Fashion in the twenty years between 1775 and 1795 in Western culture became simpler and less elaborate. These changes were a result of emerging modern ideals of selfhood, the declining fashionability of highly elaborate

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

styles, and the widespread embrace of the rationalistic or "classical" ideals of

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

philosophes The were the intellectuals of the 18th-century European Enlightenment.Kishlansky, Mark, ''et al.'' ''A Brief History of Western Civilization: The Unfinished Legacy, volume II: Since 1555.'' (5th ed. 2007). Few were primarily philosophers; rathe ...

Enlightenment concept of "fashion"

According to some historians, it was at this time when the concept of

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

, as it is known today, was established (others date it much earlier). Prior to this point, clothes as a means of self-expression were limited. Guild-controlled systems of production and distribution and the

sumptuary laws Sumptuary laws (from Latin ) are laws that regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furnitu ...

made clothing both expensive and difficult to acquire for the majority of people. However, by 1750 the consumer revolution brought about cheaper copies of fashionable styles, allowing members of all classes to partake in fashionable dress. Thus, fashion begins to represent an expression of individuality.

French Revolution

As the radicals and Jacobins became more powerful, there was a revulsion against high-fashion because of its extravagance and its association with royalty and

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

. It was replaced with a sort of "anti-fashion" for men and women that emphasized simplicity and modesty. The men wore plain, dark clothing and short unpowdered hair. During the Terror of 1794, the workaday outfits of the sans-culottes symbolized Jacobin egalitarianism. High fashion and extravagance returned to France and its satellite states under the Directory, 1795–99, with its "directoire" styles; the men did not return to extravagant customs. These trends would reach their height in the classically styled fashions of the late 1790s and early 19th century. For men, coats,

waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit) or vest ( US and Canada) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wea ...

s and

stocking Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transpar ...

s of previous decades continued to be fashionable across the Western world, although they too changed silhouette in this period, becoming slimmer and using earthier colors and more matte fabrics.

Women's fashion

Overview

Women's clothing styles maintained an emphasis on the conical shape of the torso while the shape of the skirts changed throughout the period. The wide panniers (holding the skirts out at the side) for the most part disappeared by 1780 for all but the most formal

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

functions, and false rumps (bum-pads or hip-pads) were worn for a time.

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

had a marked influence on French fashion beginning in the 1780s. Around this time, she had begun to rebel against the structure of court life. She abolished her morning toilette and escaped to the

Petit Trianon The Petit Trianon (; French for 'small Trianon') is a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical style château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, France. It was built between 1762 and 1768 ...

with increasing frequency, leading to criticism of her exclusivity by cutting off the traditional right of the aristocracy to their monarch. Marie Antoinette found refuge from the stresses of the rigidity of court life and the scrutiny of the public eye, the ailing health of her children, and her sense of powerlessness in her marriage by carrying out a pseudo-country life in her newly constructed hameau. She and an elite circle of friends would dress in peasant clothing and straw hats and retreat to the hameau. It was out of this practice that her style of dress evolved. By tradition, a lady of the court was instantly recognizable by the panniers, corset, and weighty silk materials that constructed her gown in the style à la française or à l'anglaise. By doing away with these things, Marie Antoinette's gaulle or chemise à la Reine stripped female aristocrats of their traditional identity; noblewomen could now be confused with peasant girls, confusing long standing sartorial differences in class. The chemise was made from a white muslin and the queen was further accused of importing foreign fabrics and crippling the French silk industry. The gaulle consisted of thin layers of this muslin, loosely draped around the body and belted at the waist, and was often worn with an apron and a

fichu A fichu (, from the French "thrown over") is a large, square kerchief worn by women to fill in the low neckline of a bodice. Description It originated in the United Kingdom in the 18th century and remained popular there and in France through t ...

. This trend was quickly adopted by fashionable women in France and England, but upon the debut of the portrait of Marie Antoinette by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, the clothing style created a scandal and increased the hatred for the queen. The queen's clothing in the portrait looked like a chemise, nothing more than a garment that women wore under her other clothing or to lounge in the intimate space of the private boudoir. It was perceived to be indecent, and especially unbecoming for the queen. The sexual nature of the gaulle undermined the notions of status and the ideology that gave her and kept her in power. Marie Antoinette wanted to be private and individual, a notion unbecoming for a member of the monarchy that is supposed to act as a symbol of the state. When Marie Antoinette turned thirty, she decided it was no longer decent for her to dress in this way and returned to more acceptable courtly styles, though she still dressed her children in the style of the gaulle, which may have continued to reflect badly on the opinion of their mother even though she was making visible efforts to rein in her own previous fashion excess. However, despite the distaste with the queen's inappropriate fashions, and her own switch back to traditional dress later in life, the gaulle became a popular garment in both France and abroad. Despite its controversial beginnings, the simplicity of the style and material became the custom and had a great influence on the transition into the neoclassical styles of the late 1790s. During the years of the French Revolution, women's dress expanded into different types of national costume. Women wore variations of white skirts, topped with revolutionary colored striped jackets, as well as white Greek chemise gowns, accessorized with shawls, scarves, and ribbons. By 1790, skirts were still somewhat full, but they were no longer obviously pushed out in any particular direction (though a slight bustle pad might still be worn). The "pouter-pigeon" front came into style (many layers of cloth pinned over the bodice), but in other respects women's fashions were starting to be simplified by influences from Englishwomen's country outdoors wear (thus the "

redingote A frock coat is a formal men's coat characterised by a knee-length skirt cut all around the base just above the knee, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods (1830s–1910s). It is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at th ...

