I find the eighteenth century quite fascinating for fashion history. Women’s fashion went through several different shapes and silhouettes, some more dramatic than others. And English fashion had its own timeline slightly separate from the continent. It can take a bit of time to identify/ distinguish between several dress that sound quite similar, though. I loved that the Fashion Museum in Bath has laid out a timeline where you can see a robe à la français beside a robe à l’Anglaise to compare them. Today, we are going to be looking at a gorgeous robe à l’Anglaise from the 1770s!
One of the main differences between the robe à la français and the robe à l’Anglaise is the use of panniers. Panniers are hoops around the hips that give a skirt a wider profile, and tended to be used in more formal styles. The French style gown uses panniers, while the English does not. So, onto our robe à l’Anglaise…
1770s Robe à l’Anglaise, Fashion Museum Bath
According to the exhibition information, this is a “striped silk open robe fitting into the waist at the back, known as robe à l’Anglaise and also described as en fourreau. / A lady who kept a fashion diary in the 1700s bought a similar striped silk for 6 shillings, 6 pence a yard, from a local haberdasher. A dress could take up to 18 yards to make.” The pale pink and green stripes make for an interesting gown- we see patterns on many court gowns, but I can’t say I’ve seen many stripes. (You can see a tweet from the Fashion Museum on staging it!)
The Regency period at the end of the eighteenth century saw a more relaxed silhouette, but the 1770s still favoured a formal and structured look (particularly in the upper levels of society). A gown like this would have very much been worn to be seen– the frill and lace detailing would only have added to the cost! (And people tend not to spend as much on clothing that no one will see…) It may have been worn to the pleasure gardens, where people could see and be seen!
What do you think of the English style dress? Could you see yourself wearing one?
Cheers,
The Historian
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