Baroque

Introduction

The Baroque is a period of artistic style that started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread throughout the majority of Europe
during the 17th and 18th centuries. In informal usage, the word baroque describes something that is elaborate and highly
detailed.

The most important factors during the Baroque era were the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, with the development
of the Baroque style considered to be linked closely with the Catholic Church. The popularity of the style was in fact encouraged
by the Catholic Church, which had decided at the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes and
direct emotional involvement in response to the Protestant Reformation. Baroque art manifested itself differently in various
European countries owing to their unique political and cultural climates.

Characteristics

The Baroque style is characterized by exaggerated motion and clear detail used to produce drama, exuberance, and grandeur
in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music. Baroque iconography was direct, obvious, and dramatic,
intending to appeal above all to the senses and the emotions.

During the first years of the 17th century, clothing still preserved several elements from the Renaissance. The new style didn't
immediately change clothing, and Baroque fashion started around 1620. Male attire was influenced by the English Civil War
and the Thirty Years War of Catholics against Protestants, which devastated extended regions. Women's clothes looked to
exhibit wealth through ornamentation instead of jewelry.

The fashion trends were mostly defined and followed by the monarchs and noble courts, who were the social class able to afford
expensive attire; clothing was often big and ostentatious and designed for differentiating the nobles from the lower classes.
The middle class tried to replicate the fashion of the nobility, but usually only after a while and by using simpler outfits. For the
working class, clothing didn't change much and was more related to people's jobs than it was to fashion trends.

During the Baroque period, silk was the preferred fabric, and sometimes velvet was used as well. Linen was common for the
inner layers of clothes.
 History of Costume

Early Baroque Fashion (1620s to 1650s)

Long dresses with a close-fitting bodice, known as gowns, were the most common attire for women. The silhouettes gradually
softened as hard corsets from the Renaissance were replaced by flexible stays. The neckline was low, and lace collars were used
for decoration. Virago sleeves, which were made of large strips of different fabrics gathered at the elbow, were popular. Elaborate
patterns and dark colors were fashionable, and it was common to wear a black cape on top. The hairstyle consisted of curls on
both sides of the head. Shoes were usually covered by the dress, so they were very simple.

Men's clothing adopted a militaristic look. A tight jacket known as a doublet was popular. It was pointed in the lower center
part, raised to the sides, and had paned sleeves, which showed the undershirt. Lace decoration was used for collars and the
lower edge of the sleeves (the cuffs). The lower part consisted of breeches, which were loose and went down to the knee or under.
Tight boots high up to the knee were worn, often turned down with lace. The attire was completed with a long sword. Long loose
hair was the trend for men.
 c. 1650 The women wore a high-waisted dress with a falling, wide lace collar and turned-back lace cuffs common during the
early Baroque era. Men wore a cavalier-style outfit with a high-waisted jacket, wide lace collar, lace cuffs, and high
boots. Decorative canes became very popular during this period and many men would carry them around as an accessory.

Late Baroque Fashion (1650s -1715)

The main piece of women's clothing continued to be the gown, with simpler patterns and even monochromatic designs. The
emphasis was on the shoulders with very low necklines. Tight corsets were worn again, visible and ending in a V-shape at the
waist. The gowns had loose sleeves that ended below the elbow. The use of elaborate hand fans also became popular. Women's
shoes continued to be simple, with a small heel, and the curly hair continued to be trendy.

c. 1660 The women wore the German fashions of the period, with puffed sleeves, a small hooped skirt, and a fur hat. The
women also wore the Scandinavian style, with a brocade palatine or capelet over her shoulders and a white cap. They also wore
decorative aprons and a “housewife” hanging from their waists.
 c. 1670 women wore a wide collar trimmed with ermine fur, a muff, a hood, and a velvet mask to keep out the cold, her
underskirt trimmed with gold embroidery and her bodice and sleeves trimmed with ribbons. Men wore long coats, breeches
with hose underneath, and a wide-brimmed hat with feathers on it. He also carried a cane.
 c. 1690 Men wore Rhinegrave breeches under a long, buttoned coat, a lace jabot, and large boots. His hair was worn long and
free in the style of Louis XIV. Women wore a high frontage headdress and the stiff stomacher. Her decorative apron, headdress,
and sleeves were all lavishly trimmed with lace.