" was the French pronunciation of an English "riding coat"), and from

neo-classicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

. By 1795, waistlines were somewhat raised, preparing the way for the development of the

empire silhouette Empire silhouette, Empire line, Empire waist or just Empire is a style in clothing in which the dress has a fitted bodice ending just below the bust, giving a high-waisted appearance, and a gathered skirt which is long and loosely fitting but ...

and unabashed neo-classicism of late 1790s fashions.

Gowns

The usual fashion at the beginning of the period was a low-necked

gown A gown, from the Latin word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by people of both sexes in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the t ...

(usually called in French a ''robe''), worn over a petticoat. Most gowns had skirts that opened in front to show the petticoat worn beneath. As part of the general simplification of dress, the open bodice with a separate

stomacher A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a stays, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies o ...

was replaced by a bodice with edges that met center front. The ''robe à la française'' or

sack-back gown __NOTOC__ The sack-back gown or ''robe à la française'' was a women's fashion of 18th century Europe. At the beginning of the century, the sack-back gown was a very informal style of dress. At its most informal, it was unfitted both front and b ...

, with back pleats hanging loosely from the neckline, long worn as court fashion, made its last appearance early in this period. A fitted bodice held the front of the gown closely to the figure. The ''robe à l'anglaise'' or

close-bodied gown A close-bodied gown, English nightgown, or ''robe à l'anglaise'' was a women's fashion of the 18th century. Like the earlier mantua, from which it evolved, the back of the gown featured pleats from the shoulder, stitched down to mould the gown c ...

featured back pleats sewn in place to fit closely to the body, and then released into the skirt which would be draped in various ways. Elaborate draping " à la polonaise" became fashionable by the mid-1770s, featuring backs of the gowns' skirts pulled up into swags either through loops or through the pocket slits of the gown. Front-wrapping thigh-length ''shortgowns'' or

bedgown A bedgown (sometimes bed gown, bedjacket or shortgown) is an article of women's clothing for the upper body, usually thigh-length and wrapping or tying in front. Bedgowns of lightweight printed cotton fabric were fashionable at-home morning wear i ...

s of lightweight printed cotton fabric remained fashionable at-home morning wear, worn with petticoats. Over time, bedgowns became the staple upper garment of British and American female working-class street wear. Women would also often wear a neck handkerchief or a more formal lace modesty piece, particularly on lower cut dresses, often for modesty reasons. In surviving artwork, there are few women depicted wearing bedgowns without a handkerchief. These large handkerchiefs could be of linen, plain, colored or of printed cotton for working wear. Wealthy women wore handkerchiefs of fine, sheer fabrics, often trimmed with lace or embroidery with their expensive gowns.

Jackets and redingotes

An informal alternative to the dress was a costume of a jacket and petticoat, based on working class fashion but executed in finer fabrics with a tighter fit. The '' caraco'' was a

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and ...

-like bodice worn with a petticoat, with elbow-length sleeves. By the 1790s, caracos had full-length, tight sleeves. As in previous periods, the traditional

riding habit A riding habit is women's clothing for horseback riding. Since the mid-17th century, a formal habit for riding sidesaddle usually consisted of: * A tailored jacket with a long skirt (sometimes called a petticoat) to match * A tailored shirt or ...

consisted of a tailored jacket like a man's coat, worn with a high-necked shirt, a waistcoat, a petticoat, and a hat. Alternatively, the jacket and a false waistcoat-front might be a made as a single garment, and later in the period a simpler riding jacket and petticoat (without waistcoat) could be worn. Another alternative to the traditional habit was a coat-dress called a ''joseph'' or ''riding coat'' (borrowed in French as

), usually of unadorned or simply trimmed woolen fabric, with full-length, tight sleeves and a broad collar with lapels or revers. The redingote was later worn as an overcoat with the light-weight chemise dress.

Underwear

The shift,

chemise A chemise or shift is a classic smock type of women's undergarment or dress. Historically, a chemise was a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils, the precursor to the modern shirts commonly worn in W ...

(in France), or smock, had a low neckline and elbow-length sleeves which were full early in the period and became increasingly narrow as the century progressed. Drawers were not worn in this period. Strapless stays were cut high at the armpit, to encourage a woman to stand with her shoulders slightly back, a fashionable posture. The fashionable shape was a rather conical torso, with large hips. The waist was not particularly small. Stays were usually laced snugly, but comfortably; only those interested in extreme fashions laced tightly. They offered back support for heavy lifting, and poor and middle-class women were able to work comfortably in them. As the relaxed, country fashion took hold in France, stays were sometimes replaced by a lightly boned garment called "un corset," though this style did not achieve popularity in England, where stays remained standard through the end of the period. Panniers or side-hoops remained an essential of court fashion but disappeared everywhere else in favor of a few petticoats. Free-hanging pockets were tied around the waist and were accessed through ''pocket slits'' in the side-seams of the gown or petticoat. Woolen or quilted waistcoats were worn over the stays or corset and under the gown for warmth, as were petticoats quilted with wool batting, especially in the cold climates of

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

and

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Footwear and accessories

Shoes had high, curved heels (the origin of modern "louis heels") and were made of fabric or leather.

