 |
| http://www.dirjournal.com/info/the-history-of-coiffure-in-the-xviii-century/ |
In 18th century France, Rococo sprang up shortly after the Baroque period. Many describe it as the happiness that followed the Enlightenment age. Everything in the Rococo period was heavily decorated with frills to spare, especially the clothes.
Dresses had winged arms that showed the lace from the under blouse. Hair was often piled high upon the women’s head but allowed to flow softly in curls down the neck. Many women decorated their hair with ribbons, jewels, feathers, these was the style of Rococo. During the 1720’s and 30’s the Hoop skirt expanded and flattened out at the bottom allowing for even more fabric to train down the back providing more space for pattern. The back of the bodice was pleated so that the fabric would hang more loosely down the back forming an elegant shape. This shape became the subject of many of Watteau’s painting of women during the Rococo style. He was so interested in the shape these pleats made, that today they are called Watteau pleats.  |
| Watteau Pleats http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/BK-1978-248?page=1&lang=en&context_space=&context_id= |
The century can be broken down into quarters separated by periods of patterns. The first quarter of the century saw large bold floral patterns; the second quarter took these floral patterns and reduced their size. The third quarter introduced some more linear patterns consisting largely of strips along with an assortment of flora. The last quarter of the century was greatly influenced by fabrics and patterns from Indian culture.
The undergarments of the upper class including the petticoats were generally made from linen. Wool was also used for these undergarments because of their warmth and inexpensiveness; it was the fabric many lower classes used. Silk was the fabric of choice for the outer clothing including dresses and blouses of the wealthy population, being it was very expensive. Cotton went in and out of fashion depending on time and location as in many parts of Europe cotton was still very expensive to produce. Cotton was even banned from some countries altogether during the Rococo period, these countries included England, France and Prussia. Dyes were used to make the fabrics colorful, ivory, sand, light blue, blue/grey, and pink were the most common colors of dress during the time period. Permanent dyes were not invented until sometime in the 19th century so dark browns and black were very rare.
The undergarments of the upper class including the petticoats were generally made from linen. Wool was also used for these undergarments because of their warmth and inexpensiveness; it was the fabric many lower classes used. Silk was the fabric of choice for the outer clothing including dresses and blouses of the wealthy population, being it was very expensive. Cotton went in and out of fashion depending on time and location as in many parts of Europe cotton was still very expensive to produce. Cotton was even banned from some countries altogether during the Rococo period, these countries included England, France and Prussia. Dyes were used to make the fabrics colorful, ivory, sand, light blue, blue/grey, and pink were the most common colors of dress during the time period. Permanent dyes were not invented until sometime in the 19th century so dark browns and black were very rare.
Clothing during the Rococo period became much more than just a covering up of the body. Much attention was given to every detail to the design of the outfit. Clothing of the Rococo period followed much of the design of the rest of the arts of the time. Architecture, painting, sculpture and clothes brought about a sense of happiness that had been covered up by much of the art world until this time. Although today many consider Rococo to be a frilly less important time period, it is interesting to see the pleasure of the time between the enlightenment and the period of revolution that followed.
Many in the fashion industry have taken on the ideas of Rococo fashion when designing their latest line of clothing. The film industry has also used Rococo as an inspiration in films like Marie Antoinette, The Duchess, Kamikaze Girls and other similar movies, which place a great importance on costume and design. This short YouTube video shows some modern trends influenced by the 18th century Rococo style.
hi sock
ReplyDelete