18th Century Dress for Women in France - Term Paper Example

 18th century dress for Women in France Introduction The French fashion and dresses in the 18th century were defined and characterized by elaborate court dresses. It was the time of the Regency and the Rococo. There was freedom of mind when it came to the type of dress one wore during this century. The dresses were colourful and were rich in decorations and were worn by iconic features like Marie Antoinette. Hoop skirts were huge before 1750 and started losing its size in the 1750s. The clothes despite the reduction in size remained the most formal dresses in France during the 18th century. The essay will discuss the type of clothes and fashion for women in France during the 18th century. Critical Review of Sources Hart, A., and North, S., (1998), Historical Fashion in detail: 17th and 18th centuries, London: V&A Publications. The book offers a sumptuous close look to the variety and richness of historic dresses. The focus is the dresses that were popular during the 17th and 18th century. The garments that are a focus on the book are drawn from Victoria and Albert Museum's that have the world fame of different collections. The skills from the book continue to be a source of inspiration for today’s fashion designers. Limitations of the book are that it focuses more on the fabric of the garment instead of the dresses. There is also concentration on the men’s dresses of the 18th century, whereas the essay is about the women's clothes from the same century. Laver, James, (2012), Costume and Fashion: A Concise History, London: Thames & Hudson. The book is a guide to fashion from the invention of needles that was more than forty thousand years ago. The book gives us the landmarks of costume history and how each costume was significant during its time. The type and form of materials used during the 18th century have a precise definition in the book. Clothes have been used to protect us, and there is an underlying meaning to fashion that the book shares with the reader. The book is appropriate for students of fashion, art and costume. The limitation of the book is that there is not much focus on the 18th-century fashion. The book instead concentrates on the 20th-century fashion and fashion designers of that era. The book was also difficult to get access to it. Ribeiro, A., (1983), A Visual History of Costume: 18th century, London: Drama Publication. It is a perfect book for the people that need a reference to the history of fashion and dresses. There are a series of illustrations concerning the kind of way and how people wore it during the 18th century. There is an apparent order about the clothes and precise description of the dates and times the materials were familiar. Its limitation is that the book is old dated thus a major hurdle to come by when searching for the reference material. Ribeiro, A., (2002), Dress in 18th century Europe: 1715-1789, Yale University Press. The book is a survey of the type of clothing that the middle and upper class wore during the 18th century. There is also a meaningful explanation concerning social status by the clothes that people in Europe wore during that time. The focus of the book is on 1715 – 1789. The writer also looks at the rise of fashion designers and their role in making the 18th-century clothes. Limitations of the book are that it goes further on talking about the economic and social gains of fashion and do not focus on the topic. Rothstein, N., (1999), Four Hundred Years of Fashion, London: V&A Publications. The book is a classic as it dates back fashion of over four hundred years. It has its basis on the world’s famous collection from V&A. The story is about the fashionable dress of both men and women. There are over two hundred illustrations from the book that shows fashion and how it has evolved since four hundred years ago. The book has much focus on the men’s dresses which the essay does not have focus or interest. The 18th-century fashion, particularly had much fashion focus on the men's clothes rather than the women fashion and dress. Steele, V., (2010), The Berg Companion to Fashion, Oxford, New York: Berg. The hype and the glamour of fashion and how it changes and affects people’s culture is part of the discussion in the book. The force that is way in the global economy and how it changes and improves economies around the globe is also part of the study. Limitation of the book is that it concentrates in the 21st-century fashion and gives a little information about fashion in the 18th century that is the primary focus of the essay. Welters, L., and Lillethun, A., (2011), The Fashion Reader, 2nd edition, New York/Oxford: Berg Publisher. The book has its design for students and scholars who are interested in fashion and glamour. The focus of the book is contemporary fashion, and it focuses on the history of fashion, different cultures and the economy of style. The book covers fashion Renaissance and antiquity in the historic days. The only limitation of the book is that it was difficult to access because of its high demand. The library was not able to provide the book in time. Contexts The 18th century is characterized by the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI, who was the husband to Marie Antoinette. The century saw a political revolution and the end of the French monarchy. The people did not have trust in its rules and hence the revolution. Marie Antoinette tried to escape France and execution by hiding in a guard’s clothes, but could not because she was huge. The French spent their social hours indoors and did it by demonstrating their affinity to luxurious dresses and lifestyle. The hoop skirts were very luxurious, and people of higher status in the society were the ones who wore the clothes. Development of Dress Every woman in France during the 18th century was trying to be fashionable and elegant. The women had buoyant dresses that were large and floated around them. The skirt the women wore had draped over frames, and they also wore a bouffant trimmed skirt. The dresses they wore had corsets or ragged pieces of clothes which were used to accentuate the hour figure of a woman. The size of the dress was increased by the petticoats the women wore inside (Hart and North 1998). Women’s