttons
and buckle

1776 1778 1786

Strapped Seals hanging High, baggy Blue jacket with
shoes from waistcoat riding boots red cuffs that
echo Windsor
Outsized rosettes Tight, uniform
—buttons or small turn-down
buckles were Spurs on
more usual boots ankles

Hairstyles Although huge wigs, cylindrical side Romantic hero Goethe’s 1774 novel The Sorrows Slim lines The macaronis left one legacy: slim
curls, and fussy decoration were widely popular, of Young Werther inspired “Werther fever”— tailoring never went out of fashion. Numerous
macaronis exaggerated this style significantly. dressing in the informal, distinctly English country conflicts in Europe made military dress acceptable as
Swords were often shown in caricatures—as an style of its hero. This French version of the English day wear. This outfit resembles the official Windsor
ironic comment on their effeminate appearance. frock coat is slimmer with more decoration. (court) uniform designed by King George III.

154 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Jabot frill
at the neck
COAT, WAISTCOAT, AND BREECHES

STREAMLINED
COURT SUIT

This man’s court outfit from 1780, embellished
ornately with a floral theme, is a typical example
of a rococo, French-style suit known as the habit
à la Française. Such suits consisted of a coat (habit),
waistcoat (vest), and knee breeches, worn with a white
shirt, a jabot frill, ruffled cuffs, and silk stockings. The
striking colors, lavish fabrics, and extravagant embroidery
continued a trend for bright colors and decoration from
the 1600s. Characteristic of the pre-French Revolution
period, outfits such as these were typically worn by the
18th-century upper-class man. Suit cloth often came
already embroidered—known as à la disposition—prior
to being made up. The slim, fitted cut of this suit is typical
of the later 1700s, with its streamlined, unpadded coat
and shorter, sleeveless waistcoat. As the Revolution
(1789–99) approached, stripes became popular—this
cut-velvet coat is striped with pink.

Narrow-wristed, slim
sleeves contribute to

the elegant shape

Decorative
shirt-cuff ruf es

Tiny ower sprigs Embroidery design
embroidered on one side mirrors
across the
ivory silk that on the other

Narrow, cutaway
sides to reveal
decorated
waistcoat

Three-pointed,
decorated
pocket aps

△ WAISTCOAT Breeches dark (once
With its very shallow, cutaway skirt fronts, this black) velvet patterned
distinctive shape is typical of the era. The front with tiny, pink diamonds
section is made of ivory satin richly embroidered
with colored silks. The pale color shows off the Breeches tighter
embroidery and contrasts with the dark coat. fitting, like coat
and waistcoat

Short stand collar Coat fabric is STREAMLINED COURT SUIT 155
reveals neckwear black cut velvet
striped with pink IN DETAIL

◁ STAND COLLAR
The short stand collar is a feature
that became more popular on
men’s coats (and waistcoats)
from the 1790s. The fully
embroidered, stepped, cutaway
version on this coat is small and
works in harmony with the
modestly sized jabot frill.
Much taller collars were to
become popular.

◁ COAT CUFFS
True to later 18th-century
fashions, the coat’s cuffs, smaller
than in previous eras, hug the
wrist closely, in keeping with
the garment’s slim, fitted profile.
Their lavish decoration includes
sequins, glass flower shapes,
and embroidered buttons.

Embellished ◁ TAIL TRIMMINGS
coat pockets Focusing embellishment around
the central division of the coat
Back pleats tails, and in a broad band close
of coattails to the waist, attracts attention
drape to reveal to the neat, elegant cut of the
decorated panels tails and the subtly waisted form
of the coat.
Short length
coat, to the ◁ FALL FRONT
knees The dark (once black) velvet
knee breeches feature the
characteristic 18th-century “fall”
front. The fall is a panel that
closes up toward the waistband
with buttons. The buttons here
are covered with the same fabric
as the breeches, making them
more discreet.

◁ KNEE BANDS, BUCKLES,
AND BUTTONS
A colorful band of floral-themed
embroidery sewn over the velvet
and tightened with a buckle
provides a stylish trim for the
bottom of the breeches. The
side opening is closed with
embroidered buttons and shaped
to ensure a snug fit at the knees.

156 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Natural hair and
wavy locks denote
1770 – 1789 an artistic sensibility

SIMPLER Linen
STYLING shirt

Both England and France were instrumental in High-piled hairstyle Knit
establishing the look of fashion, which was sloping backward stockings
then followed by the rest of Europe, and from forehead
farther afield. French fashions were elegant,
while English dress was more informal. By the 1755
1770s the collarless coat with bulky side pleats,
fashionable since the 17th century, had been Buff breeches,
replaced by the frock coat, derived from the gathered at
informal garment worn by English the back
men in the country. There was
also a growing informality Cotton muslin Loose cloak Leather
in women’s dress in chemise dress with shoes with
both England and drawstring neck
France, with floating and at heels
draped styles of newly Blue ribbon
available cotton fabrics from sash at waist, Country dress Self-colored wool outer garments
the East becoming popular. possibly with worn with linen shirts, and white silk or cotton knit
seal tied at stockings were typical English country wear in the
one end mid-18th century. This trend for less formal dress would
soon inspire fashions throughout the rest of Europe.
Drape of
red silk “The Maid from Bath” A play was Hair wildly
used as written about the beautiful young curled at sides,
artistic soprano Elizabeth Linley, the with single
backdrop most famous woman in ringlet over
England in the 1770s. She one shoulder
Muslin was painted in the very
neck scarf latest fashions.

Seals Round Silk gauze or
hanging black hat very fine cotton
from chain gauze neckerchief
at waist 1780 tied in large bow

Short leather Trailing 1785
gloves, held hem
Apricot silk
in hand dress with
green silk
1779 sash at waist

Buff (pale
yellow-brown)

breeches

Turned-down
riding boots

Tailored coat Britain was known for immaculate Flat, slipper- High-heeled
tailoring and the finest wool cloth. The style shoes shoes
double-breasted style and cutaway skirts of this
navy blue wool coat heralded the era of Beau Chemise Fashionable in the 1780s,
Brummel and dandyism in the early 19th century. this garment was the forerunner of later
neoclassical dress. The style, a tube of cotton
muslin with a drawstring at the neck and sash
at the waist, grew popular throughout Europe.

SIMPLER STYLING 157

Flat straw hat Tricorn
made in Italy hat

or England

Own hair, rolled Engageantes
into side curl (sleeve ruf es) of
English bobbin lace
Contrasting
waistcoat (vest) Frock coat
edged with braid
Petticoat pleated Wide
1770 to take medium- lapels
wide skirt hoops
Close-fitting
sleeves

Double-
breasted
closure

1775 1778

Walking Pleated, pierced,
sticks were and pinked
highly robings run down
fashionable length of gown

Boots with Walking stick, Shoes with
turnover tops often of rattan buckles

Frock coat The frock coat was characterized by Chiné robe This sack back style is in the newly Overcoat Another new style for men in the
a folded-over collar, narrow sleeves without a popular chiné print. The pattern was printed 18th century (as well as the frock coat), the
turn-back cuff, and a slim silhouette, often with onto the warp thread prior to weaving, giving a overcoat, or redingote, was derived from English
a curving front. It was a somber-toned wool fuzzy effect known in this era as chiné in France working men’s dress. This French example was
cloth garment, with blue-black a popular choice. and “clouds” in England. worn as a walking coat over a close-cut suit.

Large hat trimmed Natural hair, Natural hair dressed Broad-brimmed hat
with ribbons and lightly powdered in single side curl
ostrich feathers

Hair frizzed out Brown wool frock with Rustic style German writer Goethe
to sides, with small stand-up collar relaxes in an informal, cream linen or
worn beneath cotton overgarment in this 1787 portrait
long ringlets to by the artist Tischbein. There is no visible
shoulder Black silk velvet shaping to this simple, country-style cloak,
frock suit with just an opening for the neck.
Ivory silk metal buttons
dress caught

with black
silk band

1786

Cream Black silk
overgarment shoe ties

Dark colored Buff breeches White
knee-length that button stockings
breeches fit snugly at knee

Morning walk Gainsborough was the
leading English society portrait painter in
the later 18th century. Depicted here is a
newly wed couple, who wear the height
of English fashionable dress, copied
throughout Europe at this time.

158 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Hooked nose
identifies Pulcinella
1625 –1790
Many women, not just Dressed
MASQUERADE nuns, wore wimples in as a monk

Since medieval times dressing up had been popular all the Middle Ages
over Europe. In the Middle Ages masked mummers
(traveling actors) performed in village pageants and Female players,
traveled from house to house in Carnival season, which rare in Commedia
lasted from Christmas until Lent. During Carnival, the
Catholic Church allowed merrymaking and open-air dell’arte, usually
festivities, so bands of masked revelers regularly paraded dressed as figures
through the streets. During the Renaissance people
performed set scenes in elaborate processional pageants. from the past
By the 18th century Carnival was celebrated all over Italy,
with Venice leading the fashion for lively masquerades 1650
(masked balls and entertainments), held at night and lit
with flickering candles and torches. This trend soon Long, medieval-style
became popular in France and England too, possibly skirt had to be held
because shadows and masks encourage relaxed behavior. up for walking
The term “masquerade” specifically described dressing as
particular characters, but these extravagant events led to Pointed hat Commedia dell’arte This comic open-air entertainment,
the more general practice of displaying wealth and social with a veil first seen in Venice, may have been connected to Carnival.
position by wearing “fancy dress”—formal clothes with The traveling players, dressed as stock characters such as
small elements of masquerade added. Harlequin and Pulcinella, probably performed at early
masquerades, providing costume inspiration.

Costumes from Middle Mask for Full naval-
Ages popular for fancy- commander
masquerades costume
dress ball
Cloaked characters
Domino In Venice a masquerade often wore a white Turban
cloak was known as a domino, and mask, here perched headdress
this garment came to typify a on the typical tricorne
masked character with an air of (three-cornered) hat
intrigue and adventure. During
the 18th century these figures
(who could be male or
female) were particularly
popular in London.

