18th Century Clothing

During the eighteenth century, French culture promoted styles and trends that furthered the gender roles of Parisians. The gowns worn in European countries, particularly France featured elaborate clothing designs, influenced by the Rococo artistic trends of the period. French style incorporated colorful decorations into their intricate court dresses. These dresses were even worn by iconic fashion figures such as Marie Antoinette. The formal dress specifically demonstrates the luxury and status of the upper class, but more importantly the strict guidelines that young women had to abide by. This dress in particular and many alike were used as a tool of oppression during the eighteenth century to hinder women from pursuing male dominated roles

in society. The overall construction and design of the formal dress contributed to the position that women were expected to stay in and their role in society.

Prown
Jules David Prown developed a unique way to critically analyze material culture through three main areas (description, deduction, and speculation).

First, Prown identifies the visual components of an object without any prior knowledge, as though he has never seen or heard of it before. Some of which include the size, weight, materials, fabrication, form, function, condition, ornaments, color, style, techniques, trade practices, and even that examination of decorative motifs of the object. When describing, nothing should be left unnoticed. More importantly, all observations must be as objective as possible. This includes any quantifiable information and any data that is available. Additionally, questions must be asked about the object that can later be answered through research. Next, Prown abstracts ideas about the object that relate to its function. This involves sensory and intellectual engagement, which is based on the perception of intended users. It also involves the representational aspects, design, and functional performance of the object. Thus, inferences can be made based on particular instances. Lastly, Prown speculates and hypothesizes about the object in relationship to the society it originates from. This process requires scholarly research in order to prove (or disprove) formulated

theories.

Description
The formal dress is a 3 dimensional floor length gown that is fairly small in size. The unique design of the dress reflects various textile designs and embroidered details. High quality embellishments represent several patterns and images of flowers. This piece in particular highlights various dips and angular shapes amongst the top and bottom of the gown. Some of the fabric is woven compared to some of the stitches that are smaller in size. The piece stands at 4 ft. in total. Around the waist measures about 25 inches. The arms measure 1 ½ ft. in length. There are several layers of fabric, which make up different sections of the gown. One of which is a floor length skirt that is attached to a corset shaped bodice. The middle section connects to the sleeves, which stop around the elbow. Attached to the top of the bodice is a long flat piece of fabric that also extends to the floor. The interior section of the gown is hollow, and creates a shadow at the top of the gown.

Additionally, the dress consists of a light blue faille, brocaded with polychrome silk with gold and silver metal thread.

This dress features trimming with a silk polychrome fly fringe. It compares to the size of an adolescent. It is quite small in size and has sharp angles among the waist, hips, and shoulder areas. The structure of the gown is what some may consider traditional. While the front of the dress has a dip near the chest area the back has a long cape that extends to the ground. The fabric is rather thick and matte. There is various pleating that adorns the ends of the sleeves, the cape, and the hips. At the front of the gown there is cross-hatching in the stitching at the waist. The gown features one main fabric with various colors and patterns. The fabric has a light blue background with cream-colored leaf shapes. There are also olive-green leafs and maroon (white) flowers printed on the

fabric.

Moreover, the fabric has a shimmery lining to certain leaf figures. Within those particular leaves there is another pattern made up of small rectangles laid side-by-side creating a reflective image. The leaves with the gold trimming shimmer in the light. This gown is cinched at the waist and extends outwards at the hips. At the back of the dress there is an opening that exposes another layer of the same fabric with a different stitching. On the elbow area the fabric fans out into an oval like shape. Around the edges are small pieces of the fabric sewn together. The pleats create shadows near the waist and around the leg area of the dress. The gown is in prime condition and there is very little wear.