Robe à la française
The Rococo court gown with wide hips over panniers and pleats falling from the shoulders at the back.
The robe à la française was the formal gown at European courts in the mid-18th century. Beneath it a woman wore stays and panniers, a frame that made the skirt wide at the sides but flat at front and back.
Silk was so costly that gowns were often remade when fashion changed. The style of the pattern and the width of the cloth can therefore date the fabric, while the sewing may be later.
Materials: Patterned silk, often from Lyon; linen bodice lining; panniers of cane and fabric
Manufacture: Sewn by hand by a mantua-maker to the client’s measurements; the fabric was the costly part, and gowns were often remade.
Watteau pleats: loose pleats falling from the neck at the back.
A skirt open at the front to show a petticoat of the same fabric.
Wide sides over panniers and lace ruffles at the elbow.