1750s 1789

Costume Shalvar
cloaks were (baggy
pants)
always
hooded, for
black, and Turkish
voluminous costume

Fashionable Sources of inspiration Masqueraders took their costume
gown of ideas from varied sources—the exotic cultures of Africa and the
the period Orient, the past, political and social scandals, fairy tales, and
extreme fashions. For late-1700s fancy-dress balls, guests
Gown and hooped accessorized their best contemporary clothes and wore a mask.
petticoat fit
underneath cloak

Black mask (traditionally, Mask with Sugarloaf hat (named MASQUERADE 159
Harlequin had a blacked face) long, crooked after the large cones in
which sugar was sold) High hairstyle
Harlequin Probably the nose threaded with
best-known Commedia dell'arte Floppy ribbon and
character, even today, Harlequin white feathers
is witty, mischievous, clownish, neck ruf e
childlike, and nimble. Early Gold
Harlequin costumes were sewn Short train and mask
together from patches, which skirt folded

was probably the origin of back at sides
the diamond motif.

Pot belly

1710

Belt over Mantua-
front-closure style dress
jacket has separate
bodice and
Pulcinella Cantankerous rather than petticoat
clownlike, the Pulcinella character is dwarfish
and humpbacked. In Italian his name means Deep border
“little chicken.” In English he became Mr. of silver fabric
Punch in traditional Punch and Judy shows.
at hem

Fancy-dress attributes A character could be
established by adding relevant touches to a stylish
dress—for instance, a silver gown or crescent-
shaped jewelry would suggest Diana, Roman
goddess of the moon and the hunt.

Shako (tall LADY WITH A MASK
military hat)

Short cape Short jacket
worn over called a
one shoulder dolman

Gold
braiding
on jacket

1790

Pants were
usually red

Distinctive High leather
suit patterned riding boots
with colored
diamonds

Soft, slipperlike Hussar Dashing Hungarian soldiers (Hussars) This print of a portrait by British artist Henry
shoes rode fast horses, acted as scouts, and took on Morland is called The Fair Nun Unmasked.
dangerous skirmishes. Their youth and courage In 18th-century England the word “nun”
fired public imagination, and their glamorous could suggest a prostitute, and the painting
uniforms were ideal for costume balls. is a form of satire. The black veil suits this
purpose, since prostitutes of the time often
donned religious dress. The veil also
suggests an Italian batua, a length of black
silk that covered the face for masquerades.

160 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO

TURKISH

DELIGHT

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, better known as Madame de
Pompadour (1721–64), was the powerful mistress of Louis
XV of France from 1745 to her death. When in the 1750s
she commissioned artist Charles André van Loo to paint her
as a Turkish Sultana, Pompadour started a craze for portrait
à la turque. Exotic oriental culture was already widely
popular in France, and Turquerie, as the craze was known,
permeated all aspects of French art and fashion.

Both women in this picture wear a loosely wrapped turban
(Madame de Pompadour’s is decorated with her signature
rose), a flowing, long-sleeved shift worn over a full skirt
with a natural waistline and, on top, a long jacket in rich
colors. Pompadour wears an ornate belt with full, baggy
silk trousers. She kept several styles of these garments in
her wardrobe and enjoyed wearing them in private. Pearls
were particularly favored by women at this time, and, here,
Pompadour has them entwined in her hair, hanging from
her ears, and around her neck. Her hair is dressed in a style
she helped to popularize, drawn back close to the head in a
small bun, from which a few curls fall onto the neck or over
the shoulder to decorate the nape.

The first piece of my dress is a pair
of drawers very full that reach to
my shoes. Over this hangs my
smock of a fine white silk gauze,
edged with embroidery...The
smock has wide sleeves...the
shape and colour of the bosom is
very well distinguished through it...

LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, TURKISH EMBASSY LETTER, 1717

MADAME DE POMPADOUR ▷
The last portrait of Madame de Pompadour, A sultana served coffee by

a slave, was by one of her favorite painters, Charles André van Loo.
Completed c.1747, it shows Pompadour in exotic Turkish attire.



162 BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Prince Charlie beret
of blue wool with red
1625 –1789
tuft and band
SPORTS
DRESS Powdered wig

Men wore tailored coats for country pursuits such as riding, hunting, Short,
hawking, and fishing. Often these activities were social and became wool coat
sports occasions as a result. Special occasions demanded special
dress, and so sports dress evolved. Men put on leather boots, breeches, and Red became
sometimes a cape or cloak with or without a hood. Women too wore tailored mandatory
coats—for the first time—for riding. Since horseback riding was the main for golfers
form of transportation, the tailored habit became the principal form of
traveling dress, right up to the mid-19th century. Women’s tailored jackets
and skirts were based on 16th-century garments known as juppes and
safeguards—Queen Elizabeth I had these in her wardrobe. For swimming,
undergarments and linen caps were worn. A 1675 engraving of the Kings and
Queens baths at Bath in England shows women in linen shifts and men topless
with linen breeches, all wearing linen caps. The earliest sports to have specific
dress were cricket, with The Sporting Magazine depicting cricketers in white
jackets and breeches in 1793, and golf, for which red jackets were worn.

Tricorn hat with Golfer This golfer wears a beret
galloon trimming known as a Prince Charlie or Scotch
bonnet, which was worn by Highland
Short Regiments in the mid-18th century.
jacket His shortened version of a
fashionable coat has sleeves cut
close to the arms and minimal
decoration for ease of movement.

Tennis
racquet

Breeches

Silk stockings

Silk
stockings

Soft
leather
shoes

Tennis player Played indoors at this time
with cork balls, tennis was known as “the
sport of kings.” Light leather shoes were
worn to permit players to move quickly,
along with a shorter jacket or waistcoat (vest).

Cocked beaver Beaver felt, SPORTS DRESS 163
hat with silver cocked hat CHILDREN AND SPORTS
braid trim
Turned-back
Gun cuffs

Double-
breasted
frock coat

Brown wool
frock coat

Silk Pink silk skirt From the late 18th century outdoor activities
stockings matches were regarded as an essential pastime for
waistcoat children. Previously dressed as miniature
Shooting coat Riding and shooting frock coats adults, they began to wear less constrictive
worn at this time were shorter than regular frock Tailoring for women This brown wool, tailored garments. The skeleton suit consisting of a
coats, and often double breasted. The waistcoats jacket follows the line of a man’s frock coat. It is short jacket and trousers allowed for better
were also shorter. The ammunition pouch was lined with the same pink silk that makes up the movement. For games such as cricket,
held on a leather belt around the waist. waistcoat and skirt. The wearer finishes her outdoor boys wore a shorter jacket, and girls
ensemble with a beaver felt, cocked hat. donned riding habits not only for riding but
also for outdoor pursuits such as walking.

Varnished, Straw hat Cocked hat
leather hat with ribbon
with visor embellishment

Plain cloth
or wool

frock coat

Silk caraco
(thigh-length,
waisted) jacket

Frock coat, waistcoat, Long sleeves
and breeches all of with turn-
uniform fabric back cuffs

Silk Matching Silk stockings
stockings silk skirt
Leather
Leather Informal wear This lady wears a short boots
shoes caraco jacket made of the same silk as her
skirt. Around her neck is a cotton gauze scarf Buckskin breeches This gentleman wears buckskin
French formality Hunting hats of varnished known as a fichu. Her fashionable straw hat is breeches, which became fashionable for outdoor
leather with straight visors were popular in France worn tilted right over her forehead. pursuits. Worn with wool frock coats in buff, blue,
in the 1750s. The casual approach of English dress or black, they were a practical, durable choice. He
for outdoor pursuits contrasted with the more sports a shooter’s leather belt around his waist.
formal, uniform styles popular in France.



FROM
REVOLUTION

TO FRIVOLITY

179 0 –19 0 0

166 1790–1900

FROM REVOLUTION
TO FRIVOLITY

This was a century of unprecedented and accelerated change. 1790–1800 1801–10 1811–30
The world’s population grew dramatically, and infant mortality
was reduced by a quarter due to improved health care and 1790 1811
hygiene. The average adult lifespan increased by a decade, and a The fashion for “dandyism”
burgeoning middle class acquired property and possessions, patronized emerges, championed by Jane Austen’s first novel
department stores, and indulged in sports activities. Day trippers to socialite Beau Brummell. Sense and Sensibility is
national exhibitions and the seaside saw fashionable society men and published, and another five
women at leisure and aspired to their lifestyle—and fashions. ▲ Napoleon's profile on a coin novels follow, two of them the
Philanthropic reforms, including educational provision, assisted the year after her death in 1817.
working classes in seeking to better themselves by working their way 1804 A social commentator,
up in factories, stores, or “in service.” The world was changing rapidly, Napoleon Bonaparte is Austen’s novels include
and the increase in members of the affluent middle classes breathed crowned. During his reign, acute observation of her
life into the market for fashionable garments. he puts France at the characters’ clothes.
forefront of fashion
On the move innovation and design. ▼ Portrait of Jane Austen

After the Industrial Revolution, there was a major shift from country 1806 1815
to town dwelling. Improved transportation systems—railroads,
steamships, roads, and bridges—supported trade and allowed ordinary La Belle Assemblée, a After the Duke of Wellington
people to travel greater distances. Increased mobility expanded their British women’s magazine, defeats Napoleon Bonaparte
range of experiences and gave rise to a new sense of worldliness is published for the first time at the Battle of Waterloo,
and fashion consciousness. The efficient circulation of newspapers and and includes features Wellington boots become
the advent of mail delivery, as well as photography, the typewriter, on fashion. a popular fashion item.
telephone, and transatlantic telegraph facilitated long-distance
communications. News of national, European, and American politics ▲ Beau Brummell in his
traveled at greater speed. Fashion information, through magazines “daytime ensemble”
and correspondence, could now be readily shared between continents.
Fashion was becoming truly international. 1790
The first design patent
A new age for a sewing machine
is granted. Within 50
Rapidly evolving politics, economics, technology, and new discoveries years they are produced
affected fashion. Pride in national heroes in Britain spawned and start to be used
the Wellington boot, named after the Duke of Wellington, and the in factories.
Gladstone bag after Prime Minister William Gladstone. Mechanization
of textile processes enabled ever more complex weaves and prints at ▲ Early model of ▼ Mechanized plush loom
a sewing machine
more affordable prices. 1795
A revolution in the home C.1810
came with the domestic Waistlines are raised, paving
sewing machine, and the way for the development British-born Edward
running water, which aided of the empire silhouette Cartwright had patented the
daily washing; most people and the unabashed first power loom in 1785,
above the breadline now neoclassicism of late but the design was in need
owned and wore more 1790s fashion. of modification. Between
garments than ever before. then and the early 19th
century it underwent
SEASIDE ELEGANCE improvements and by
Two elegantly dressed 1820 was commonly used
women; a color plate in in both Britain and the US.
The Englishwoman’s Domestic
Magazine, January 1875.

