Rococo Era (1700-1755): The Watteau Back

Costume history is a topic we might not often think about when browsing our daily fashion blog feeds; but, if you have happened to take a class or two on the subject you are probably referencing costume time periods every other blog, runway collection, and editorial spread. One style I particularly love for its vintage and modern interpretations of the form is the Watteau back or sack-back that was so often found in French upper crust society in the mid eighteenth century.

The Rococo era (1700-1755) was one that is often referenced, though maybe not as heavily as the Georgian which is easily characterized by the costumes Marie Antoinette wore while wed to Louis XVI of France. This era marked a change in traditional idea of authority. Science became popular and England became a leader in economic development. The Dutch lead agricultural development of the time and the lives of the common folk began to improve. As a result the population began to rise sharply around 1750 although smallpox was one of the times biggest killers. As quality of life improved, class distinction emerged and clothing became less restricting and then later became more restricted to enforce class distinction.

England and France hated each other during this period and the exchange of clothing styles and fabric between the two countries was frowned upon because of this. Crazy, I know! The French were considerably less conservative than their English counterpart which was reflected in their style. This brings us to the two popular dress styles of the time period:

• robe a l'anglaise - tightly fitted all around the waist
• robe a la française - falls freely in pleats in the back (Watteau back or sack-back) and falls from the shoulders from pleats in the front

I'm just going to focus on the women's costume robe a la française for this Rococo installation because this time period is huge and trends moved slower without the facilitation of things like the internet! This dress style, although characteristically French, was also worn outside of France.




Characteristics of the robe a la française:

• Watteau back/sack-back/back pleat
• Robing or no robings
• Corsets rounded out the bust
• Might have a fan hoop
• Stomacher or corset cover present
• Pointed bodice, although not as much as during the Elizabethan era
• Sleeves sat above or just below the elbow and were part of the robe
• Chemise might show (under sleeve) or the sleeve was tight with flounces 

Time period distinctions:

• Robings were popular in the middle of the 18th century
• Gowns had a waist (made to fit tighter as a class distinction) but were still free in the back
• Robes were closed at the start of the century but mid century could be found opened

Additional costume notes:

• The back neckline center piece fit into the bodice
• English styles of the back bodice could have a center seam
• Petticoats could match the gown and could be elaborate, quilted, or pleated. They could just be a front or go all the way around to the back
• The robe a la française originated from the robe volante (evolved from the mantua) which was even less fitted and was worn in formal settings

Clothing shapes influenced the architecture of the 18th century. Hoop skirts were so wide that French doors were now necessary for ladies to enter rooms... Either that or turn sideways! There were a myriad of hoop types and shapes during this period including: 

• oblong (square) - official shape of court
• cans - cheaper
• fan - popular at the middle of the period
• bell - literally a circle bell shape
• pocket hoop - smaller than a bell

It's actually really difficult to find robe a la française from the actual Rococo era since it transcended into the Georgian period. Below are some images of dresses from the 1760s or unknown mid-century dates.







And here is a modern interpretation of a sack-back by COS via LOVE AESTHETICS.




Notes:

• All image credits are listed in the image captions in my Costume History album. Check it out for more robe a la française examples with caption notes and links to sources!
• Check out this 1700s dress Pintrest for some more great costuming pictures

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! If I find the stamina, there will be more costume history posts to come. History is so relevant to our current fashion and costume history really tells a lot about what was going on during a period economically, socially, etc. 

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