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Fashion in the period 1795-1820 in European and European-influenced countries saw the final triumph of undress or informal styles over the brocades, lace, periwigs, and powder of the earlier eighteenth century. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, no one in France wanted to appear to be an aristocrat, while in Britain, Beau Brummell introduced trousers, perfect tailoring, and unadorned, immaculate linen as the ideals of men's fashion.
Women's fashions followed classical ideals, and tightly laced corsets were temporarily abandoned in favor of a high-waisted, natural figure.
Women's fashion
In this period, fashionable women's clothing styles were based on the Empire silhouette — dresses were closely-fitted to the torso just under the breasts, falling loosely below. In different contexts, such styles are commonly called "Directoire" (referring to the Directory which ran France during the second half of the 1790s), "Empire" (referring to Napoleon's 1804-1814/1815 empire, and often also to his 1800-1804 "consulate"), or "Regency" (most precisely referring to the 1811-1820 period of George IV's formal regency, but often loosely used to refer to various periods between the 18th century and the Victorian).
These 1795-1820 fashions were quite different from the styles prevalent during the most of the rest of the 18th and 19th centuries, when women's clothes were generally tight against the torso from the natural waist upwards, and heavily full-skirted below (often inflated by means of hoop-skirts, crinolines, panniers, bustles, etc.). The high waistline of 1795-1820 styles took attention away from the natural waist, so that there was then no point to the tight "wasp-waist" corseting often considered fashionable during other periods. Thus during the 1795-1820 period, it was often possible for middle- and upper-class women to wear clothes that were not very confining or cumbersome, and still be considered decently and fashionably dressed.
Hairstyles
During this period, the classical influence extended to hairstyles. Often masses of curls were worn over the forehead and ears, with the longer back hair drawn up into loose buns or Psyche knots influenced by Greek and Roman styles. By the later 1810s, front hair was parted in the center and worn in tight ringlets over the ears. A few adventurous women wore short hairstyles.
Underwear
"Drawers" (underpants with short legs) were only beginning to be worn by a few women during this period, and fashionable women's underwear consisted of a single thin shift or chemise with tight, short sleeves (and a low neckline if worn under evening wear). Petticoats were often worn between the underwear and the outer dress; the lower edge of the petticoat was intended to be seen, since women would often lift their outer dresses to spare the relatively delicate material of the outer dress from mud or damp (so exposing only the coarser and cheaper fabric of the petticoat to risk).
The high-waisted classical fashions required no corset for the slight of figure, and there were some experiments to produce garments which would serve the same functions as a modern bra. However, "short stays" (corsets extending only a short distance below the breasts) were often worn over the shift or chemise (not directly next to the skin), and "long stays" (corsets extending down towards the natural waist) were worn by a minority of women trying to appear slimmer than they were (but even such long stays were not primarily intended to constrict the waist, in the manner of Victorian corsets).
Outerwear and shoes
Throughout the period, the Indian shawl was the favored wrap. Short jackets called spencers were also worn, and an overcoat called a pelisse was worn in winter.
Thin, flat fabric or leather slippers were generally worn (as opposed to the high-heeled shoes of much of the eighteenth century).
Directoire (1795-1799)
1812-neoclassical-Young-Ladies-at-Home.png By the early-to-mid 1790's, several influences had combined to produce a certain simplification in women's clothes: aspects of Englishwomen's practical country outdoors wear leaked upwards into high fashion, there was a reaction in revolutionary France against the ornately cumbersome aristocratic style of dress of the former royal regime (see 1750-1795 in fashion), and the aesthetic of Neo-classicism began to be applied (it was associated in France with ideas of ancient Athenian and Roman "republican virtue"). Also, a simplification of the attire worn by preteen girls in the 1780s (who were no longer required to wear 1778-Bourgeois-daughter-fashion.jpg) probably prepared the way for the simplification of the attire worn by teenage girls and adult women in the 1790s. Waistlines became somewhat high by 1795, but skirts were still rather full, and neo-classical influences were not yet dominant.It was during the second half of the 1790s that fashionable women in France began to adopt a thoroughgoing Classical style, based on an idealized version of ancient Greek and Roman dress (or what was thought at the time to be ancient Greek and Roman dress), with narrow clinging skirts. Some of the extreme Parisian versions of the neo-classical style (such as narrow straps which bared the shoulders, and diaphanous gowns without sufficient stays, petticoats, or shifts worn beneath) were not widely adopted elsewhere, but many features of the late-1790s neo-classical style were broadly influential, surviving in successively modified forms in European fashions over the next two decades.
