18th Century Women's Fashion
The intricacies of Women’s dress in the 18th Century began with undergarments. A shift was worn under a pair of boned stays, which emphasized a ‘V’ shape that would rest at the hips as opposed to the modern/victorian corset which focuses more on achieving an hourglass figure at the waist. After the stays were spiral laced, one of many petticoats would be donned, shortly followed by either a pair of bum pads or a pannier depending on the dress type and occasion. In the case of bum pads, another petticoat would be thrown overtop before tying a single or pair of pockets around the waist. These pockets varied in size but compared to modern women’s pockets were infinitely more useful in shape and capacity. In the case of a pannier, more often than not the pannier itself had built-in pockets at the hips, so no further pockets were necessary. After the donning of the second petticoat, the undergarment portion of the dressing was complete, the rest of the process varies on which style of dress or robe a woman chose to wear for the occasion.
The Robe Volante
The ‘OG’ gown of the 18th century, precursing the Robe a la Francaise was a sacque gown that was worn very loosely. The only exposed part of the gown under the robe was a stomacher that would've been left blank or decorated. The gown was always worn with a pannier or side hoops (larger panniers depending on the occasion). Despite the mass of fabric the gowns were exceptionally comfortable and made for excellent ball gowns because of their ease of movement.
The Sacque gown or Robe à la Française
The iconic gown of the century, featuring a long cape or sacque back that would usually connect to the rear of the skirt (sometimes the saque would hang disconnected from the skirt). The Francaise was always worn over a pannier or side hoops and had slits at the hips of the dress to provide access for pockets. Despite the 18th century emphasis on new fashions and “the next big thing” the Francaise remained the most popular choice for balls and formal dinners (outside of the Robe de Cour) for the majority of the century.
The Round Gown
The round gown was a simple gown that closed in the front with pins, no stomacher needed, it also had a fitted back and was cut in (you guessed it) around bell shape to emphasize not only the hips of the woman wearing it but also the ease of walking that came with the gown. The sleeves of a round gown came to the mid-forearm and were often accentuated with lace. Bum Pads and petticoats layering were used in place of a pannier to create the perfect round shape, as emphasis was on the round silhouette as opposed to creating an illusion of large hips or bum, symmetry is key with the round gown.
The English gown or Anglaise
English gowns were one of the most popular styles of gown in the early quarters of the century, not only for their comfortability but also for its ease of access. The style and patterning of the English gown were one of the very few styles that were accessible to both high and middle classes (Some lower-class women also had an English gown for weddings or other formal occasions). Unlike the Francaise or later incarnations of the style, the pattern was easily accessible and far less complicated to hand stitch than other court styles. The gown features a fitted back and pinned stomacher with a round skirt which was usually supported with bum pads, but it is not unheard of for women wearing panniers underneath to go the extra mile. The neckline was square and was often ruffled for a bit of extra modesty. The sleeves of the gown came down to the elbow where it would form a bell shape (sometimes ruffled) for the forearms to protrude from.
The Italian gown or Robe a l'Anglaise
“Didn't we just cover this?” No, despite similar names and a similar bodice structure these are two different styles of gown present at different points in the century. While it also featured a fitted back the front was closed and often featured an A-shaped pinned or tied fascined over top a vest or large stomacher. Like the English gown, the neckline was also squared but rarely had ruffles, most women opted to wear a fischu instead of these ruffles or would leave their décolleté exposed. The sleeves of an Italian Anglaise were rarely, if ever, bell-shaped, instead, the Italian gown opted for a clean-cut sleeve at the elbow, sometimes decorated with a button or thin line of lace. Also unlike the English gown which could be worn with bum pads or a pannier the Italian Robe a l’Anglaise was strictly worn with bum pads as emphasized by the illusionistic ‘m’ shape of the rear skirt.
Retrousse
While not a style of gown, Retrousse was a style of wearing in which the corners of the robe or rear skirt were pulled through the pocket slits to create a poofyness or illusion of a larger posterior. Wearing a gown in Retrousse was also a popular way to wear a more intricate or fancy gown in the summer months as the style not only lightened the layering of fabric on the legs but also created a sort of vent for cool air to enter through the pockets as one would walk. Ladies would also suspend their skirts via elastics or ties attached to their stays, this was more common in Anglaise gowns and even some sub-styles of the Polonaise gowns.
Robe a la Polonaise
The torso of the Polonaise gown is made of one cut of fabric and was either pinned to the waist to be more form-fitting or worn as is creating a looser silhouette. The skirt of the Polonaise was typically divided into three curtain pieces which were distinguished by either wearing the skirt in Retrousse or by cutting the fabric and enunciating them with trim or ruffle. The sleeves of a Polonaise came in a vast variety, some mimicking the bell-shaped sleeves of the English gown and Francaise, others followed the more clean-cut shape of the Italian Anglaise while others featured a straight, lace ruffle that emphasized not only elegance but slenderness and delicacy.
The Chemise or Robe a la Reine
The oh so scandalous gown of the 18th century, popularized by Marie Antoinette, the gown was based heavily on the undergarments of lower-class women and in comparison to the robes of the century had very little structure. The fabrics of the dress varied as did the style of backs and torso, many were gathered while others were more loose-fitting, the sleeves were very loose and were often tied at the forearm, elbow, and tricep to create more structure.
Redingote
This style of riding and exercise gear was heavily inspired by men's fashion of the time, with the robe being a long overcoat that typically held a military motif. The floor-length coat paired with a vest was quite unfriendly to the pockets we discussed earlier, because of this redingotes were often paired with satchels or belt pouches to compensate for otherwise underwhelming storage space. These gowns were usually paired with a Gainsborough or Tricorne hat