TIME LINE 167

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable
that we have to alter it every six months.

OSCAR WILDE, 1890

1831–50 1851–54 1855–70 1871–80 1881–94 1895–1900

1839 1851 1855 1872
The registration of designs
for clothing is established American women’s rights A dotted pattern on fabric is The marcel wave is first
to help protect emerging activist Amelia Bloomer named “polka dot” after the developed by hairdresser
manufacturers from pirate makes the bloomer polka, a popular dance. François Marcel, and
copies of their goods pants popular. remains popular for
being made. 1859 more than 50 years.
1851
1845 A new range of dye colors ▶ Irons used for creating
With the arrival of the The Great Exhibition in in purple–pink hues are the marcel wave curling effect
railroad in the 1840s comes Crystal Palace, London, discovered and named
mass travel and clothes attracts millions of visitors magenta and solferino after
designed for travel, leisure, who observe displays of contemporary battles.
and vacations. fashion and style.

1852 1882 1895
The new artistic style of Art
The Englishwoman’s Oscar Wilde embarks on a Nouveau influences fashion
Domestic Magazine is tour of America. His “too too in the form of simple felt hats,
published, including advice and utterly utter” aesthetic turbans, and clouds of tulle.
on needlework from domestic fashion style is regularly
writer Mrs. Beeton. remarked upon in the media. ▼ Playbill poster shows an actress
dressed in Art Nouveau style
▼ Bustling Regent Street 1887
outside Liberty & Co.
department store in London Fancy Dresses Described by
Ardern Holt is published.

1892

The first issue of Vogue
magazine, founded by Arthur
Turnure, is published in the
United States.

1892

Viyella (a blend of wool and
cotton) is introduced and is
popularly used for night wear.

◀ Photography was used for
fashionable visiting cards

1854 1869 1875
Dolly Varden costume,
With the birth of photography named after a character in Liberty & Co. department
comes the “carte de visite,” a Charles Dickens’s Barnaby store opens in London.
fashionable visiting card that Rudge, becomes a
includes a photograph of the fashionable look.
traveler. Immense popularity
leads to the publication of the ▼ Dress’d in a Dolly Varden
cards of prominent figures, became a popular song
whose fashions are followed.

1848 1900
By the end of the century,
Known as the “Year of high collars, long-line
Revolutions” because of the bodices, colored tights,
series of political upheavals and high heels are fashion
that take place throughout must-haves.
Europe, prudery reigns
supreme and women’s skirts ◀ Turn-of-the-century fashion
are down to the ground. looks ahead to the Edwardian era

168 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Buffon Straw hat with
neckerchief stiff protective rim
1790 –1800 over forehead
1790
NEOCLASSICISM Nosegay

The fashions of the last decade of the 18th century reflected a time Paper
of upheaval and change. It brought more informal dress, inspired leaf fan
by country rather than court styles, and influenced by revolutionary
fervor in France. Wrapping gowns in striped silk and painted chintzes gave
way to printed cottons and plain cotton chemise dresses that could, at last,
be washed. Imported Indian muslins and cotton gauzes were popular for
neckerchiefs and full-length dresses. By 1800 white predominated. The
shape was a neoclassical columnar silhouette, with a simple, high-waisted
dress. There was little understructure except for an opaque linen shift
and cotton underslip that echoed the shape of the gown, and sometimes
half-stays to support the bust. Hand-stitched seams were neat and
unobtrusive. Accessories added colorful highlights. Extraordinary features
emerged: like the audacious revealing of thighs through flimsy muslins,
laced corsets worn on top of dresses, and red ribbon that may have
signified veiled support for the revolutionaries.

Soft cotton Fur tippet Straw bonnet This morning gown has
gauze and with high an overdress of delicate striped print. A buffon
neckerchief folded into a triangle and puffed up
ribbon collar under the chin crosses over at the front and ties
headdress behind. Half-stays still support the bosom.

Cameo-type Satin tabard with Fringe Headdress
jewel to ruched trim curls entwined
neckline with ribbon
visible

Fashionable Laced
yellow silk or corset-style
wool overtunic
bodice
1799

Trailing
tambour-style
embroidery

Overtunic embroidery White cotton Outer wear Fur muffs added warmth Ribbon hem
dresses were fastened with ties, or Dorset for women suffering for the whims of to overskirt,
(yarn-covered) buttons, and often had fashion, as did satin and velvet tabards, revealing
drawstring necklines. This sleeveless, trained and bearskin-fur tippets. Close-fitting petticoat
overtunic is secured on the shoulders, toga-style. head wear covered shorter hair.
Laced bodice Neoclassical meets
avant-garde in the dress (left) with external
front-laced corset. Accents of color are
introduced to the dress (right) through
the use of red ribbon trim.

Unpowdered NEOCLASSICISM 169
hair with ribbon
Ostrich plume Ostrich English court dress
bandeau headdress feather The abstract embroidered
plumes spot motif across this petticoat
Cloak cord Mass of is remarkably futuristic. The
with tassels clustered striped silk overdress is trimmed
curls with cording and tassels, and
chenille embroidery. Hooped
Attached understructures were still worn
watch fob
for the English
Short sleeves court up to 1820.
for evening

1798

Short-sleeved
bodice

Long kid
gloves

Slight train,
for evening

Decorative
festooning

to hem

Evening ensemble The high waistline
is clearly visible in this 1798 cotton
gauze dress. The full-length, sleeved
overgarment is cut away and fastened
under the bosom. Its dark color could
be accentuated with cut steel or Berlin
ironwork jewelry.

Flat pumps with SHOES By the 1790s women wore slip-on
pointed toe “sandal shoes” with pointed toes. Heels
Striped silk, Italian heel c.1790 were getting lower and disappeared by
Classic dress This is the essence of the Red leather, tassel c.1795 1800. Italian heels were also all the rage.
neoclassical look. The flimsy cotton gauze layers Pattens were still worn to protect shoes
are indicated by the visible outline of a knee. The Woven silk, ribbon rosette c.1795 outdoors, especially over painted leather
short Roman-style cloak has tasseled cord ties. or brocaded silk shoes. Lighter pump-style
Ribbon defines the bosom and high waistline. slippers of kid leather, striped silk, and silk
satin were worn indoors.

Those who could afford to, had their
shoes made to measure by their
shoemaker. However, straights—shoes
that were interchangeable, without a left
or a right—were usual. Pink and yellow
were popular dye colors, and there is a
clear Eastern influence in shoes of the later
18th century that complements textiles
such as the Indian cottons and Kashmir
shawls of the period.

170 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Feather-trimmed
bonnet with brim
1800 – 1809
to protect hair
EMPIRE LINES
Colored muslin
neckerchief

Fashion magazines produced hand-colored plates for each month, Fur-trimmed Large
specifying whether a dress was best for morning, afternoon, or shoulder cape lambs’
evening wear, or designed for a special occasion. In France the wool muff
so-called Empire line had been fashionable since the 1790s (Napoleon 1800

became emperor in 1804). This simple style was inspired by classical Greek

and Roman statuary, where figures were draped in fabric with minimal

ornamentation. Waistlines were high and skirts had short trains until

1807 when straighter lines were favored. The palette at this time was

white or pastel shades, although trim and accessories could add brighter

accents. Corseting was unboned but corded corsets separated the breasts

and controlled waist and hips with back lacing. Dresses with short sleeves Dark background
with lighter
in simple cotton muslin required stoles and capes or pelisses to provide Trained shapes
skirt
warmth. Some dresses were overlaid with

layers of lace and gauze. Gradually, more

exotic accessories became available, Ostrich
such as parasols and embroidered feather
shawls from India. on soft cap

Cap with Short cropped hair Morning dress To keep warm on a
bandeau edge swept forward winter's day, a feathered bonnet and
à la Titus lambs’ wool muff could be worn with
a neckerchief. The dress underneath has
long sleeves and trailing skirts.

High waistline, Straw bonnet Parasol with
under the bust fastened with embroidery
and fringing
Cloak hangs ribbon
Short-sleeved from
Empire gown shoulder Kashmir
shawls
Bare arms were
popular

1805 Simple stole
with lace
Swans’ edging
down boa
1807

Draped fabric Skirt falls from
creates train high waist,

without a train

Fabric Cut without
drapes a train
to oor

Roman-toga style The influence of Grecian This style of dress clings to Classical influence Based on an Cotton gown A light cotton gown cut
classical Roman dress is clear in this softly the body with draping reminiscent of idealized version of a classical Greek in the high-waisted Empire line required
draped, white muslin dress. The light a Grecian statue. The dress is simple with statue, this simple gown has very little corsetry. The fabric was so thin and
garment is covered by a cloak worn over a trained skirt. A feather bonnet and boa restrained decoration; just lace edging simple that decorative shawls were often
one shoulder in the style of a Roman toga. lend elegance but very little warmth. at the neckline and along the hem. worn for warmth and to add color.

