Saturday, August 19, 2017

Fashion at Versailles

For Ladies:
With Marie-Antoinette, elegance and simplicity of clothing was the order of the day at Court. For everyday life, the robe à la polonaise, a modest outfit, was in fashion among women along with the robe à la lévite. Simply dressed in a robe à la polonaise made of grey silk, the queen is putting together a bouquet in a countryside scene, with a rose in her hand. (Read more.)
Actually, the dress in question (above) was blue, not grey; because it is supposed to be a moonlight scene it may appear to be grey.

For Gentlemen:
Men’s attire in the 1780s were comprised of three main parts: the justeaucorps, which was the coat that later evolved to the frac, the waistcoat, and breeches. Shapes were simplified in favour of a more slender silhouette without affectation. The letter which is part of this engraving describes the type of costume: “Habit de printemps à la Française. M. the Count of Provence. This habit, although plainer, is in the same style as the king’s. This type of habit à la française was worn at the end of the Ancien Régime. […] The habit à la française is composed of a justeaucorps, coat and breeches. The justeaucorps, which was looser-fitting than the frac à l'anglaise, was never worn fastened, despite being decorated with buttons and button holes. It had a straight collar made of the same fabric, in contrast to the English-style collars which were turned-over and made of a different colour. The justeaucorps had external pockets whose flaps constituted an essential element of decoration. The waistcoat was very long and had sleeves, meaning it could be worn without a justeaucorps in négligée dress, and was generally made of a different colour; it hung low and had basques in front and behind…” (Read more.)
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