18th Century Fashion

A few days ago I was browsing the web page of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I came across their gorgeous section of costume history. I've spent literally hours looking through pages with countless costumes dating from different historical periods. I was amazed by the beautiful materials and gorgeous embroideries of the dresses. I even made different scenarios in my head of countesses and duchesses sweeping the floors of their magnificent mansions with their beautiful and elegant attire. So silly, I know, but I must confess that I've never seen such fantastic creations in my life, and while I'm sure that they were not the most comfortable clothes to wear, they looked simply stunning.

Therefore, I decided to share with you a selection of costumes dating from the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. I'm sure you will understand why I'm so mesmerised after you are going to see them :)

So, today's post is all about 18th century fashion (I have a ginormous number of pictures and this is why I've decided to split them into three posts). Enjoy!

Robe à la Français (1760–70), made of silk and cotton

The description provided by the Met: "Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à la française was derived from the loose negligee sacque dress of the earlier part of the century, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front at the back. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à la française are renowned for the beauty of their textiles, the cut of the back employing box pleats and skirt decorations, known as robings, which showed endless imagination and variety."

Robe à la Française (1765) made of silk

French dress  (1775), made of silk.

These three dresses are my favourite ones...just look at those patterns and colours. Stunning!

Robes à la Française (1770), made of silk

 

Robe à la Française (1770) made of silk

Robe à la Française(1750–75), made of silk

French Dress (1750–75) made of cotton

Robe à l'Anglaise (1770–75), made of silk and metal

      Description:  "The robe à l'anglaise developed with a fitted back after the style of dress worn in England.They are renowned for the beauty of their textiles and the meticulous fit of their bodice back."

Robes à la Polonaise (1780), made of silk

Robes à la Polonaise (1780-85) made of silk de chine with hand-painted multicolored floral sprays

Description: "The polonaise gown first came into fashion in the 1770s. It was a style of gown with a close-fitting bodice and the back of the skirt gathered up into three separate puffed sections to reveal the petticoat below. The method of suspending the fabric varied. Most often the dress had rows of little rings sewn inside the skirt through which a cord ran from hem to waist. Alternatively, ribbon ties would be used, with the ribbons forming decorative bows. However, in some instances the skirt was held in place by simple cords sewn to the inner waist of the dress and looped over buttons attached to the outside waistline."

That's it for part one. I really hope you liked the dresses and this type of posts :) Stay tuned for the next post about 19th century dresses.

Kisses x

18th Century Paintings

Many of you may or may not know that I love history. I think it is absolutely fascinating...Yep, I'm a history geek :)) I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Basically everything history related attracts me, whether it's a book, a film, a TV show, a documentary, you name it.

My favourite historical period, besides antiquity, is the 18th century and the historical figures whom I admire the most are Henry VIII, Elisabeth I, Louis the XIV and Marie Antoinette. I actually have a little obsession with Marie Antoinette and 18th century France. I believe she was a fascinating character who was and still is misinterpreted and misunderstood. As for France, there never was a people more sophisticated and elegant than the French. For me, both England and France have the most fascinating histories and I most enjoy  reading about these two great nations. If you are interested, you can check Madame Guillotine's beautiful blog, which is amazing and has the most interesting posts about Marie Antoinette and about different historical events and personalities.

Soooo, today, as the title of the post suggests, I want to show you some of my favourite 18th century paintings. What's with these type of posts you might ask? Well, on the one hand I just wanted to write about something different and on the other hand I thought I could share with you my passion for art and history.

I'm going to start with my favourite painting, which is one of the most beautiful portrayals of the queen Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette with the Rose by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1783)

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire painted by Thomas Gainsborough

The Swing painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in 1767

Love Letter painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1770)

Both paintings depict Madame de Pompadour painted by François Boucher

Carl Herpfer, The Love Missive

Self-Portrait with a Harp, Rose-Adélaïde Ducreux (1790)

And last but not least, since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, here is one of the most romantic paintings in my opinion:



Romeo and Juliet by Frank Bernard Dicksee (1884)

That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed this selection of my favourite paintings from the 18th century. Be sure to check my next post because you will no doubt love it!