Tall hat Feathered EMPIRE LINES 171
bonnet GETTING DRESSED
Fabric
gathered Trimmed Gold earrings Net spencer
with braids and necklace (short cardigan-
at back and tassels jacket)

Folding fan

Short train Net overskirt A woman of substance required a lady’s
secured at maid to help her dress, particularly to get
Afternoon dress The vertical braids with tiny waistband her into her corset. In this period corsets
tassels on this columnar dress emphasize its slender were long line and unboned, and worn over
lines. It has elbow-length sleeves and a train, and is a linen shift called a chemise, drawers—of
worn with a relatively simple, tall hat. Pale colors linen, cotton, or stockinette—and stockings
such as this lemon tint were favored. with decorative embroidery. The maid would
then assist with the sleeveless dress, which
was filmy and clinging, and put on jewelry
as required before helping to curl and pin
her mistress’s hair under a bonnet or a
bandeau trimmed with feathers.

Hair à la Titus Long Turbanlike
(short, in a evening headdress
mass of curls)
with bandeau gloves Slight puff to
sleeves at end
Overdress of decade

Bracelet
worn on
upper arm

Pelisse is
dress length

1809

Embroidered Embroidered
skirt border train of
overdress
Pelisse lined
with salmon- Embroidery
along hem
pink silk
of dress
Lace Grecian
along slippers Gauze for evening This overdress retains
hem its train, an indicator of evening wear. It covers
Stronger hues Colors became stronger an embroidered cotton gown. There is more
Pelisse For walking in springtime, a pelisse by 1809, and this green dress is trimmed with decoration from the exotic headdress, pendant,
coat, such as this full-length sleeved version bright red ribbon. There is also a contrasting and bracelets.
in figured silk, could be worn. The extravagant embroidered hem, though the net or lace
fringed parasol is pagoda-shaped. The waistline spencer and overskirt are white.
on the dress is now a little lower.



FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY 173

REGENCY

SOCIETY

In the early 1800s Regency Britain changed from a rural
society to an urban, trading one, and London became an
important center. A “social season” evolved during the 17th
and 18th centuries where the better off divided their year
between the high life of London (also Edinburgh and
Dublin) and hunting seasons at country residences.
Provincial towns and cities boasted Assembly Rooms and
theaters for the proliferating middle classes. Social rounds
provided chances for young people to parade their looks
and fashionable clothes in order to make good marriages.

In this fashionable evening gathering in Bristol in 1817,
the young women favor a relatively simple look: a pale
empire-line gown with a low, wide neckline, short puffed
sleeves, gloves, fan, and modest floral hair ornaments. Frilled
and decorated hems and shorter dress lengths had recently
gained currency, and diaphanous fabrics such as muslin
and gauze, including satin gowns with net overlays, were
popular. Maturer and married ladies dressed in stronger
colors with fancy head wear.

The gentlemen wear long-skirted frock coats, tall, upright
collars, and cravat-style neck cloths. Transitions in menswear
are apparent—the man on the right wears black knee-
breeches and silk stockings, while the man in the center
with a lady on each arm sports loosely cut trousers.

What gown and what head-dress
she should wear...became her
chief concern...She lay awake
ten minutes on Wednesday night
debating between her spotted and
her tamboured muslin, and nothing
but the shortness of time prevented
her buying a new one for the evening.

JANE AUSTEN, NORTHANGER ABBEY, 1817

◁ THE CLOAKROOM, CLIFTON ASSEMBLY ROOMS, 1817
Men and women prepared carefully for a social event in Regency
England. Artist Rolinda Sharples shows them in the cloakroom of
the Assembly Rooms in Clifton, a fashionable area of Bristol.

174 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Feminine take on Short,
military stovepipe straight-cut
1811 – 1820 shako hat
sleeves
REGENCY
BELLES Gathered
bodice
Fashions began to move in a new direction away from
the narrow Empire line and into a softer bell shape, High
with fuller skirts. Though white still predominated, waist
stronger dye colors were reintroduced for outer garments
like pelisses and spencer jackets. Upper sleeves gained 1810
small puffs, and lower sleeves had longer cuffs. The
English waistline had begun to move down a little Deep hem
c. 1808–14, but this did not last and it sprang back up border on skirt
to a high point when French fashions became accessible extending into
again after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Pintucking
appeared on skirts as a decorative feature and went rounded train
on to be used for lengthening and shortening skirts
as hemlines changed. Vandyking (zigzag shaping) Spencer jacket Rounded train Fabrics of woven silver
was a prevalent feature c.1815–35 and satin stitch matches hat tissue, light muslin embroidered with
was popular. Original gowns that survive silver foil, and printed cotton with small
testify to the detail, ingenuity, and fineness repeats were popular for evening
of the designs and embroidery. dresses. The border pattern on the
hem, cuffs, and collar coordinates
SHOPPING with the main fabric of this gown.

Hair dressed
with artificial

owers

Short puffed
sleeves

1815 Greek key
border motif
Dress with
Drapers, haberdashers, hosiers, and double hem
mercers supplied fine materials like gauze
and trimmings for dressmakers and ladies ruf es
who liked to trim their own dresses and
bonnets, or give fashion items as presents. Ankles Vandyked
Milliners not only sold caps and ribbons, visible hem
but also plain white cotton cloth, jaconet
(cotton muslin), cambric (linen), sarcenet Summer fashion Peace after the Napoleonic wars Evening dress This evening dress with back outlined
(silk), and superfine fabrics, gloves, and put a spring in the step of ladies of fashion. There in chenille or ruffled ribbon demonstrates the ultrahigh
lace. There were dyers who also cleaned was a buoyancy and frivolity about fashion designs, waistline that returned from 1815 to 1817. The design,
clothes, with ox-gall and fuller’s earth. Note which began to feature decorative trims and ruffles. inspired by neoclassical decoration, featured in the April
the reticule (bag) on the lady’s wrist. A parasol to keep the sun off completed this outfit. issue of the Lady’s Magazine, a British fashion magazine.

REGENCY BELLES 175

Cap with Tall bonnet JEWELRY
protective
brim

Necklace Ruff-style Jewelry was worn extensively for evening.
pleated frill Parures (sets) were admired, and came in
Gloves to chemisette presentation boxes. This set of necklace,
and fan drop earrings, and brooch of seed pearls on
Long, thin Cape collar mother-of-pearl adopts the bunch of grapes
scarf tied to pelisse design so beloved of the neoclassical era.
around waist Rings, pendants on chains or ribbons, and
Brown matching bracelets were also worn.
1811 checked Cameos and engraved gems were popular
pelisse as was turquoise, amber, topaz, carnelian,
Dark and other semiprecious stones. Gold and
net mesh 1814 metal tiaras and bandeaux (headbands) and
overdress tortoiseshell combs were worn on and in
the hair. Bloomed (matte-textured) and
chased (relief-decorated) gold, gilt metal,
and imitation paste diamonds made
fashionable jewelry more affordable.

Decorative
hem to

cotton dress

Pumps Dark leather
shoes

High fashion This short-sleeved Fur trim Pelisses of 1811 were worn Costume Parisien This French Seed pearl parure c.1800–35
evening dress with sash comprises an to calf length over plain cotton pelisse coat has vertical, green,
overdress with embroidered sequins or muslin gowns. This Londoner wears woven stripes typifying the era.
bugle beads in circles and swirls, over a one with fur trim on the collar fronts The higher waistline in Paris
yellow silk slip. and cuffs. influenced English styling.

Feathered Toque with Bonnet
evening cap white feathers
and lace lappets Decorative
Necklace Hair à braid closure
Puffed la ninon
Transparent, upper (in curls)
aerophane gauze sleeves
oversleeves

1816 Long sleeves
with cuffs

1817

Shorter,
wider skirts

Fine net Four horizontal, red silk rouleaux give White kid Brandenburg-closure pelisse This green
weight to this fine net overdress. The underdress shoes with pelisse coat is fastened with brandenburgs
has puffed sleeves and hem ruffles. The delight of a small rosettes (decorative loops and buttons). Worn below are
separate transparent overdress was that it could be a bell-shaped, white skirt, and cambric chemisette
worn over various colors to create different looks. Parisian court This dress has a trained overgown of with a layered, pleated frill at the neck.
white satin or silver tissue, with colored foil, point lace,
and kid gloves ornamented with “narrow fluted
quilling of blond” (lace) as described in La Belle
Assemblée magazine.

Padded collar Shoulder detail, FITTED, OUTDOOR COAT 176 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY
matches cuffs known as a
mancheron REGENCY
PELISSE

Made from a pale green silk with a darker contrast
trim, this pelisse would have been worn outdoors
during the day over a lightweight dress. Dating
from c.1818–20, it features the high waistline that had
been fashionable from the late 18th century. Although the
garment retains much of the neoclassical simplicity of earlier
years, the additional trimmings—padded collar and cuffs,
and slashed mancherons at the shoulder—anticipate the
fussier Gothic styling of the years to come. The shoulder
detail adds volume at the upper arm, which continued
to be an area of focus through the 1820s and early 1830s.

Waistband with
concealed
fastening

Long sleeves
taper to cuff

SIDE VIEW BACK VIEW

Open front allows IN DETAIL
for movement
◁ MANCHERONS
Adjustable bands The shoulder detail,
to tighten at wrist known as a mancheron,
was a popular feature.
It takes inspiration from
the epaulettes of military
dress and also reflects
the influence of medieval
costume. The piped
edging is an up-to-the-
minute fashion.

Long cuffs over ◁ BELT CLOSURE
knuckles—a The waistband has
feature of 1815–20 a concealed closure
fashion—provide beneath its overlap
additional warmth at the front. Edged
Parasol of layered with braid of twisted
green silk, with metal thread, it looks
pinked edges like a belt.

Pale green silk ◁ CONSTRUCTION
This detail shows the
distinctive diamond-
shaped back panel of
the pelisse, which is
stitched together by
hand. Clothes of this
time were often
meticulously crafted,
demonstrating fine
needlework skills.

◁ PLEATING
The fabric is gathered
into the waistband at
the back of the pelisse,
to add volume and create
a soft, bell-shaped skirt.
This was a fashionable
silhouette for dresses
too, which were
sometimes padded to
accentuate the shape.

◁ CUFFS
Padding, and rolls of
wool-padded fabric
known as rouleaux,
were beginning to be
a popular decoration
on clothing. These
cuffs are padded and
hand stitched, to form
decorative puffed
bands at the wrist.