History of Footwear

First half of the 17th century

During this period men's and women's shoes were the same in style and cut. Therefore, for a more detailed description, please
go to Gentlemen's footwear.
Around 1630, ladies' shoes were made of fine kid or brocade, often with embroidered foreparts. Mules, for indoor wear, with
curved red heels about 2 inches high had often lace frills around the top line with lace rosettes at the throat. The toes were
square or round.

In 1640 both the so-called Louis heel with its curved back, and a taller and slender heel, straight at the back, were worn on
brocaded shoes. In the same fashion as the men's shoes, ribbon rosettes covered the fastenings at the throat, often ladies didn't
were those huge rosettes because of the length of their skirts.

In 1640-50 ladies' shoes had very shallow square toes, sometimes forked, corresponding to the shape of the men's shoes. Mules

were made of silk or brocade, shoes of leather, which was often white.

Second half of the 17th century

In the 1660s women began taking an interest in their footwear, and no longer accepted to have the same shape as men's shoes.
A variety of exquisitely embroidered shoes in silk, satin and velvet appeared, trimmed with lace which fell in a deep flounce over
the foot. The forepart became slimmer and heels rose. The shoes were high and narrow, just like the Fontage, the hatters was.
Thus the base of the figure and its crowning top were the same.

While men's shoes were usually made of leather, women's were mainly made of brocade, satin or embroidered fabric (mostly
silk), in white, yellow, beige, blue, green and violet. Appliquéd braid was widely used, creating a striped pattern. Most shoes
were still decorated with rosettes made from ribbon, lace or looped leather, but the sides were already closed. A conspicuous
feature of women's shoes was the white kid edge, used in attaching the sole. It was already seen in the 1640s and was to continue
until the 1760s.

Although frequently women still wore square toes up to the 1680s, the toe shape started widely to diverge from the men's. The
first points had already appeared in the 1660s and during the following decades the more elegant point was adopted. By the
1690s the point was made quite deep, but is gradually replaced by the needlepoint. The heels were high and usually curved at
the back. A detail like the fancy shaped tongue would not have been visible under the long skirts, but some had the Cupid’s bow
regardless, while others had a zigzag top line.
For informal indoor wear ladies were wearing mules, just like the men. Those were very often embroidered, there is a beautiful
example surviving made from dark red velvet and embroidered with metal threads.

For protection, women adopted clogs and patterns. The clog was a small wooden wedge to fit under the arch of the shoe,
covered in strong leather extended under the ball and toe, with a socket at the under end to take the shoe heel. The whole was
underlain by a flat sole which prevented the shoe heel from digging into soft ground. The most practical version had a leather
galosh with latchets to tie over the shoe, but most women had just a brocade-covered leather latchet, of the same material to the
shoe.

The patterns were largely the same, with the addition of an iron ring or four-lobed hoop underneath, to raise the wearer even
further. Women continued to wear boots for riding, and they also adopted for this purpose a riding habit which copied the
male fashion, but of course worn with skirts.
 Baroque Wigs

It is said that when Louis XIV lost his hair as the result of an illness, he started wearing a wig of false hair and this became the
fashion. Wigs grew larger and longer, and more elaborate. From 1680, they took on monumental proportions with tiers of curls
falling over the shoulders and back. France sold wigs to the whole of Europe, and the art of wig-making became truly creative.
Full wigs, false hair points, patches and scented hair pieces were all worn throughout the century.

 Full bottomed or Periwig - Fully curled, covering the whole head and falling just below shoulder length.
 Tie wig - Wide high front, without curls, tied at the back of the neck.
 Ramillies - A wig with a plait at the back and curls just at the sides of the head. Sometimes worn with a bow at the back
of the neck.
 Bag wig - Curls at the sides of the head, hair in a decorative bag tied on the back of the neck.
 Campaign or travelling wig - Shorter than others, ending in one or two corkscrew curls on "dildos" which were
sometimes tied back in a Plain
 Bob wig - Made to imitate real hair, without a queue.
 Perruque d'Abbe - This had a hole in the top to show tonsure. Hair was black and worn by clergy.
 Lions Mane - Very high, wide, and thick, fashionable because it was the style worn by King Louis XIV.
 Bilboquets or Roulettes - Small rollers of pipe clay used to tighten curls.
 French revolution:

The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and its colonies
that lasted from 1789 until 1799. It was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of
the French Empire.