Shoe buckle Shoe buckles are fashion accessories worn by men and women from the mid-17th century through the 18th century to the 19th century. Shoe buckles were made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, silver or silver gilt, and buckles for ...

s remained fashionable until they were abandoned along with

high-heeled footwear High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels (colloquially shortened to heels), are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wea ...

and other

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

fashions in the years after the French Revolution, The long upper also was eliminated, essentially leaving only the toes of the foot covered. The slippers that were ordinarily worn with shoes were abandoned because the shoes had become comfortable enough to be worn without them. Fans continued to be popular in this time period, however, they were increasingly replaced, outdoors at least, by the parasol. Indoors the fan was still carried exclusively. Additionally, women began using walking sticks.

Hairstyles and headgear

The 1770s were notable for extreme

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

styles and

wigs A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms. H ...

which were built up very high, and often incorporated decorative objects (sometimes symbolic, as in the case of the famous engraving depicting a lady wearing a large ship in her hair with masts and sails—called the "Coiffure à l'Indépendance ou le Triomphe de la liberté"—to celebrate naval victory in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

). These coiffures were parodied in several famous satirical caricatures of the period. By the 1780s, elaborate hats replaced the former elaborate hairstyles. Mob caps and other "country" styles were worn indoors. Flat, broad-brimmed and low-crowned straw "shepherdess" hats tied on with ribbons were worn with the new rustic styles. Hair was powdered into the early 1780s, but the new fashion required natural colored hair, often dressed simply in a mass of curls.

Style gallery

1775–1789

Image:Ladyworsley.jpg, 1 – 1776 Image:Marie Antoinette Adult.jpg, 2 – 1778 File:Elias_Martin_-_The_Happy_News_-_B1977.14.11918_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg, 3 – 1778 File:Sir Joshua Reynolds - The Ladies Waldegrave - Google Art Project.jpg, 4 – 1780 Image:MA-Lebrun.jpg, 5 – 1783 File:Robe à l'Anglaise.jpg, 6 – 1784–87 Image:Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun - Marie-Antoinette au livre - 1785.jpg, 7 – 1785 Image:Caraco 1786.jpg, 8 – 1786 File:Gallerie_des_Modes_et_Costumes_Français,_1786,_eee_312_La_minaudiere_Marinett_(..),_RP-P-2009-1210.jpg, 9 – 1786 Image:Miss constable 1787.jpg, 10 – 1787 Image:Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun - The Marquise de Pezay, and the Marquise de Rougé with Her Sons Alexis and Adrien - Google Art Project.jpg, 11 – 1787 Image:Gullager Salisbury.jpg, 12 – 1789 # Lady Worsley wears a red

with military details, copying those of the uniform of her husband's regiment (he was away fighting the American rebels) on the cutaway coat and a buff waistcoat, 1776. #

wears panniers, a requirement of court fashion for the most formal state occasions, 1778 # Two young ladies wear mob caps over high hair, 1778 # The Ladies Waldegrave wear transitional styles, 1780–81, in their portrait by Reynolds. Their hair is powdered and dressed high, but their white caracos, like shorter dresses ''à la polonaise'', have long tight sleeves. # Marie Antoinette in chemise dress, 1783. She wears a sheer, striped sash and a broad-brimmed hat. Her sleeves are poufed, probably with drawstrings. # French ''robe à l'anglaise'' with fashionable closed bodice, 1784–87,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, New York. #

wears the popularized turban, with a scarf wrapped around it. Her collar is heavy with lace, and her crimson petticoat is trimmed in fur, 1785. # Fashion plate of 1786 shows a ''caraco'' and petticoat, worn with a wide-brimmed summer hat of straw with elaborate trimmings. # Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1786 morning dress worn with a

and a broad-brimmed hat. # Miss Constable, 1787, wears a chemise dress with plain sleeves and a narrow sash. She wears her hair down in a mass of curls under her straw hat. # The Marquise de Pezay and the Marquise de Rouge wear colorful dresses in the new style, one blue and one striped, with sashes and high-necked chemises beneath. The Marquise de

Rougé Rougé (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, near Rennes. The name "Rougé" comes from the Latin "Rubiacus", means ''the red place'', in reference to the high iron-com ...

wears a scarf or kerchief wrapped into a

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

. # Elizabeth Sewall Salisbury wears an oversized mob cap trimmed with a wide satin ribbon and a kerchief pinned high at the neckline. America, 1789.