breasts were a centre of attraction and were highlighted by pushing them up and having a plunging neckline. There were different fabrics that were used to make the dresses and rich women preferred luxurious materials such as satin, velvet, taffeta, and silk. The dresses of the rich women had flower embroidery on them as decorations. The middle-class women often used wool and cotton in making their clothes. The dresses had stiff petticoats inside them as an accompaniment. The peasants also had virtually the same kind of clothes as the bourgeois. The difference between the two is that the peasants’ dresses were soberer and had little to no adornment on them. There are certain signposts that arose in the form of shape and silhouettes of the dresses in the 18th century (Ribeiro 1983). Dilated hips that were made by panniers are the primary source of attention in the dresses. The corseted waist brought extreme immobility in the women that wore them to accentuate their shapes and figures. The dresses had Rococo patterns that were very popular during the time. The drape patterns on the dresses and skirts that revealed a petticoat inside shows theatricality and sensuality of the century. The dresses had beautiful gatherings and polonaises that brought the elegance to the dresses (Rothstein 1999). The size of the clothes did not seem to be a problem for the women nor did the weight. The more the size of the dress, the merrier for the women wearing them. The hair had a pile on a woman’s head and had several decorations such as feathers, fruits, and jewelry. There was, the more natural style of short loops in the middle of the century and the peacock hair at the end of the century (Steele 2010). The eighteenth-century woman was elegant in her dressing and wearing the clothes also came with many luxuries. During the years late in the century, the clothes designs had stripes patterns and still maintained their allure. The wealthy women had the luxury of wearing linen that had much embroidery on them. The fashion designers focused on decorating the garments to make them different from those of the middle-class women (Laver 2012). The hoop skirts sometimes had a replacement by the less attractive side hoop skirts that revealed a little of the inner garment. The bodice of the dresses had sleeves with perfect trims and ruffles to ensure the features of the upper torso are well revealed. The opening on the lower body of the gowns had a revelation of lots of decorations on them. The French revolution, however, came with the end of the brocade dresses. The French clothes then had a replacement by a style that was soberer than the initial design. The clothing was similar to the English aristocracy (Welters and Lillethun 2011). English Dress The kind of dresses the women wore at the beginning of the eighteenth century is very different from the clothes they wore in the end. The end of the century was characterized by the American and French revolutions. The change in the political and social culture led to the designers change in the type of clothes they made for the women. The French style was very different from the European style. The French style of dresses was defined and characterized by elaborate court dresses whereas the English dresses had a description of simple and practical garments (Ribeiro 2002). The French clothes were colorful and were wealthy in massive decorations both on the top of the dress and on the skirt of the dress. The English clothes were made of materials that were long lasting and were not expensive in price. The clothes of the English people meant that they were suitable and appropriate for outdoor activities. The French dresses were large and occupied a large space. The women preferred to stay indoors while wearing their elegant dresses as it was hectic to walk in their heavily decorated garments. The English attire depicted that they had a lot of outside, pastoral activities, whereas the French had a luxurious indoor life. During the 1760s, the fashion of both women in France and England changed (Laver 2012). The French women, as well as the women in England, wore strapless dresses that were cut high at the armpits. The gowns were stiff bodied and they were very convenient for the women who were riding horses. The clothes offered needed support for the women in England who were very active in their outdoor activities. The 1760s were characterized by close bodied gowns, and the women had long hair. The hairstyle was tall hair that came with head dresses for the women both in France and England. It had a famous name the Brunswick (Hart and North 1998). The most important definition of the clothes in France and England is that both the dresses were a symbol of the great turnaround that happened in Europe in the middle of the century. At the end of the century, the women in France were looking up to the English for a sense in fashion and not the other way round. Neoclassic led to the growth of the clothes design from the formal look to a less formal and relaxed look. The Rococo style went out the window to welcome the new European style of dressing and the end of the French ideals. Conclusion The eighteenth century saw a change in women’s fashion in France that came along with the French revolution. The women had a habit of wearing the large hoop skirts that were a sign of elegance. The style, however, changed over time, and the women adopted the English type of dressing that was more practical than the French type of dressing. The designers of the dresses also had a master in the type of gowns they were making as they became famous over the centuries. References Hart, A., and North, S., (1998), Historical Fashion in detail: 17th and 18th centuries, London: V&A Publications. Laver, James, (2012), Costume and Fashion: A Concise History, London: Thames & Hudson. Ribeiro, A., (1983), A Visual History of Costume: 18th century, London: Drama Publication. Ribeiro, A., (2002), Dress in 18th century Europe: 1715-1789, Yale University Press. Rothstein, N., (1999), Four Hundred Years of Fashion, London: V&A Publications. Steele, V., (2010), The Berg Companion to Fashion, Oxford, New York: Berg. Welters, L., and Lillethun, A., (2011), The Fashion Reader, 2nd edition, New York/Oxford: Berg Publisher. Read More