Men and Women Clothing:

In early-modern Europe clothing played a vital role in identifying the status of groups in
society. With the coming of the French Revolution the symbolic role of clothing continued, and
men and women relied on their outfits to make statements about their support or rejection of
the principles of the era. Colour became a particularly important vehicle for showing one's
political sympathy. In the following excerpt from The Secret Memoirs of Princess Lamblle, the
editor, Catherine Hyde, the Marquise de Gouvion Broglie describes problems she had with an
outfit she wore to the Opera, as well as the surly attitude of French soldiers when she refused to
show she was wearing the revolutionary tricolour—red, white, and blue. The writer was an
Englishwoman, married to a French nobleman, and part of the inner circle that surrounded
Queen Marie-Antoinette.

The causes of the French Revolution were far more complicated than the ill-fated Marie
Antoinette’s wardrobe, but the overly lavish lifestyles of the French monarchy certainly fuelled
the fire of the angry, poor masses. As such, one would think women’s fashion post-revolution
would have moved away from decadence and become more simplistic. After all, that is what
happened with men’s clothing. However, although women’s fashion did become simpler and
more naturalistic for a time, this change did not last. Rather, fashion historians state that the
overall effect that the Revolution had on women’s fashion was deeply reactionary.

During the 1790s, skirts remained full but were nothing like the craziness from before.
Whereas necklines began to dip, waistlines began to rise and eventually transformed into the
empire silhouette. The skirt started to get pulled more and more back to reveal more of the
petticoat underneath, (the dress above is an excellent example of this). Drawstrings and
ribbons, although used before, became especially popular because of their usage in creating the
ideal waistline and puffy sleeves. European Neoclassicism began in the mid-eighteenth
century as a reaction to excesses of the Baroque and Rococo styles. The artistic principles of
simplicity, symmetry, and reason from Ancient Greece and Rome overtook visual arts,
architecture, music, and finally women’s fashion
Girls’ fashion followed suit, their waistlines went up and corsets were discarded for now as
well. Also, although less wealthy women would not have been able to afford expensive fabrics
(like sheer muslin from India), the shape of their dress was still influenced by neoclassicism.

Men's Dress. —The Revolution brought about the greatest change in the costume of the men.
Dark colours, generally black, were in evidence, and cloth and leather took the place of silk and
velvet. All furbelows, ruffles, laces, and ribbons had disappeared, they are being considered
aristocratic and not suitable to the dress of a democratic citizen. The breeches lengthened until
they reached the ankle, a style borrowed from the English sailors, or, as Calthrop declares,
invented by Beau Brummel for common wear. This, of course, is not the first time that long
trousers, or pantaloons, as they were called, were worn. They were considered a mark of the
barbarian by the Romans, and were worn by the early Asiatic and the Persians, but they now
became the forerunner of the modern plain dress for men ; for while the knee-breeches
returned for formal dress and are still worn in England for court dress, the long trouser was
used for informal dress and went through many changes until it finally reached its present
style.

The name pantaloon was first used as a term of derision or ridicule; it came from the character
of Pantaloon, a clown, familiar to the readers of Italian comedies of the seventeenth century.
For many years after the introduction of pantaloons they fitted very snugly to the figure and
were generally buttoned above the ankle.

The style of coats had not changed except in the material and colour. They were cut away in
front at a rather high waistline and had a narrow tail at the back with the plaits pressed flat
from the waist; they closed in front with four or five large buttons. The collar was high and
turned over squarely where it met the large revers. A waistcoat of fancy material, also buttoned
and a trifle longer than the coat in front, was open at the neck, where it showed the white stock
collar and small cravat of lace. The cuff had gone, and several small buttons closed the sleeve at
the wrist, very little change took place in the costume of the men during the years of the
Directory, except in the size and style of the neck-cloth and the colour and materials used in
their clothing; this is especially true of the vest or waistcoat. The dandies, or "Incroyables," of
France, often had three layers at the lower edge of the vest, each of a different colour, and one
below the other; "in 1791, green, yellow, and mother-of-pearl was considered very chic." These
vests had high turn-over collars, which showed inside the neck of the coat.
Hairstyles:

The ideal woman of the 18th century had hair that was black, brown, or blond (particularly
fashionable during Marie-Antoinette’s reign); strong red hair was unfashionable and generally
would be dyed a different colour, although chestnut and strawberry blond were popular. Her
hair was of wavy or curly texture. Her forehead was high, her cheeks plump and rosy, and her
skin was white. Fashionable eye colours included black, chestnut, or blue; eyebrows were
divided (ie no monobrows), slightly full, semicircular, and tapered at the ends in a half moon
shape. Her lips were small, with a slightly larger bottom lip creating a rosebud effect, soft, and
red. The paintings of François Boucher are particularly useful as a visual reference for this
look.

Hair powder was originally used mostly as a degreaser. White haired wigs were popular
because they were expensive and rare, and so men and women began (in the early 18th century)
to use white powder to colour their wigs and hair, as it was less destructive than dye. Hair was
nearly always curled, waved, or frizzed before styling, in order to create texture. Styling was
accomplished with combs and curling irons, held with pins, and dressed with pomade. When
height was desired, it was raised over pads made of wool, tow, hemp, cut hair, or wire.

Cosmetics:
Shiny white face paint was applied across the entire face and shoulders. The most popular
white makeups used on the face were made of lead, which was popular for its opacity despite
knowledge of lead poisoning. Red makeups were made of vermilion (ground from cinnabar
and including mercury) or creuse (made by exposing lead plates to the vapor of vinegar); both
are toxic. Vegetable sources for rouge included safflower, wood resin, sandalwood, and
brazilwood. These would be mixed with greases, creams, or vinegars to create a paste. Court
ladies wore rouge on the cheeks in wide swaths from the corner of the eye to the corner of the
lips. Bourgeois and provincial nobility wore neater, circular dabs at the centre of the cheek to
highlight the eyes and whiteness of the skin.

In the 1770s-80s,The face was pale but less extremely white, with rouge applied in the upside
down triangular shape. Eyes were bare, sometimes with eyebrows darkened, and lips were
reddish.
Footwear:
Women's Shoes of the 19th Century:

While small, delicate pumps were worn for evening wear and dressy occasions, the primary
footwear of the 19th century was the boot. As factories sprung up during the Industrial
Revolution, a new longing for the natural landscape drew the elite to country homes. Walking
became a popular recreational activity and boots became a necessity.
Clogs, patterns, and the French sabot had been worn since the Middle Ages by workers and
peasants. The high wood soled shoes lifted the foot above cold roads, as well as mud, puddles,
and dampness.
 NEOCLASSICISM

Neoclassicism is a revival of the classical past. It developed in Europe in the 18thcentury when artists began to
imitate Greek and Roman antiquity and painters of the Renaissance as a reaction to the excessive style of
Baroque and Rococo.

Neoclassicism continued the connection to the Classical tradition because it signified moderation and
rational thinking but in a new and more politically-charged spirit (“neo” means “new,” or in the case of art, an
existing style reiterated with a new twist.)

The neoclassical movement influenced decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music and architecture
and it continued until the early 19th century, when it began to compete with another artistic
movement, Romanticism.

Neo-Classicism was formed from Academic Classicism of the French Baroque. The themes were old, coming
from the study of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance art. The compositions were balanced and idealistic, with
linear and precise poses and moods. Neo-Classicism was also used for propaganda, which supported a point
of view or idea.
 FASHION

Most of the new clothing trends in the early neoclassical period were very intricately
designed. High waisted (sometimes called the "empire silhouette") became very
common in the United States, and were popularized by Josephine Bonaparte, French
Emperor Napoleon's wife. The style of this time focused on very narrow, tight bodices,
and large poofy skirts. The sleeves in these dresses usually had some sort of
decoration, such as ruffles or bows. The women wore shoes with high, curled heels
that were made of leather or fabric and had a big buckle on the front. Lastly, the
women wore huge wigs high up on their heads. wore wigs for special occasions, which
were shortened from the periwigs of the Baroque period.
1790s