1790–1795

File:Morland squires door detail.jpg, 1 – 1790 File:Rose adelaide ducreux color.jpg, 2 – File:1791-Yo-Yo-Bandalore.jpg, 3 – 1791 File:Dammode. Kvinna i kläder från sent 1700-tal (1792) - Nordiska Museet - NMA.0041098.jpg, 4 – 1792 File:Isaac-Cruikshank-early1790s-flower-family.png, 5 – 1790s File:Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun - Portrait de la comtesse Maria Theresia Bucquoi2.jpg, 6 – 1793 File:Gilbert Stuart - Catherine Brass Yates.jpg, 7 – 1793 File:Marchioness of la Solana, Francisco de Goya.jpg, 8 – 1794 File:Goya Alba1.jpg, 9 – 1795 #

Redingote A frock coat is a formal men's coat characterised by a knee-length skirt cut all around the base just above the knee, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods (1830s–1910s). It is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at th ...

or riding coat of c. 1790, with "pouter-pigeon" front. This lady wears a mannish top hat for riding and carries her riding crop. #

Self-portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

of Rose Adélaïde Ducreux with harp. #

1791 Events January–March * January 1 – Austrian composer Joseph Haydn arrives in England, to perform a series of concerts. * January 2 – Northwest Indian War: Big Bottom Massacre – The war begins in the Ohio Count ...

illustration of woman playing with an early form of

yo-yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in th ...

(or "bandalore") shows slight bust draping, which in more extreme form became the "pouter pigeon" look. #

Illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

of women's fashion from 1792 # Sketch by

Isaac Cruikshank Isaac Cruikshank (born 5 October 1764; bapt. 14 October 1764 1811) was a Scottish painter and caricaturist, known for his social and political satire. Biography Cruikshank was the son of Andrew Crookshanks ( 1725 c. 1783), a former customs ...

(father of

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

), showing both male and female middle-class English styles of the early 1790s. # La Comtesse Bucquoi wears a sashed gown with a high-necked, frilled chemise beneath, a turban on her head, and a newly fashionable scarlet

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

. 1793. # Mrs. Richard Yates, 1793, wears a very conservative gown with a kerchief and a gathered mob cap with a large ribbon bow. # María Rita de Barrenechea y Morante, Marchioness of la Solana # The Duchess of Alba wears a simple white gown, with a red

sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...

and bow on her low collar. She wears her hair loose and free. This portrait shows the influence of French

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

at the end of the 18th century, 1795.

=Caricature

= File:Miss shuttlecock John Johnson political & satirical.jpg, ''Miss Shuttle-Cock'' (1776) compares women's dresses and feathered headwear to the shuttlecocks used in the sport of

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

. File:Family_canvas,_or_dresss_antient_and_modern_(BM_1851,0901.293).jpg, ''Modern dress'' (1786) illustrates the 1780s emphasis on rounded pouting bosoms and broad-brimmed hats. File:1796-short-bodied-gillray-fashion-caricature.jpg, In ''Following the Fashion'' (1794),

James Gillray James Gillray (13 August 1756Gillray, James and Draper Hill (1966). ''Fashionable contrasts''. Phaidon. p. 8.Baptism register for Fetter Lane (Moravian) confirms birth as 13 August 1756, baptism 17 August 1756 1June 1815) was a British list of c ...

caricatured figures flattered and not flattered by the high-waisted gowns then in fashion. File:Bodleian Libraries, A republican belle- A picture of Paris for 1794.jpg, alt=A woman wearing colorful clothes casually holding a firing gun., Isaac Cruikshank's caricature of a female French revolutionary, emphasizing colorful, mismatched clothes (1794).

French fashion

File:Marie Josephine de Savoie.png, France, 1777 File:Madame Dubarry1.jpg, France, 1781 File:Vigée Le Brun - Élisabeth of France, Versailles.jpg, France, 1782 File:MA-Lebrun.jpg, France, 1783 File:Gabrielle de Polastron.jpg, France, 1783 File:Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun - Comtesse de Cérès Former title (from 1963 to 1992)- Lady Folding a Letter - Google Art Project.jpg, France, 1784 File:Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun - Portrait of Marie Gabrielle de Gramont, Duchesse de Caderousse - Google Art Project.jpg, France, 1784 File:Comtesse Louis-Philippe de Segur (1756-1828), by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun.jpg, France, 1785 File:Portrait of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, by Vigeé-Lebrun, at New Orleans Museum of Art.jpg, France, 1788 File:Madame d'Aguesseau de Fresnes by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1789, oil on wood - National Gallery of Art, Washington - DSC09999.JPG, France, 1789 File:Comtesse de La Châtre by Vigée-Lebrun.jpg, France, 1789 File:Portrait of the Marquise de Grécourt, née de la Fresnaye, in a red velvet dress with a white chiffon scarf.jpg, France, 1790 File:Jean-Laurent Mosnier - Portrait of a Lady - WGA16290.jpg, France, 1792

Spanish fashion

File:Anton Rafael Mengs - Retrato de la marquesa de Llano - Google Art Project.jpg, Spain, 1775 File:Countess of Altamira and her Son by Esteve.jpg, Spain, 1778 File:M.Teresa Vallabriga.jpg, Spain, 1783 File:Augustín Esteve - Retrato da Marquesa de San Andrés, c. 1785.JPG, Spain, 1785 File:Duchess Countess of Benavente by Goya.jpg, Spain, 1785 File:Countess of Altamira and her Daughter by Goya.jpg, Spain, 1787 File:Portrait of Tadea Arias de Enríquez by Goya.jpg, Spain, 1789 File:María Luisa de Parma, reina de España.jpg, Spain, 1789 File:María Luisa de Parma, reina consorte de España, por Zacarías González Velázquez (Museo de Historia de Madrid).jpg, Spain, 1790 File:Retrato de Feliciana Bayeu, hija del pintor.jpg, Spain, 1792 File:Goya Maria del Rosario Fernandez La Tirana 1794.jpg, Spain, 1794 File:Goya - Condessa de Casa Flores.jpg, Spain, 1794 File:Francisco de Goya y Lucientes - Portrait of Senora Ceán Bermudez - Google Art Project.jpg, Spain, 1795 File:La marquesa viuda de Villafranca por Francisco de Goya.jpg, Spain, 1795 File:Marchioness of la Solana, Francisco de Goya.jpg, Spain, 1795 File:Goya Alba1.jpg, Spain, 1795

Men's fashion

Overview

Throughout the period, men continued to wear the

coat A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...

