Object: Robe à la française
Date: 1755-1760
Medium: Ivory silk brocade, lace, passementerie
Country: France
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P82.27.1
DescriptionCourt dress in ivory patterned stripe silk brocaded with multicolor floral and feather bouquets and leopard pattern bows; fitted bodice with open round neckline and elbow length sleeve with cuff flounce; back watteau pleats shaped over panniers; lace and passementerie ruffled trim; full underskirt with drawstring waist
Label Text:This dress conveys the opulence and ostentation that were an integral part of 18th-century court dress. The complex silk brocade features a striped ribbed ground depicting feathers and flowers tied in bouquets by a meandering leopard print ribbon; the subtle presence of the leopard print bespeaks the high regard for exoticism in rococo culture. Elaborate passementerie trim and bows decorate the gown, generating an overindulgence of frills on the bodice, overgown, and underskirt. These sumptuous layers of luxury boast of an aesthetic perfection that was a direct reflection of one's social position in 18th-century culture.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Fairy Tale Fashion
- Paris, Capital of Fashion
- His and Hers
- Glamour: Fashion, Film, Fantasy
- Exoticism