 Women
 : "age of undress"; dressing like statues coming to life
 fillet-Greek classical hairstyle; simple muslin chemise with ribbon; sheer
 Empire silhouette
 pastel fabrics
 natural makeup
 blonde wigs; accessorized with hats, turbans
 gloves, jewelry, small handbags - reticules, shawls, handkerchiefs; parasols; fans; Maja: layered skirt
 Men
 Trousers with perfect tailoring; linen; coats cutaway in the front w. long tails; cloaks; hats; the Dandy;
Majo: short jacket

1800s

 Women:
 Hair: short hair, masses of curls, sometimes pulled back into a bun=
 Acessories:hats,trim, feathers, lace
 Jewellery: Egyptian and Eastern influences in jewelry and apparel; shawls; hooded-overcoats;
 Men:
 Linen shirts with high collars, tall hats
 Hair: short and wigless, à la Titus or Bedford Crop, but often with some long locks left coming down
1820s

 Women
 dress waist lines began to drop, elaborate hem and neckline decoration, cone-shaped skirts; sleeves
pinched
 Men:
 overcoats/greatcoats with fur or velvet collars; the Garrick coat
 Wellington boots; jockey boots


1810s

 Women:
 Soft, subtle, sheer classical drapes; raised back waist of high-waisted dresses
 Short-fitted single breasted jackets morning dress; walking dress; evening dress; riding habits; bare
bosoms and arms
 hair: parted in the center, tight ringlets over the ears
 Men
Fitted, single-breasted tailcoats; cravats wrapped up to the chin; sideburns and "Brutus style natural hair;
tight breeches; silk stockings; accessorized with: gold watches, cane, hats outside
 INTRODUCTION

Artistic period that emerged in France and spread throughout the world in the

late 17th and early 18th century

The word is the derivative of the French word Roccaille, which means rock and
shell garden ornamentation

CHARACTERISTICS

Roccoco style developed first in the decorative arts and interior design and its
influence later spread to architecture, theater, sculpture, painting and music.

It is characterized by elaborate ornamentation, asymmetrical values, pastel color

palette and curved or serpentine lines
 ROCOCO HISTORY OF COSTUMES(1720-1770)

1720
This period was a transition from Baroque to Rococo fashions, and so incorporated styles from both eras. The man wears a
long coat buttons at the middle, knee breeches, hose, and buckled shoes. His sleeves are loose and cuffed, showing the
undershirt underneath. The woman wears a flowered robe à l’anglais with large cuffs and a lace collar.
 1730
Both women wear a robe à la française in the “Watteau” or “flying” style, in which the back hung loose from the
bodice. Small panniers are worn, but only aristocratic women and royalty wore the ridiculously wide panniers. The woman on
the right’s bodice is adorned with ribbon bows down the front and has large cuffed sleeves. The woman on the left wears a lace
cap common during the period.
1750
The woman on the left wears a hooded capuchin cape trimmed with fur and ribbons. The woman on the right wears a gown
with large cuffed sleeves and a fichu around the neck and shoulders. She also wears a mobcap tied under the chin with a
ribbon.
1770
The woman wears a solid colored gown with embroidery at the opening of the overskirt and bodice. A quilted underskirt is
worn underneath. She also has sleeves flared at the elbow and wears her hair powdered and curled, common during the last
part of the Rococo era. The man wears a brocade silk vest under a long coat lined with silk with large buttonholes down the
side, as well as a tricorn hat and buckled shoes. His hair is also powdered and is tied back with a ribbon.
 SHOES

1720
lighter floral decoration of Rococo

Classic buckle was added to the shoes

1730
The bold zigzag wool canvas pattern shown below extends to the heels, which was unusual for the
time—more often being silk or leather

Bargello” or flame stitch was an embroidery style most commonly used.

1750
Pinched toes, high throat, flared tongue with small side opening, and sturdy high heel rounded out
this popular style.

Ties were still in fashion and were the main method of closure until the buckle was introduced later in
the century.
1770
Fashionable from the late 1770s were pointed tongues

Simpler, lighter textile designs. In this case, the silk uppers have been carefully cut to show off the
brocaded motifs.
HAIRSTYLES

1720
 The "Fontange" hairstyle.
 Messed up arrangement of hair
 Hair piled up on the top head
1770s
 "Tête de mouton" hairstyle (sheep head)
 Elaborated hair sty les
 Wigs were not used
 Hairstyles were simpler
1750s
 Sleek simple hairstyle
 Tied bun
 Ornamentation used in hairstyles