, and

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...

. However, changes were seen in both the fabric used as well as the cut of these garments. More attention was paid to individual pieces of the suit, and each element underwent stylistic changes.Ribeiro, Aileen: The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France 1750–1820, Yale University Press, 1995, Under new enthusiasms for outdoor sports and country pursuits, the elaborately

embroidered Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

silks and velvets characteristic of "full dress" or formal attire earlier in the century gradually gave way to carefully

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ed woolen "undress" garments for all occasions except the most formal. In

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in the decades around the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the adoption of plain undress styles was a conscious reaction to the excesses of European court dress;

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

caused a sensation by appearing at the French court in his own hair (rather than a wig) and the plain costume of

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

Philadelphia. At the other extreme was the "

macaroni Macaroni (), known in Italian as ''maccheroni'', is a pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as "elbow macaroni". Some ...

". In the United States, only the first five Presidents, from

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

(1732–1799) to

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

(1758–1831), dressed according to this fashion, including wearing of powdered wigs tied in a queue (except for Washington who powdered, curled and tied in a queue his own long hair), tricorne hats and knee-breeches. James Monroe earned the nickname "The Last Cocked Hat" because of this. His successor

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

(1767-1848) wore a short haircut instead of long hair tied in a queue and long

trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants ( American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending ...

instead of knee breeches at his inaugural ceremony in 1825, thus becoming the first president to have made the change of dress. The latest-born notable person to be portrayed wearing a powdered wig tied in a queue according to this fashion was

Archduke John of Austria Archduke John of Austria (, ; (or simply ''Nadvojvoda Janez''); 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverweser'') of the short-lived German Emp ...

(born in 1782, portrayed in ).

Coats

By the 1770s, coats exhibited a tighter, narrower cut than seen in earlier periods, and were occasionally double-breasted. Toward the 1780s, the skirts of the coat began to be cutaway in a curve from the front waist. Waistcoats gradually shortened until they were waist-length and cut straight across. Waistcoats could be made with or without sleeves. As in the previous period, a loose, T-shaped silk, cotton or linen gown called a

banyan A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as ...

was worn at home as a sort of dressing gown over the shirt, waistcoat, and breeches. Men of an intellectual or philosophical bent were painted wearing banyans, with their own hair or a soft cap rather than a wig. This aesthetic overlapped slightly with the female fashion of the skirt and proves the way in which male and female fashions reflected one another as styles became less rigid and more suitable for movement and leisure. A coat with a wide collar called a

frock Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing, typically coat (clothing), coat-like, for men and women. Terminology In British English and in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries the word may be us ...

coat, derived from a traditional working-class coat, was worn for hunting and other country pursuits in both Britain and America. Although originally designed as sporting wear, frock coats gradually came into fashion as everyday wear. The frock coat was cut with a turned down collar, reduced side pleats, and small, round cuffs, sometimes cut with a slit to allow for added movement. Sober, natural colors were worn, and coats were made from woolen cloth, or a wool and silk mix.

Shirt and stock

Shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...

sleeves were full, gathered at the wrist and dropped shoulder. Full-dress shirts had ruffles of fine fabric or lace, while undress shirts ended in plain wrist bands. A small turnover

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

returned to fashion, worn with the stock. In England, clean, white linen shirts were considered important in Men's attire. The

cravat Cravat, cravate or cravats may refer to: * Cravat (early), forerunner neckband of the modern necktie * Cravat, British name for what in American English is called an ascot tie * Cravat bandage, a triangular bandage * Cravat (horse) (1935–1954) ...

reappeared at the end of the period.

Breeches, shoes, and stockings

As coats became cutaway, more attention was paid to the cut and fit of the breeches. Breeches fitted snugly and had a fall-front opening. Low-heeled leather

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

s fastened with

shoe buckle Shoe buckles are fashion accessories worn by men and women from the mid-17th century through the 18th century to the 19th century. Shoe buckles were made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, silver or silver gilt, and buckles for ...

s were worn with silk or woolen

stockings Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...

Boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

s were worn for riding. The buckles were either polished metal, usually in silver (sometimes with the metal cut into false stones in the Paris style) or with paste stones, although there were other types. These buckles were often quite large and one of the world's largest collections can be seen at

Kenwood House Kenwood House (also known as the Iveagh Bequest) is a stately home in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. The present house, built in the late 17th century, was remodelled in the 18th century for William Murray, 1st E ...

; with the French Revolution they were abandoned in France as a signifier of aristocracy.