◁ BRAIDED TRIM
Braiding follows the
lines of the pelisse to
emphasize its cut and
shape, particularly the
high waist and long
skirt. To create a neat
corner at the hem, the
braid is twisted into
a small loop.

178 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Matching purple
bonnet lined with
1820 –1830
cerise silk
DELIGHTING
IN THE DETAIL Cap of
embroidered light
The widening and shortening of skirt hems in the 1820s
revealed footwear and, on occasion, stockings and muslin
ankles. A wide waistband helped to lower the waist,
enabling alterations through the addition of a strip of Line of decorative,
extra fabric under the belt. Piping appeared on bodices self-covered
and cuffs and persisted until around 1870. Dress
bodices were uniformly back fastened, while spencer buttons to sleeve
jackets and pelisses opened at center front. The
pelisse evolved into a redingote (literally riding coat). 1824
Fashion plate distinctions between outfits for different
occasions were not so clear in real life—people adapted White crêpe
what they had. Upon the death of George IV (June hat with
1830), various stages of mourning were shown, as ribbons and
a lavender-gray filter descended on fashion. feathers

HATS AND BONNETS Travel wear This winter coat is closed with
buttons. It has a fur hem (and possibly lining),
Mourning complemented by a shaggy fur muff. Muffs
handkerchief of bearskin and goatskin were popular, and
a useful accessory for traveling.

Fine cotton Black hat
chemisette with with violet
vertical tucking ribbons
and bow
Elizabethan-
Fichu-pelerine style ruff

Hat with Hat with Low-key Matching wrist
feathers artificial decoration of bracelets
flowers double zigzag
Overskirt
and leaves

1830

The 1820s were typified by elaborate French gray Mourning dress for the king in July 1830 Short skirt
hats and bonnets that revealed faces, and saw black and white stripes. In August mourning reveals two-tone
were poised at jaunty side angles. Front continued, as here, with French gray afternoon dresses
temple curls or smooth-parted hair was and white cotton trimmings. Sleeves are in “double walking boots
always visible under light muslin or lawn bouffant” puffed shapes to the wrist.
caps. Head wear was of straw, velvet, or Cording detail This mourning dress is of plain
silk on a firm foundation, or fabric drawn violet fabric, with cording to fichu-pelerine and
across cane or wire. Feathers and artificial overskirt. The shoulder line shows cartridge pleating
flowers on top were balanced by ribbons into the gigot sleeves, as the shape evolves and
fashioned into bows and roses under the fullness moves down the upper arm.
brim. There were endless variations on a
theme, ever more stylish and extravagant.
Ribbons of silk gauze were highly prized.
Trimmings were often pinned in place, and
moved from one hat or bonnet to another.

Center-front Redingote This walking dress for DELIGHTING IN THE DETAIL 179
busk panel summer is a pretty picture of late
Georgian delights. The crosshatch Hat tilted sideways,
Gigot sleeves closure resembles feather quills, decorated with
the gigot sleeves are gathered
Clever use of the with piped banding, and chains and tassels
fabric creates vandyked light muslin is
diagonals seen on the Marie- Very wide
Stuart under cap and shoulderline
1828 the collar.
Tasseled
Cartridge 1829 cord belt
pleating
Vandyked Gothic style A Gothic-style, dark bodice tops
(zigzag-bordered) this bell-shaped, white skirt. The back-closure
chemisette collar bodice is probably boned. Although the bodice
is cut low and jewelry is worn, the hat suggests
Dual purpose This striped dress could afternoon rather than evening wear.
be worn in the daytime with a bonnet,
and then dressed up with a headdress, Gilt buckle
as here, for dinner. The skirt is cartridge to wide belt
pleated into the waist.
Hat with green
Gold chain ribbon trim
and watch
Banded gigot
Ribbon and Matching wrist sleeves
scarf tendrils bracelets with
carnelian stones Matching wrist
bracelets
White
hat Trumpet
fanning
Lower
sleeve Dinner dress This vandyked (zigzag-bordered)
decoration bodice forms a wide “V” to the tiny waist. The
dress has asymmetrical, pinked trumpet fanning
Carriage shoes along a piped line on the skirt. Its short length
reveals high-laced indoor shoes.
Vine embroidery This redingote with wide collar
is decorated with meandering vine and grape
embroidery, and ruching. A scarf square is tied
lightly around the neck, and lilylike trumpet flowers
sing out from the hat.

180 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Hair adorned
with owers
1820 –1830
Puffed
THE EVENING sleeves
HOURGLASS
Hair finely braided
Key features of evening wear between 1820 and 1830 Wide and formed into
were the gradual appearance of very wide puffed décolletage an Apollo knot
sleeves and strong appliqué decoration. At the
beginning of the 1820s dresses were simple and pale, with 1822
small puffed sleeves and some decoration around the hem
of the full skirt. By the end of the decade they became Embroidered hem
shorter and puffed sleeves expanded, balancing the bell- decorations
shaped skirt and emphasizing the tiny, corseted waist.
Appliqué decoration in self fabric and lattice work created Parisian ball dress Skirts were
three-dimensional layering on dresses, and realistic flower now softly full. Fashionable materials
trimming on dresses was used as well as on hair included “gros de Naples” (Italian
adornments. Evening dresses had low décolletage silk with a corded surface), and
necklines, which emphasized a bottle-shaped neck. The lutestring (a finer and shinier silk).
bare neck was often unadorned, or sometimes broad
necklaces were worn. Hairstyles became elaborate, piled Hair supported on
high on the head with sculptural shapes formed of bows wire framework
and loops adorned with flowers, feathers, and jewels.
Silk fabric
Ostrich feather Elbow-length gloves mimics
on bandeau (slipped down to feathers
reveal watch)

Bandeau Floral
headdress finials
with pearls

Large
jeweled

cross

1826 1830

Draped Worn over Very short hem
white a petticoat reveals pumps with
probably now ribbon strapping
overskirts stiffened with
horsehair Appliqué
Court dress Underpinned by hoops, this decoration
dress was suitable for wearing at court (though
hoops were banned by George IV in England). Off-the-shoulder dress This silk dress Tassel trimmings This unusual, silk
It has a squared décolletage and is accessorized has lantern-style puffed sleeves. Careful pleating dress is overlaid with spotted, silk ribbon.
with an elaborate bandeau. on the bodice tucks into a low waistband. The It has trellis fringing and plentiful tassels.
skirt has a deep lattice overlay with diagonal There is a wide belt and ties and even
piping, and ribbon bows. wider shoulder epaulettes.

Turban 181
headdress
Ostrich with feathers
feather hair
Hair worn up adornment
and curled
Lacy veil

Décolleté with Chemisette with Short
bow trim ruff collar puffed
sleeve

Cloak collar

Back view
shows bodice
construction

1824 Heavy hem, 1825
embellished
Long, with ruching Longer sleeve
diaphanous, interspersed with opening
gauze scarf
ower heads Crescent
Piping motifs

Padded Padded
rouleau rouleau band
band adds weight

Hem detailing Layers of ruched fabric on this Opera cape This velvet opera cape is lined to the hem
silk opera dress form a wavy border between with wadding and yellow sarsenet (silk) and
a line of piping and padded rouleau, formed of edged with fur. The double sleeve recalls Dress for religious festival This round gown was
bias-cut fabric filled with wadding to give weight medieval gowns that had an opening worn for a religious festival in France. Though the
and interest to the hem. at elbow level for wearing “short.” dress is a relatively straightforward shape, the silver
embroidery is dramatic, especially the crescent
motifs above the padded rouleau band.

Apollo knot HAIRSTYLES
trimmed with
Wide sleeves and
owers full skirt create

Wide, puffed hourglass shape
sleeves emphasize
narrow waist

Artificial owers Fan made from Forehead jewel Feather fronds
at waist re ect ivory brisé and
tortoiseshell
owers on skirt

Light, owing silk Ribbon
skirt over underskirt owers
stiffened with
cording or crin attached
(horsehair) to dress

Artificial flowers Curls on temples

Hemline Deep plain The Apollo knot was a hairstyle introduced
above hem c.1826 that gave height and poise to
ankle fashionable ladies. To achieve the complex
Ball gown The plain silk of this dress is decorated confection, hair was centrally parted and
Puffed sleeves In a soft-colored silk with with garlands of silk roses. The bodice is finely swept up to the crown, where it was styled
cream lace at the neckline, this dress has a pleated to the waist, emphasized by a wide ribbon. into braids and looped into bows.
shorter hem for dancing. A bold line of appliqué Ribbons were also used for the rose decorations Sometimes false hair braids were used as
foliage ends with a pretty bouquet. Short sleeves and chenille (a furry yarn) for the leaves. well as wires to help loops stand erect.
became wider and more gathered by this time.