White was considered the most suitable color for neo-classical clothing (accessories were often in contrasting colors). Short trains trailing behind were common in dresses of the late 1790s.
Directoire gallery
- 1795-Frankland-sisters-by-Hoppnet.jpg of the Frankland sisters by John Hoppner gives an idea of the styles of 1795.
- 1795-William-Blake-Naomi-entreating-Ruth-Orpah.jpg by William Blake. Blake is not a typical neo-classicist, but this shows a somewhat similar idealization of antiquity (as well as predicting the future high fashions of the late 1790's).
- Fashion 1796-enh.jpg showing woman and girl wearing elegantly-simple high-waisted styles, which are not strongly neoclassical, however.
- Gabrielle-Josephine-du-Pont-ca1978.jpg of Gabrielle Josephine du Pont.
- 1798-balloon-henri.jpg, showing a lady who seems none too warmly attired for a balloon journey in her low-cut thin-looking directoire gown.
- 1799-red-shawl.jpg of white directoire gown worn with contrasting red shawl with Greek key border.
- 1798-spencer-sketch.jpg of a day outfit with short "spencer" jacket (less neo-classical, though still following the empire silhouette).
- 1799 Riding Habit July LMM.jpg of 1799. The habit on the right features a short jacket with tails. The green habit on the left may be a redingote rather than a jacket and petticoat.
Caricatures
- Toomuch-1556_Toolittle-1796_caricature.jpg, a February 8th 1796 caricature engraved by Isaac Cruikshank (father of George) after a drawing by George M. Woodward. (In 1796, strongly neoclassically-influenced styles were still very new in England.) Notice the single vertical feather springing from the hair of the 1796 woman.
- Tippies-of-1796-caricature.jpg, a highly-stylized parody which caricatures women's feather headdresses and dandies' tight trousers, among other things.
- 1799-Cruikshank-Paris-ladies-full-winter-dress-caricature.jpg, an over-the-top caricature by Isaac Cruikshank of allegedly excessively diaphanous styles worn in late 1790's Paris.
Empire/Regency (1800-1820)
During the first two decades of the nineteenth century, fashions continued to follow the basic high-waisted empire silhouette, but in other respects neoclassical influences became progressively diluted. (In many countries, the strictest or most uncompromising versions of the neoclassical style were never quite as popular as in Paris.) Colors other than white came into style, the fad for diaphanous outer fabrics faded (except in certain formal contexts), and some elements of obvious visible ornamentation came back into use in the design of the gown (as opposed to the elegant simplicity or subtle white-on-white embroidery of the gown of ca. 1800).
During the second half of the 1810s, a somewhat conical silhouette (slightly stiffened by layers of petticoats) began to be preferred (as opposed to the earlier narrow and clinging skirts), and decoration (sometimes heavy and elaborate) was often applied near the hem of the dress, preparing the way for the transition to 1820s styles.
Empire gallery
- 1800-John-Vanderlyn-mother-and-son.jpg of mother and son by John Vanderlyn.
- Gilbert Stuart Mrs Harrison Gray Otis.jpg wears a gown with a sheer top layer over a partial lining and a patterned shawl. She wears a gold armlet on her left arm. Her hair is styled in loose curls at the temples and over her ears. Massachusetts, 1809.
- Dancing-Dress-1809.jpg dancing dress worn with elbow-length gloves.
- 1810-ball-dress-Ackermanns.png ball gown, shown with elbow-length gloves.