Hairstyles and headgear

Powdered wigs tied in a queue were worn for formal occasions, or the hair was worn long, curled and powdered, brushed back from the forehead and ''clubbed'' (tied back at the nape of the neck in a queue) with a black ribbon. Due to the association with a ruling class in France the wearing of wigs as a symbol of social status was largely abandoned during the period of the French Revolution (1789–1799). While in the early phase of the revolution most revolutionary leaders, including younger ones, kept wearing a wig as the standard wardrobe, later during the period of the Directory (1795–1799) the popularity of wig-wearing rapidly decreased. The wide-brimmed

tricorne The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat in a triangular shape, which became popular in Europe during the 18th century, falling out of style by the early 1800s. The word "tricorne" was not widely used until the mid-19th century. During the 18th ...

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

s turned up on three sides were now turned up front and back or on the sides to form

bicorne The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...

s. Toward the end of the period, a tall, slightly conical hat with a narrower brim became fashionable (this would evolve into the

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...

in the next period).

Style gallery

1775–1795

Image:J S Copley - Paul Revere.jpg, 1 – 1776 Image:Forsterundsohn.jpg, 2 – 1775–80 File:Gustav_IIIs_celadondräkt,_1777_-_Livrustkammaren_-_39259.tif, 3 –1777 File:John Webber - Portrait of Captain James Cook - Google Art Project.jpg, 4 –1780 Image:Georg Forster.jpg, 5 – File:Man's yellow wool suit c. 1785.jpg, 6 – File:ArthurPhilip.jpg, 7 – 1786 Image:GAINSBOROUGH, Thomas - Johann Christian Fischer (1780).jpg, 8 – 1780s Image:Francisco Cabarrús.jpg, 9 – 1788 File:Johann_Friedrich_August_Tischbein_-_Nicolas_Châtelain_im_Garten.jpg, 10 – 1791 Image:Besenval, baron de2.jpg, 11 – File:Man's striped tailcoat vests and breeches 1790-1795.jpg, 12 - 1790–95 Image:José Álvarez de Toledo, Duque de Alba.jpg, 13 – 1795 File:1790s men's suits Berlin History Museum.jpg, 14 - 1790s File:Jean-Baptiste Milhaud IMG 2318.JPG, 15 - 1793 File:Arciduca Giovanni d'Austria.jpg, 16 - #

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

's shirt has full sleeves with gathers at shoulder and cuff, plain wristbands, and a small turnover collar. #

Naturalists Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster (; 22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Reformed pastor and naturalist. Born in Tczew, Dirschau, Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772), Pomeranian Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Tczew, Po ...

and his son Georg Forster wear collared

coats and open shirt collars for sketching. The portrait depicts them in Tahiti, 1775–80. #

Celadon Celadon () is a term for pottery denoting both wares ceramic glaze, glazed in the jade green Shades of green#Celadon, celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, ...

colored silk coat, waistcoat and breeches, 1777 #

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

in naval uniform, # Another portrait of

Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (; 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German geography, geographer, natural history, naturalist, ethnology, ethnologist, travel literature, travel writer, journalist and revol ...

depicts him in a collarless dress coat and matching waistcoat with covered buttons, . His shirt has a pleated frill at the front opening and his hair is powdered, . # Yellow wool suit with silk velvet trim shows the influence of English tailoring on European fashion.Takeda and Spilker (2010), p. 42 Spain, ,

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

, M.2007.211.801a-c. # Royal Navy officer and

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

Arthur Phillip Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...

in a black dress coat and bicorn hat, 1786 # 1780s suit of matching coat, waistcoat and breeches. The waistcoat is hip length, 1780s. # Francisco Cabarrús holds the popular tricorne and wears a yellow-mustard suit of matching coat, waistcoat and breeches; the waistcoat is hip length, 1788. # Nicolas Châtelain wears a tall, slightly conical hat, a predecessor of the

, 1791. # Baron de Besenval wears a short patterned red waistcoat with his grey coat and black satin breeches. His coat has a dark contrasting collar, and his linen shirt has plain fabric ruffles, Paris, 1791. # French fashions of 1790–95 include a tailcoat of silk and cotton

plain weave Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaving, weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishi ...

with silk satin stripes, shown over two layered figured silk vests. (

) # The Duke of Alba, 1795, a portrait by

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, a ...

, who depicts this nobleman wearing plain colors in the newly fashionable English style, although the duke still powders his hair. He is wearing long riding boots that reach the breeches. # Relatively plain men's suits from 1790s France. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, excessively ornamental styles were abandoned in favour of simple designs. # French Revolutionary style, 1793: ''

Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud (; 10 July 1766 – 10 December 1833) was a French politician and general. He distinguished himself throughout the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and is considered one of the best generals of cavalry of ...

, deputy of the Convention, in his uniform of representative of the People to the Armies'', by

Jean-François Garneray Jean-François Garneray (1755 in Paris – 11 June 1837 in Auteuil) was a French painter. He was a student of Jacques-Louis David. Children His three sons were: * Ambroise Louis Garneray (1783–1857), sea painter * Auguste-Siméon Garneray ( ...

or another follower of

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. #

Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...

, the latest-born notable person to be portrayed wearing a powdered wig tied in a queue, .