182 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY

FASHION ICON

BEAU BRUMMELL

Routinely dismissed as a shallow fop, George Bryan coat buttons were the only gaudy detail. This type of outfit
(“Beau”) Brummell was far more than the fashion had become standard by the 1820s and 30s, and what
arbiter for Regency England. The first true dandy, Brummell popularized with his pants-jacket-flamboyant
and enormously influential, he helped overturn men’s neckwear combination was none other than the original
fashions in the early 1800s and pave the way for modern modern suit and tie.
menswear. He also became an archetypal, appearance-
obsessed star in a celebrity-crazed age—a phenomenon Brummell’s clean look also included close-cropped curls
still familiar today. Brummell developed a close friendship and a freshly washed face. He rejected fragrance because
with George, Prince of Wales (the Prince Regent and later he washed daily, which was rare in Regency times.
King George IV), and became fashion and etiquette Scrupulous personal grooming was part of his code of
adviser to the prince and his court. His influence spread etiquette, built on poise, excellence, and attention to detail.
widely both in England and France. Brummell had his boots polished with champagne and
rejected piles of neck clothes while dressing, until the
△ CURLS AND CRAVAT Modern menswear creases fell in just the right place. One literary caricature
This engraving of a young Beau Brummell
was taken from an original portrait Said to have been tall and fair, Brummell probably based on Brummell suggests he was so fussy about perfect
miniature. He is not yet quite the peerless justified his nickname. His fastidiousness means that cut that one glover made the hands of his gloves, another
dandy, but his cravat is immaculate. he is often seen as the instigator of overly fussy
fashions, but the reverse is true. Eighteenth- the fingers, and a third one the thumbs.
PORTRAIT OF BRUMMELL, 1805 ▷ century aristocratic menswear included lavish
Robert Dighton's painting shows fabrics, white stockings, ruffles and buckles, Striking a pose
Brummell in his famous daytime three-cornered hats, and fragrance. Fashions
were simplifying by Brummell’s time, but he Dandyism is also an attitude of mind. Brummell
ensemble, complete with tasseled boots. cemented and extended this trend, sweeping affected a studied indifference, as if his
obvious fussiness aside in favor of somber- simpler look was effortless (this parallels
colored, elegant restraint. modern “cool” and the Chanel ethos—Coco

Brummell’s bold simplicity was was called “the female Beau Brummell”).
a take on the English country gentleman's Behind the façade of nonchalance, it took
sportswear, and fit with the neoclassical Brummell about six hours to get ready.
revolutionary spirit of the era. It Attitude was underpinned by expert cut and fit.
featured a plain white linen shirt, Thanks to advances in textile-making during
immaculately bleached and starched; a Brummell’s lifetime, more flexible wool cloth was
fitted, pale waistcoat (vest); a short-fronted, produced. It made a neatly cut fit much easier to
double-breasted, swallow-tailed wool coat, dark achieve than in previous generations.
blue or black; fitted pantaloon pants rather than Brummel’s fashion influence helped to establish
knee breeches; a white linen neck cloth tied London as the center of men’s tailoring. His reputation
showily (Brummell often fastened it in a for impeccable quality inspired Charles Worth,
“waterfall” of flowing layers); and a top hat. Brass Aquascutum, and Tommy Nutter of Savile Row. In attitude
and style, the dandy has lived on in Mick Jagger’s 1960s
and 70s suited look and more recently in Karl Lagerfeld’s
personal wardrobe.

TIME LINE 1778 Born in London 1794–98 Short military 1812 Falls out ◁ 1816 Flees to France 1840 Dies in an
career. Starts to develop with Prince Regent to escape creditors. asylum in Caen in
1790 Goes to school as a true dandy Fashion influence northwest France
at Eton College, as a result of his on the wane
▷ 1799 Influence on sharp tongue
Windsor, where his men’s fashion grows. 1835 Imprisoned
fashion interest is Sets up Mayfair home, 1810 for debt
and career as fashion
soon obvious arbiter takes off

1780 1790 1800 1820 1830 1840

SATIRICAL PRINT (C.1812) Scandalmongers had it that, after the Prince Regent ignored him, Brummell (at left) asked the prince’s companion, “Alvanley, who’s your fat friend?”. The friendship ended. ▷



184 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Hair worn long Hat buckle
and unpowdered symbolizes
1790 –1839 revolutionary
Ivory silk Patterned sympathies
THE RISE OF top hat vest, cut
THE DANDY Decorative
straight across buttons
Gentlemen in this period prided themselves at waist and false
on the quality of their wool cloth and buttonholes
the tailoring and fit of their clothes. Earlier Hair in tight 1790
interest in elaborate brocaded and embroidered silks curls on temples White
disappeared as the upper classes affected a country silk
look. Men’s coats were now of fine wool, in rural Stock and Long-line, hose
colors, and developed waist seams from the 1820s. cravat country-color
Tailors perfected a range of coat styles for different
occasions. Pantaloons and trousers gradually breeches
replaced breeches. The riding crop, cane, or
umbrella, together with beaver hat, buckskin Hessians ( at riding
gloves, and riding boots, were now essential boots) edged with
accessories for the man about town. Some of red leather
the most exacting Regency dressers, such as
Beau Brummell, paid extraordinary attention Stylish country look This morning walking
to every last detail of their appearance. ensemble to wear in town is influenced by
White cotton vests and fine white riding apparel. The coat with standing collar
linen stocks and cravats were has decorative buttons but slopes sharply away
a hallmark of their style. to a swallow tail, fastened with hook and eye.

Collar could Turned-down Shaped, wide-
button high frock coat collar brimmed hat

if required Cloth- Cravat
covered
buttons Delicate algae
pattern
Large side
pockets Large
pockets
1828
1831
Drab (light
brown or Seals and
buff) color watch fob

Double-breasted top coat Good-quality Heel to Greatcoat This vest with padded chest has
wool cloth tailored to fit, as shown here, looked shoe a slightly pointed waistline, echoing women’s
stylish and protected the wearer from severe waistlines. Likewise, the greatcoat has wide lapels
weather. The top coat was a forerunner of the Cossack trousers These pegged trousers that emphasize shoulder width, and full coat skirts
top frock of the mid-19th century. show Cossack influence. The single-breasted that make the waist look small by contrast.
frock coat has puffed upper sleeves, echoing
women’s sleeve styles. The ruby velvet vest
has a roll collar.

THE RISE OF THE DANDY 185
THE MALE PEACOCK

Short hair Beaver Short, curly
and sideburns top hat hair with
side part
Contrasting Glimpse
collar revers of colorful High stock and
vest below amboyant
red cravat

Shiny beaver
opera hat

1800

Leather Hussar Jersey weave, Dandies were the successors of the
boots with cut on cross, decadent Macaronis and foppish Incroyables.
V-notch at front They liked to eclipse their female companions
single leg seam with their finery, as shown by this cartoon.
Georgian royal blue The contrasting collar The man struts along like a male peacock,
demonstrates the M-notch, which tailors Gray spats walking on tiptoe to make himself look taller
introduced (along with N and V) to ease the over slimline, and thinner, a gait that indicates extreme
intersection of collar with lapel. The white pride in his appearance. Dandies spent
stock and cravat partially encase the chin. at pumps hours tying their stocks and cravats, wore
jewels and perfume, had their hair carefully
Collar now Top hat and tails This dashing Frenchman is a dressed, and were prepared to be laced into
laying at stylish man about town, in evening dress coat, corsets to achieve a small waist. In total, they
crisp white vest, and skin-tight pantaloons. The spent a small fortune on their wardrobe.
tailcoat waist seam aided by chest padding
creates a “pouter pigeon” look.

Silk top hat

Cord edging All-in-one white Decorative Cravat now
to collar revers stock (necktie) jewel fastening more similar
to bow tie
Corded shirtfront
frogging
fastening

White gloves

1832 1836 1838

Walking
cane

Slight heel Walking Stirrups under
to shoes cane heeled shoes

Special occasion outfit The dress coat, white Heeled footwear Parisian full dress A Parisian gentleman here
vest with a woven or printed abstract floral wears full dress suitable for the opera. Tailcoat,
pattern, together with white stock cravat (made Frock coat with military frogging This coat pantaloons, light-colored checked vest and dress
all-in-one), white pantaloons or trousers, and displays corded frogging for fastening and trimmings. shirt, top hat, and dress shoes comprise an outfit
stylish shoes, constituted an ideal wedding outfit. Frogging is a military hussar reference, and reappears of elegant sobriety and restraint.
later on velvet smoking jackets. The velvet revers lay
flat, the waist is nipped in, and the skirts are full.

186 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Brimmed cap Wide-
with chin strap brimmed hat
1790 – 1840
Buffon
REGENCY neckerchief
SPORTSWEAR
Buttoning over
As leisure time increased in the early 19th century, whalebone stays
men took up a variety of sports. Walking tours
and excursions, hunting and hawking, angling, and Cravat at
ice skating were all popular pastimes. Riding dress and the neck
morning dress were frequently synonymous because
riding was considered a morning sport, and any dashing Fuller skirts
young man would at least pretend an interest. Women's for riding
sporting dress mainly comprised riding habits. Women
rode side saddle until the end of the century, so skirts Riding habit Dating from the early 1790s,
were very long by 1840 to ensure their legs were this riding habit buttons through the skirts
fully covered as they rode. They also wore habits for like a man's greatcoat, and has large lapels
traveling in open or closed carriages, for walking, and double shoulder flaps for added
and for boating. “Seaside bathing habits” were protection. Stays pull in at the waist.
worn for promenading by the sea but not for
immersion. Tailors and the burgeoning ready-to-
wear industry worked hard to meet the demand
for all the assorted outfits.

Top hat Rust-red Beaver or
frock coat felt top hat
Cane with
ivory handle Coat Integral
lining rain cape
Jacket cut in silk
high at front Full gigot
for riding sleeve

Pockets at the
narrow waist

Tight-fitting Riding Tan leather Full skirt
pantaloons breeches cuffs
Leather boots
Pointed Hunting wear This Boots with
boots style of hunting outfit heels to Traveling coat A pardessus or overcoat
from 1830 is still seen accommodate could be worn over a stylish outfit. Superfine
Morning outfit This outfit is a today. The brimmed stirrups broadcloth was popular for such coats. The
variation on Regency town wear, hard cap is practical, light color is suitable for summer but the
but the green coat marks it as as is the frock coat with wide shoulder cape will keep off the rain.
a morning riding outfit, with tight cutaway front—tailored
pantaloons and flexible leather boots. to stay out of the way
when sitting astride
the horse.