- 1810-Johann-Klein-dress.jpg of woman in "Schute" bonnet and blue-striped dress with flounces.
- Portrait-woman-Henri-Francois-Mulard-ca1810.jpg of a woman by Henri Mulard, ca. 1810.
- Marguerite-Charlotte_David.jpg wears a simple white satin gown and the ubiquitous shawl. Her headress is trimmed with ostrich plumes.
Caricatures
- 1807-pseudo1740_Fashion-contrast_Bombazine-pun.jpg, a caricature purporting to show the provocative and revealing character of 1807 fashions as compared to those of the 18th century (deliberately exaggerating the contrast).
- Gillray-Three-Graces-in-High-Wind.jpg, 1810 caricature by Gillray. A satire of clinging gowns worn with few layers of petticoats beneath.
1815-1820 gallery
- 1815-walking-costume-Ackermanns.png — probably more realistic to the everyday wear of Jane Austen's characters than most fashion-plates.
- David Vilain.jpg and her daughter wear their hair parted in the front center with tight ringlets over each ear; back hair is brushed back into a bun. 1816.
- 1817-walz-La-Belle-Assemblee.gif, showing the beginning of the trend towards a conical silhouette.
- 1817-walking-dress-La-Belle-Assemblee.jpg is heavily trimmed and tasseled.
- September-1818-Evening-Dress.png, with shoulders about as bare as they got among 1795-1820 Englishwomen.
- MaryLodge.jpg wears the new fashion for rich color. Her crimson gown with frills at neck and sleeves is worn with an ivory shawl with a wide paisley-patterned border, 1818.
- 1819-evening-dress-Ackermanns.png, with ornamentation near the hem.
- Morning-dress-Ackermanns-ca1820.png (for staying inside the house during the mornings and early afternoons), 1819.
Caricature
- Monstrosities-of-1818-Cruikshank.jpg, a satire by George Cruikshank of the female trend towards a conical silhouette, and male high cravats and dandyism.
Men's fashion
Overview
This period saw the final abandonment of lace, embroidery, and other embellishment from serious men's clothing — it would not reappear except as an affectation of the Young Edwardian look in the 1960s.Breeches became longer — tightly-fitted leather riding breeches reached almost to the boot tops — and were replaced by pantaloons or trousers for fashionable streetwear.
Coats were cutaway in front with long skirts or tails behind, and had tall standing collars.
Shirts had tall collars, worn turned up to the chin, and wrapped in a cravat tied in various fashions.
Overcoats or greatcoats were fashionable, often with contrasting collars of fur or velvet.
The rise of the dandy
The clothes-obsessed dandy first appeared in the 1790s, both in London and Paris. In the slang of the time, a dandy was differentiated from a fop in that the dandy's dress was more refined and sober.Beau Brummell set the fashion for dandyism in British society from the mid-1790s, which was characterized by immaculate personal cleanliness, immaculate linen shirts with high collars, perfectly tied cravats, and exquisitely tailored plain dark coats (contrasting in many respects with the "macaroni" of the earlier eighteenth century).
Brummell abandoned his wig and cut his hair short in a Roman fashion dubbed à la Brutus, echoing the fashion for all things classical seen in women's wear of this period. Brummell also led the move from breeches to snugly-tailored pantaloons or trousers, often light-colored for day and dark for evening, based on working-class clothing adopted by all classes in France in the wake of the Revolution.
Hairstles and headgear
Older men, military officers, and those in conservative professions such as lawyers and physicians retained their wigs and powder into this period, but younger men of fashion wore their hair in short curls, often with long sideburns.
Tricorne and bicorne hats were still worn, but the most fashionable hat was tall and slightly conical - this would evolve into the top hat and reign as the only hat for formal occasions for the next century.
Style gallery
- BrummellDighton1805.jpg of Beau Brummell by Richard Dighton.
- W allston self 1805.jpg of 1805, Washington Allston wears a tan cravat with his high white collar and dark coat. Boston.
- Portrait of Rubens Peale.jpg wears a white waiscoat with a tall upright notched collar over his high shirt collar and wide cravat. America, 1807.