Caricature

File:Bodleian Libraries, A republican beau- A picture of Paris for 1794.jpg, alt=A man in striped pants and shirt and Phrygian cap., Isaac Cruikshank's caricature of a French revolutionary (1794), emphasizing striped clothing and a

Phrygian cap The Phrygian cap ( ), also known as Thracian cap and liberty cap, is a soft Pointed hat, conical Hat, cap with the apex bent over, associated in Classical antiquity, antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, and Asia. The Phry ...

Children's fashion

In the late 18th century, new philosophies of child-rearing led to clothes that were thought especially suitable for children. Toddlers wore washable dresses called

s of

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

.Baumgarten, p. 171

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

boys after perhaps three began to wear rather short pantaloons and short jackets, and for very young boys the skeleton suit was introduced. These gave the first real alternative to boys' dresses, and became fashionable across Europe. Image:Maella - Infanta Carlota Joaquina, Prado.jpg, 1 – 1775–1778 File:Barnkl%C3%A4nning_fr%C3%A5n_1775_-_Livrustkammaren_-_86759.tif, 2 – 1775 Image:1778-Bourgeois-daughter-fashion.jpg, 3 – 1778 File:Elias_Martin_-_Two_Schoolboys_-_B1975.4.887_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg, 4 – ca 1780 Image:George Romney 002.jpg, 5 – 1781–83 File:Les_plaisir_du_mènage_James_Gillray_1781.jpg , 6 – 1781 File:M.teresa_de_Borbón_Vallabriga_niña._Goya.jpg, 7 – 1783 File:Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga.jpg, 8 – 1784 File:Family of Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Luisa of Spain.jpg, 9 - 1784–85 Image:Queen Marie Antoinette of France and two of her Children Walking in The Park of Trianon - Nationalmuseum - 18035.tif, 10 – 1785–86 File:The_Children_of_the_Second_Duke_of_Northumberland_by_Gilbert_Stuart_1787.jpeg, 11 – 1787 Image:Sir william fitzherbert boy hi.jpg, 12 – # Queen Charlotte of Portugal as a child. # Baby dress made 1775 for a child of

Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden and II of Norway. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is known as ''Hedwig Elisabeth Charlo ...

. # The cumbersome outfit of the young daughter of a French ''bourgeois'', 1778. # Schools boys ca 1780. # Miss Willoughby wears the loose, sashed white

that is the English girl's equivalent of the fashionable lady's chemise dress, with a straw hat, 1781–83. # Everyday clothes of young children in a middle-class family, 1781. # Spanish girl María Teresa de Borbón in a blue bodice, black skirt, and a mobcap with a

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

, 1783. # Spanish boy in an early skeleton suit with a round frilled collar and waist sash, 1784. # The family of Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Luisa of Spain, 1784–85. # Marie Antoinette and her children on a 1785–1786 portrait, showing the change to loose ankle-length skirts for little girls. Her son wears a light blue skeleton suit. # The children of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland wear loose white frocks with cloth belts. The younger girls wear mobcaps and the older girls wear fashionable hats, 1787. # Young William Fitzherbert wears fall-front breeches, a full shirt, and a narrow black stock, c. 1790.

Working-class clothing

Working-class people in 18th-century England and the United States often wore the same garments as fashionable people: shirts, waistcoats, coats and breeches for men, and shifts, petticoats, and dresses or jackets for women. However, they owned fewer clothes, which were made of cheaper and sturdier fabrics. Working-class men also wore short jackets, and some (especially sailors) wore trousers rather than breeches.

Smock-frock A smock-frock or smock is an outer garment traditionally worn by rural workers, especially shepherds and waggoners. Today, the word smock refers to a loose overgarment worn to protect one's clothing, for instance by a painter. The traditional sm ...

s were a regional style for men, especially shepherds. Country women wore short hooded cloaks, most often red. Both sexes wore handkerchiefs or neckerchiefs.Styles, ''The Dress of the People'', pp. 32–36Baumgarten, ''What Clothes Reveal'', pp. 106–127 Men's felt hats were worn with the brims flat rather than cocked or turned up. Men and women wore shoes with shoe buckles (when they could afford them). Men who worked with horses wore boots. During the French Revolution, men's costume became particularly emblematic of the movement of the people and the upheaval of the aristocratic French society. It was the long pant, hemmed near the ankles, that displaced the knee-length breeches

culottes Culottes are an item of clothing worn on the lower half of the body. The term can refer to either split skirts, historical men's breeches, or women's underpants; this is an example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, ...

that marked the aristocratic classes. Working-class men had worn long pants for much of their history, and the rejection of culottes became a symbol of working class, and later French, resentment of the Ancien Régime. The movement would be given the all-encompassing title of

sans-culottes The (; ) were the working class, common people of the social class in France, lower classes in late 18th-century history of France, France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their ...

, wearing the same as the working class. There was no culotte "uniform" per se, but as they were turned into a larger symbol of French society, they had certain attributes attributed to them. In contemporary art and description, culottes become associated with the

a classical symbol. French citizens on all levels of society were obligated to wear the blue, white and red of the French flag on their clothing, often in the form of the pinned the blue-and-red

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. The word cockade derives from the French ''cocarde'', from Old French ''coquarde'', feminine of ''coquard'' (va ...

of Paris onto the white cockade of the ''Ancien Régime'', thus producing the original

cockade of France The cockade of France () is the national ornament of France, obtained by circularly pleating a blue, white and red ribbon. It is composed of the three colors of the French flag, with blue in the center, white immediately outside and red on the e ...