Beaver-skin Linen ruff Bonnet with REGENCY SPORTSWEAR 187
top hat collar decorated crown
Hair braided around
Neckerchief Spencer jacket Leather ears, like the young
with basque gloves and Queen Victoria
(close-fitting riding whip
underbodice) Veil attached
to top hat

Leather gloves White cuffs of Full skirts for
shirt visible riding side
Fashionable riding dress saddle
Brown and dark gray wool Full skirts
riding habits were popular ensure Royal blue habit
in the early 1800s. This modesty at Queen Victoria and
long-sleeved jacket bodice all times Empress Eugénie both
is open to reveal a short- rode, and wore habits
waisted linen “habit shirt,” Spencer jacket With ample skirts suitable in this shade of blue. This
with frilled collar and for riding side saddle, this riding outfit from 1840 habit has a roll collar
colored neckerchief. 1815 would ideally have been made of green on the bodice, a white
merino wool. The spencer jacket with basque shirt, and brown cravat,
Skirts skim may have been a separate garment. echoing the male hunting
the oor
outfit of the time.
White
gauntlet Peaked
cap
Wide leather
belt with cup Cravat at
the neck
for arrows
Militia-styled RIDING VEILS
jacket
Veils appeared intermittently on women's head wear during
Large the 19th century. They were worn with wedding dresses, as
carrying part of mourning outfits, for riding, and later, for traveling in
open-carriage trains and buses and for motoring. Fine silk
pouch net and gauze, cotton muslin, black lace, and silk tulle were
all used depending on the occasion. White veils on top hats
would waft attractively while ladies rode side saddle. They
also had a practical function to offer privacy and protection
to the wearer while out in public. Below, the high neckwear
and wide shoulder line set off the top hats beautifully, as do
the tight curls on the temples.

Tassel to dust Over-knee
off arrows gaiters

Gentleman archer The green coat worn Waterproofed Front view Back view
by this toxophilite (lover of archery) has a footwear
button-through style like a medieval pourpoint
(doublet). Belted at the waist, it is worn with Shooting outfit Wildfowling, grouse
a soft-crowned cap and loose trousers. shooting, and dry shooting required warm
underclothing and sensible footwear.
Recipes for waterproofing boots featured
beeswax, beef suet, resin, and balsam.

188 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Pink ribbons
on hat
1830 –1837
match belt
PRINTS AND
PATTERNS Chemisette worn
underneath

Anumber of recently evolved fashion features came to epitomize the new 1830
reign of Britain’s King William IV and Queen Adelaide. The gigot sleeve
had expanded to its fullest, and a lightly whaleboned corset was back in
place. A tiny waistline was prized, with the waist at a more natural level. A small

cushion pad sat in the small of the back. Separate pockets Lozenge and
returned, and waist petticoats multiplied to support still fuller pleated fan
skirts. Patterned materials, particularly roller-printed China design

silks, soft cottons, and fine wools, were in vogue. Fashion

was becoming accessible for the emergent middle classes, Pink bonnet,
with import tax on silk reduced from 1825 and more worn over white
ready-made goods available. Articles appeared in lace cap, tied with
ribbon under chin

magazines to support home dressmaking. Girls were Walking
taught needlework skills such as piping and cartridge boots

pleating. They stitched samplers to practice Square shawl A printed or woven border in the
decorative borders and motifs, and alphabets colors of an English country garden adorns this
for laundry marking. And they gathered a shawl worn folded diagonally, to wrap round
wedding trousseau in their bottom drawer. bouffant sleeves. The outfit is completed with
white kid gloves and green boots.

Gilt belt Bonnet with
buckle curlicue

Cloak matches
two-toned

walking shoes

Gilt jewelry

Pleating of
bodice to
central busk

1833

Cartridge
pleating from
waist to allow
skirt fullness

Decorative
leaf—a variant
on vandyking—
hides the closure

Roller printing The fabric of this dress is Pelisse-robe The pelisse (coat) of earlier decades Rococo cloak Featuring a rococo design
roller printed by the mill-engraving technique, developed into the pelisse-robe, which now on figured material, this cloak with cape is
with two-color, wavy lines. More interest is fastened down the front with concealed trimmed and lined with darker wool or velvet
created on sleeves and bodice through clever hooks and eyes. Here, these are covered with material. The bonnet picks up the blue
positioning of the printed material. decorative bows and tassels. of the striped dress worn underneath.

Gray gauze PRINTS AND PATTERNS 189
ribbon arranged
Feathers dyed
in star form to match dress

Hat of Capelike, Afternoon dress The diagonal Artificial
rice straw diaphanous checked pattern on this dress and daisies
collar across its V-shaped collar create the on hat
Neck chain and illusion of looking up to the sky
lorgnette of jet shoulders through a trellis in an arbour.
The shirt and bouffant
Pelerine collar sleeves anticipate the later,
ubiquitous white blouse.

Ceinture (belt) with Bouffant Collared shirt
corresponding jet upper front with
buckle bracelets sleeves pleating

Broken cone Tight-fitting,
dressing on lower sleeves
dress front
Bouffant sleeves
gathered at
elbows

Scarf
of russet
red wool

Black slippers Promenade dress This spring/summer
afternoon promenade dress has roller-printed,
Lightweight cotton This light dress is made from pale turquoise stripes and a meandering
jaconet, a lightweight cotton material. The manche à convolvulus flower pattern. The range of color
la Montespan oversleeve with a large bouffant at the gradations with vegetable dyes was improving.
elbow is held by a muslin band. The lower sleeve,
embroidered in foliage, forms a ruffle.

Diagonal Sleeve plumpers padded
pleating to center with feather down support

waistband upper sleeves

Gigot Bustle pad
sleeves worn in small
of back
1834
WEDDING SHOES
Silk or light
muslin over Ivory-colored shoes and boots like these
survive in large numbers. They were usually
satin was wedding footwear, kept carefully after the
common special day, for sentimental reasons and
because they would very quickly be ruined
Deep, or worn out by wearing for ordinary, everyday
gathered tasks. Boots of silk, twilled cotton, and kid
skirt hem leather were typical.

Front lacing with
ribbon and

fringed ankle

Walking dress Abstract floral weaves and prints Wedding dress White weddings were popular Satin stripe Bootee (brodequin)
on cream-colored sturdy cotton, lightweight from the early 1800s. The style was a restrained and kid leather
wool, or challis silk and wool were popular. version of fashionable dress. This cream dress would
Gigot sleeves had a narrow tubular lining, have been worn with a veil of Brussels bobbin lace, Pump-style shoe
and skirts were stiffened with a cotton lining. orange blossom, and an embroidered linen fichu.

190 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Ornate Bunch of
headdress silver wheat
1830 –1838
Necklace of Lappets
TURBANS AND hanging of blond
TIGHT LACING lace
pearls, en
Evening wear at the start of the 1830s had boat necklines that girandole
emphasized the champagne-bottle necks that were so admired.
Turbans, an Oriental fashion formed of long scarves imported from 1830
India, fed the desire for exotic fabrics and an air of mystique gleaned
from Romantic and Gothic novels. The turban became a favored style
of older ladies for going out to dinner, opera, and parties. These ladies,
who had sported bare arms in the neoclassical era, now benefited from
transparent oversleeves for evening. From 1835 the neckline drew in,
and the sleeve head was pulled down with pleating, which restricted
movement. Bodices dipped down slightly at the front and hemlines
returned to floor length. Crin (horsehair) was now used extensively
in linen petticoats to stiffen them.

STRAPLESS CORSET Ball dress Appliqué bows Feathered headdress This woman’s ornate
in zigzag vandyke pattern headdress includes a plume of three ostrich feathers,
circle the skirt of this dress. a gold comb decorated with pearls, and a pearl
Young ladies in the bandeau that goes around her forehead. Her dress
marriage market were is trimmed with blond lace and a satin rouleau.
encouraged to adopt each
new novelty in fashion, be Boat Lightweight
it the direction of a bow or neckline turban with
the exact tilt of a hair comb. feathers

Ivory Butter y-shaped
complexion corsage (bodice)
was prized
Bouffant
oversleeve

1831

Boned corsets cut with Overlayered
triangular gores (panels) skirt
under the arm and on
the hips created the Diagonally Bouffant gown Large bouffant oversleeves and a
desired hourglass figure. laced corset butterfly-shaped corsage, or bodice, emphasize the
A center front steel busk impossibly narrow waist of this purple silk evening
and corded panels gown and create an ethereal effect. The expansive
forced an erect form. turban is worn at an angle.
Metal eyelets allowed
for tighter lacing for a
more fitted shape and
dispensed with shoulder
straps, to suit the wide
boat necklines.

Hair comb TURBANS AND TIGHT LACING 191

Fur-lined cloak Lace
with cape headdress

Vandyking on Wool with Chain necklace
corsage (bodice) decorative wound round
weave several times

Two pockets

Apron is
foil for

embroidery

Matching turban This dress with red, floral Fancy apron The items gathered at and
motifs coordinates with the turban and cloak. fastened around a lady’s waist—which was still
Its transparent sleeves are gathered at the incredibly small—might now include chemise,
elbow with a muslin band. This outfit would corset, several petticoats, a pair of hidden
have been worn to the opera. pockets, the dress, a belt, and a fancy apron.

Fringed scarf Turban
turban interlaced covers hair

with ribbon Hair looped Cheeks
under ears rouged
Boteh
(pinecone) motif

Horizontally worn
brooches typical
of 1837–50

1837 1838

Deep lace or Figured
embroidered net, or
lace skirt
ounce ounce

Trellis
patterning

Stylized pinecone motif A diaphanous overskirt Modes de Paris This lady wears a long, mantle- All-enveloping cloak Under the silk and
covers this plain, ivory silk ball dress. Static images shaped pelerine with turn-down collar, trimmed with velvet cloak, the deep flounced skirt hem may
and surviving garments cannot fully convey the joy lace. The sleeves of the white dress would be tightly show off the early use of machine-made lace.
of these dresses in movement, but there is a sense pleated below the shoulder line and puff out at the Turbans were soon to be relegated to costume
of the flow of material here. lower arm. A restrained, demure look was evolving. dress, until a brief revival in the 1870s.