- Kochubey.jpg collar reaches his chin, and his cravat is wrapped around his neck and tied in a small bow. His short hair is casually dressed and falls over his forehead.
- 1810-Les-Modernes-Incroyables.jpg, a satire on French fashions of 1810 - long tight breeches or pantaloons, short coats with tails, and massive cravats.
- Ingres Marcotte d-Argenteuil.jpg wears a high-collared shirt with a dark cravat, a buff waistcoat, a double-breasted brown coat with covered buttons, and a dark gray overcoat with contrasting collar (perhaps sealskin). 1810. His bicorne hat lies on the table.
- Waldo Samuel Lovett Self Portrait.jpg wears a frilled shirt with a knotted white cravat.
- 1816-Lord-Grantham-Ingres.png wears a double-breasted coat which shows a bit of the waistcoat beneath at the waist, tight pantaloons tucked into boots, and a high collar and cravat. 1816.
Cultural memory of Directoire/Empire/Regency fashions
During the first half of the Victorian era, there was a more or less negative view of women's styles of the 1795-1820 period. Some people would have felt slightly uncomfortable to be reminded that their mothers or grandmothers had once promenaded about in such styles (which could be considered indecent according to Victorian norms), and many would have found it somewhat difficult to really empathize with (or take seriously) the struggles of a heroine of art or literature if they were being constantly reminded that she was wearing such clothes. For such reasons, some Victorian history paintings of the Napoleonic wars intentionally avoided depicting accurate women's styles (see example below), Thackeray's illustrations to his book Vanity Fair depicted the women of the 1810s wearing 1840s fashions, and in Charlotte Brontë's 1849 novel Shirley (set in 1811-1812) neo-Grecian fashions are anachronistically relocated to an earlier generation.
Later in the Victorian period, the Regency seemed to retreat to an unthreateningly remote historical distance, and Kate Greenaway and the Artistic Dress movement selectively revived elements of early 19th century fashions. During the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, many genre paintings, sentimental valentines, etc. contained loose depictions of 1795-1820 styles (then considered to be quaint relics of a bygone era). In the late 1960s / early 1970s, there was a limited fashion revival of the Empire silhouette.
In recent years, 1795-1820 fashions are most strongly associated with Jane Austen's writings, due to the various movie adaptations of her novels. There are also some Regency fashion "urban myths", such as that women dampened their gowns to make them appear even more diaphanous (something which was certainly not practiced by the vast majority of women of the period).
- 1857-regency-fashion-crinoline-comparison-joke.png making fun of the contemporary distaste for early 19th century clothes.
- Henry-Nelson-O'Neil_Before-Waterloo_1868.jpg (1868), a mid-Victorian painting which deliberately does not show accurate women's styles of 1815.
- John-Pettie_Two-Strings-To-Her-Bow_1882.jpg (1882), a later Victorian genre painting which uses the Regency period for nostalgia value.
- May day greenaway.jpg by Kate Greenaway.
See also
External link
References
- Ashelford, Jane: The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500-1914, Abrams, 1996. ISBN 0810963175
- Baumgarten, Linda: What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America, Yale University Press,2002. ISBN 0300095805
- Black, J. Anderson and Madge Garland: A History of Fashion, Morrow, 1975. ISBN 0688028934
- de Marly, Diana: Working Dress: A History of Occupational Clothing, Batsford (UK), 1986; Holmes & Meier (US), 1987. ISBN 0841911118
- Payne, Blanche: History of Costume from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century, Harper & Row, 1965. No ISBN for this edition; ASIN B0006BMNFS
- Rothstein, Natalie (editor): A Lady of Fashion: Barbara Johnson's Album of Styles and Fabrics, Norton, 1987, ISBN 0500014191
- Tozer, Jane and Sarah Levitt, ''Fabric of Society: A Century of People and their Clothes 1770-1870, Laura Ashley Press, ISBN 0950891304
History of clothing (Western fashion) | Neoclassicism | English Regency
"1795-1820 in fashion"