. Later, distinctive colours and styles of cockade would indicate the wearer's faction although the meanings of the various styles were not entirely consistent and varied somewhat by region and period. In the 17th century, a cockade was pinned on the side of a man's

cocked hat The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...

, or on his lapel. File:Pehr_Hillestr%C3%B6m-En_piga_h%C3%B6ser_s%C3%A5ppa_utur_en_kiettel_-_i_en_sk%C3%A5l.jpg, Sweden, c. 1780 Image:Henry Singleton The Ale-House Door c. 1790.jpg, England, c. 1790 Image:George Morland 001.jpg, England, 1792 Image:George Morland A Windy Day.jpg, England, 1790s Image:Sans-culotte.jpg, French

sans-culotte The (; ) were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the . The word , which is o ...

, 1790s # A maid in a well-to-do household pours soup from a pot. She wears a caraco jacket over a petticoat together with a protective apron and high heeled shoes with curved heels, painted by Pehr Hilleström # Everyday day dress in England reflected fashionable styles. The man wears a coat with stylish large buttons over a double-breasted waistcoat and breeches. His hat brim is not cocked and he wears a spotted neckerchief. The woman wears a green apron over a skirted jacket and petticoat. # Two men at an alehouse wear felt hats. The man at the right wears a short jacket rather than a coat. # English countryman wears a round felt hat and a smock-frock. The countrywoman wears a short red cloak and a round hat over her cap, 1790s. # Idealized ''sans-culotte'' by

Louis-Léopold Boilly Louis-Léopold Boilly (; 5 July 1761 – 4 January 1845) was a French painter and draftsman. A creator of popular portrait paintings, he also produced a vast number of genre paintings documenting French middle-class social life. His life and work ...

Contemporary summaries of 18th-century fashion change

These two images provide 1790s views of the development of fashion during the 18th century (click on images for more information): 1793-1778-contrast-wholeplate-lowQ

Notes

References

* Arnold, Janet: ''Patterns of Fashion 2: Englishwomen's Dresses and Their Construction C.1860–1940'', Wace 1966, Macmillan 1972. Revised metric edition, Drama Books 1977. *Ashelford, Jane: ''The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500–1914'', Abrams, 1996. *Baumgarten, Linda: ''What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America'', Yale University Press,2002. *Black, J. Anderson and Madge Garland: ''A History of Fashion'', Morrow, 1975. *de Marly, Diana: ''Working Dress: A History of Occupational Clothing'', Batsford (UK), 1986; Holmes & Meier (US), 1987. *Fairchilds, Cissie: "Fashion and Freedom in the French Revolution", Continuity and Change, vol. 15, no. 3, 2000. *Payne, Blanche: ''History of Costume from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century'', Harper & Row, 1965. No ISBN for this edition; ASIN B0006BMNFS * Ribeiro, Aileen: ''The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France 1750–1820'', Yale University Press, 1995, *Ribeiro, Aileen: ''Dress in Eighteenth Century Europe 1715–1789'', Yale University Press, 2002, * Rothstein, Natalie (editor): ''A Lady of Fashion: Barbara Johnson's Album of Styles and Fabrics'', Norton, 1987, *Steele, Valerie: ''The Corset: A Cultural History''. Yale University Press, 2001, *Styles, John: ''The Dress of the People: Everyday Fashion in Eighteenth-Century England'', New Haven, Yale University Press, 2007, *Takeda, Sharon Sadako, and Kaye Durland Spilker, ''Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700 - 1915'', LACMA/Prestel USA (2010), * Tortora, Phyllis G. and Keith Eubank. ''Survey of Historic Costume''. 2nd Edition, 1994. Fairchild Publications. *Tozer, Jane and Sarah Levitt, ''Fabric of Society: A Century of People and their Clothes 1770–1870'', Laura Ashley Press, * Waugh, Norah, ''The Cut of Women's Clothes: 1600-1930'', New York, Routledge, 1968,

External links

* ttp://www.englishcountrydancing.org/frenchfashion.html French Fashions 1700 - 1789 from ''The Eighteenth Century: Its Institutions, Customs, and Costumes'', Paul Lecroix, 1876*
Looking at Eighteenth-Century Clothing by Linda Baumgarten at Colonial Williamsburg
*[http://cdm16028.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p15324coll12/searchterm/177*!178*!179*/field/title!title!title/mode/all!all!all/conn/or!or!and/order/nosort 1770s-1790s Fashion Plates of men and women's fashion] from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:1775-95 in Western fashion 18th-century fashion History of clothing (Western fashion) 1770s fashion 1780s fashion 1790s fashion Age of Enlightenment Fashion1775 pt:Moda entre os anos de 1750 e 1795

Enlightenment concept of "fashion"

French Revolution

Women's fashion

Overview

Gowns

Jackets and redingotes

Underwear

Footwear and accessories

Hairstyles and headgear

Style gallery

1775–1789

1790–1795

=Caricature

French fashion

Spanish fashion

Men's fashion

Overview

Coats

Shirt and stock

Breeches, shoes, and stockings

Hairstyles and headgear

Style gallery

1775–1795

Caricature

Children's fashion

Working-class clothing

Contemporary summaries of 18th-century fashion change

Notes

References

Further reading

External links