192 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Wide-brimmed
bonnet shows curls
1837–1855
Frills add fullness
DEMURE DAY to upper sleeve
DRESSES

From the late 1830s dresses expanded slowly but surely to ever wider 1837
proportions, enveloping the legs and ankles completely. Lower shoulder
lines and tighter sleeves restricted the range of upper body movement, as Bell-shaped skirt
did square shawls folded diagonally and draped around shoulders. Corsets, and worn over layers
often bodices, were stiffened with whalebone and had a long front busk pushing
down on the embonpoint (plumpness of the stomach), creating a narrow waist. of petticoats
Full skirts, organ-pleated into the waist, were supported on multiple layers of
petticoats, at least one of which was stiffened with crin, (from the French for Soft silk and
horsehair). Dress skirts began to feature tiers and, by the early 1850s, were wool (challis)
embellished with trimmings. The desired look, as shown in these fashion plates
from France and England, was meek and submissive. Accessories such as shawl with
beadwork bags, purses, and parasols were pretty and feminine. oral print

CHILDREN’S WEAR Feather Pastel shades This summer dress in
trim a lightweight fabric is trimmed with
Contrast trim Dark plum silk pretty frills. It is worn with a pastel yellow
trimming draws attention to Ringlets sash with matching ribbon and feather
the fashionably small waist of framed by trimmings on the bonnet.
this bodice and the fullness bonnet
of the skirt, which is organ- Silk bonnet
pleated into the waistband. with ribbon ties

Long fitted Removable
sleeves muslin collar

Dark plum Slender waist,
trimming curving down
at the front

Party dress Darker overcoat 1847

Girls at this time were dressed as miniature Ermine muff
versions of their mothers, with full dresses
worn over two or more layers of petticoats Skirt made
to create a bell-shaped skirt. Young girls’ from two
skirts were shorter, however, and revealed
pantalettes (linen or cotton leggings tied contrasting
above the knee), which were edged with tiers
lace or pretty embroidery. When outdoors,
these light-colored dresses were covered Striped shot taffeta This French
with darker overcoats made from heavier dress has three flounces with pinked
fabrics. Bonnets and gloves were also worn. edges, which add volume to the skirt.
It is trimmed at the neck and cuffs
Young boys also wore dresses until they with white lace or embroidered linen.
were “breeched” (first dressed in breeches
or trousers), which was usually when they
were between four and eight years old.

Parasol poised Flowers worn DEMURE DAY DRESSES 193
“against the under bonnet
Spanish lace By this date,
sun” (para sol) Ermine for Spanish mantilla (veil-like
warmth in headdress) lace could be
Fullness machine made. This taffeta
of sleeve winter dress has generous mantilla-
extends to style lace trims.
Wide sleeves
wrist trimmed with Headdress has
cording bows muslin lappet
1839
1840 features below
Blue-gray the ears
silk skirt
1844

Black lace trim

Pleated blue-gray silk The wide V-shaped Pelisse robe This opulent blue coat, a color
neckline of this dress is echoed by the pleating popular during the 1840s, is edged with
over the sloped shoulders, across the front of the luxurious ermine. Cording bows on the sleeves
bodice, and into the narrow waist. Lace-edged are matched at the waist by a belt that is
handkerchiefs were popular accessories. finished with decorative tassels.

Hair is parted Deep ounce of
in the center lace at hem

Sloping shoulder
seams restrain
arm movement

Tiered sleeves

Cashmere shawls BONNETS
were desirable
accessories Bonnets of fabric
or straw were worn
1855 outside to keep delicate
complexions fashionably
pale. They were fastened Straw
under the chin with ribbons bonnet
and decorated with frills,
Flounced, lace, ribbons, silk flowers,
checked skirt and feathers.

Tartan flounces This checked dress reflects Wedding, confirmation, or party dress The wide-brimmed
the popularity of Queen Victoria’s new Scottish The flounced sleeves and skirt with central bonnets of the 1830s
palace, Balmoral, and the ensuing vogue for diaper pattern panel are both trimmed with were gradually replaced
tartan. The flounces of the skirt are cut on yellow ribbons and broderie anglaise. The hair with more closely fitting
the bias to create a diamond-shape pattern. is outlined with pink ribbon, in Italian style. head wear shaped to
cover the cheeks in the
1840s, like the straw
bonnet here.

Silk bonnet



FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY 195

IMPERIAL

OPULENCE

France during Napoleon III’s Second Empire (1852–1870)
was a place of prosperity, quickly made fortunes, and rampant
consumerism. Visitors flocked to see Baron Haussmann’s
transformation of Paris into a city of grand boulevards, and
the theaters, opera houses, and new department stores buzzed
with life. The favorite court painter, Franz Xaver Winterhalter,
who painted the scene opposite, captured a glittering imperial
life, providing powerful public relations for the regime.

At the center of this court life was Napoleon’s striking,
Spanish-born empress, Eugénie—a leading fashion icon
of her day, whose patronage of designer Charles Frederick
Worth made him the first real "dictator" of Paris fashion.
Eugénie (fourth from the left) wears trimmings in purple,
a color she loved. Purple was an expensive natural dye,
suitable for royalty, when this was painted in 1855, but just
one year later a synthetic dye was made and soon “mauve
madness” swept Europe and the United States, fueled by
Eugénie’s example. The luxuriantly stylish court ladies, shown
in tulle, taffeta, silk, muslin, lace, and ribbons, also display
the newly fashionable crinolines, which became enormous
during the Second Empire. In 1861 one English fashion
magazine noted: “The Empress Eugénie[’s] petticoats…
stood out a great deal: and following her example, all the
Paris Ladies are wearing their skirts very wide and ample.”

Would you believe that, in the latter
half of the nineteenth century, there
are bearded milliners...who...take
the exact dimensions of the
highest titled women in Paris—robe
them, unrobe them, and make them
turn backward and forward before
them?

cHARLES DICKENS, ALL THE YEAR ROUND, 1863

◁ THE EMPRESS EUGENIE SURROUNDED BY HER LADIES IN WAITING
Winterhalter's painting is in the fête gallante style (beautiful people shown in
pastoral settings) of 18th-century artist J-A Watteau. Eugénie was fascinated by
this period, especially by Marie Antoinette, and some of her outfits incorporated
18th-century features.

196 FROM REVOLUTION TO FRIVOLITY Hair swept back Pagoda-
under cap and shaped
1856 –1869 streamers sleeves

CRINOLINES Matching
wrist bracelets
The new crinoline frame provided relief from wearing multi-
layered petticoats, but its buoyancy meant that long cotton with cameos
drawers were now essential under linens. In the 1860s an oval
frame shape evolved and box-pleated skirts gave way to gored Lace-edged
panels, which provided a smoother fit over the frame. Bodices and handkerchief
skirts were often separate items, allowing alternate styles of bodice,
and front-closure for convenience. With the availability of domestic 1859
sewing machines home dressmaking increased, as did the use of
copious trimmings. Large frames were abandoned after 1867, skirts
trailed and were gathered up internally with ties, forming a soft
bustle. Then crinolettes and bustle pads took over.

CAGED IN Bonnet with wide
ribbon ties and veil
Putting a dress over a crinoline frame
required assistance. A linen chemise, corset, Outdoor outfit Braids Evening dress This white silk tulle or cotton gauze
and open drawers with petticoat were worn and tassels trim this jacket, dress has stripes, trimmings, and loops formed by silk
under a watch-spring steel and tape frame. emphasising the back. It and ribbon. The ensemble is worn over a large circular
The dress was then lowered over the head. is worn over a crinoline frame, and by contrast the boned bodice secures a tiny
Lower hoops were later covered, to avoid frame now flatter in front, waist. The collar could be removed for dancing.
women putting their feet through the creating a triangular
open hoops and tripping. silhouette. Black and purple Cap
were fashionable colors but sleeves
1865 were also worn for
mourning and half-
Skirt falls mourning respectively.
vertically at
Bishop sleeve coming in
bottom of at wrist; detachable lace
frame cuff to under sleeve

Matching
wrist bracelets

with cameos

Rosette
finials

Red silk This silk dress is trimmed with braid
to create a trompe l’oeil effect. The braid outlines a
square neckline, highlights cuffs, creates cap sleeves,
and suggests a layered skirt. Red was popular for
flannel petticoats and robes too.

Artificial owers Snood hair net CRINOLINES 197
on rim of bonnet and feathered hat WOOL AND SILK WEAVES

A 10 ft (3 m) Pussycat Bow tie echoing
circumference bow men’s style
to the hem
was usual Skirt cut in Pagoda sleeves
gored panels over engageantes

Functional and Cashmere wool Machine-woven silk
decorative buttons
shawl, c.1860 (detail) daisies (apron detail)
1861
The range of materials and complex
Double hem patterning available to women by 1860 was
ruf e to skirt extraordinary. The textile industry in Britain
vied with Indian manufacturers to satisfy
Visiting outfit This bodice and skirt has copious Walking outfit The Englishwoman’s Domestic
lengths of pleated, black fabric applied by sewing Magazine was a fount of fashion advice, and increasing demand and changing tastes.
machine. Pagoda sleeves reveal engageantes gave patterns for bodices and coats like this Edinburgh, Crayford in Essex, Norwich,
(undersleeves) of cotton, cotton gauze, or lace that paletot. Checked fabric was popular, and the and later Paisley produced wool shawls.
were detached for laundering. outfit clearly borrows elements from menswear. Huge, double-square, long shawls
were folded in half and then
diagonally draped across the large
skirts. Jacquard looms could
produce wide lengths of woven
silk to look like embroidery that could

be used for dress skirts, and accessories
such as aprons, as here. The subtlety of
color gradation, and accuracy in depicting
specific flowers, are quite remarkable.

Removable Square panel Slashed
lace collar of silk facing sleeves

Rosette to One of two Waistline
separate belt bodices that now higher
that covers survive with
join of bodice
with skirt this skirt

Bishop
sleeves

1867 1868 Skirt worn
over smaller
Fringing crinolette frame
and ribbon
decoration 1869

Tartan dress This day dress is of three-color Royal blue This silk moiré outfit has separate Madame Vignon creation The bodice sleeves
checked wool: red, pale green, and heather blue. bodice and skirt—the front-closure bodice made on this magenta, silk outfit are slashed in Italian
A horsehair pad supports the back fullness of the getting dressed much easier. Here a small crinolette Renaissance style. The skirt, with mock apron and
skirt. Velvet rickrack (zigzag) braid trim suggests a frame gives buoyancy and, with the squared bodice peplum overskirt, trails along the ground, and paves
collar. Rosettes were a popular feature in 1867–70. and apron front, anticipates 1870s styles. the way for the onset of bustled skirts.