Hello! I was wondering what the difference between robes ร la franรงaise and robes ร l'anglaise is? (And maybe a basic summary of each if it isn't too much trouble?) Merci!
Sure! I think itโs a good time to go back to the basics for anyone who is new in the 18th century fashion.
The robe ร la franรงaise and the robe ร lโanglaise are the two iconic dresses of the century, and are practically the base for all other dresses. Both dresses change silhouettes, skirt shapes, volume and details, through the century, but remained clearly differentiated from one another.
First of all, we have the names you can find both gowns known as:
Robe ร la franรงaise. Meaning โFrench gownโ or โFrench style gownโ, can be also known as: sack back gown, sacque, or Watteau gown (if you find 19th century info about this dress, you might find this term, that is not contemporary of the 18th century). When people think of 18th century womenswear, they usually think of this dress.
robe ร la franรงaise, 1765-70 // robe ร la franรงaise, 1740s // robe ร la franรงaise, 1710-1770, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Robe ร lโanglaise. Literally โEnglish style gownโ. Also known as close-bodied gown, or English gown.
robe ร lโanglaise, 1785-87 // robe ร lโanglaise, 1750-75 // robe ร lโanglaise, 1750-75, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art
These two dresses might share several details in design, but the key difference is simply the back:
Loose pleats for the robe ร la franรงaise, and fitted pleats for the anglaise (yes! Those are not cuts, but pleats in the back, stitched to fit close to the body!)
Robe ร la franรงaise, 1750-1770, Met Museum // Robe ร lโanglaise, ca. 1770, both The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Traditionally, a French gown has an open front with a stomacher, and an English gown has a closed front, but they can have any kind of front, since what gives them the name, are the backs.
robe ร la franรงaise, 1775-80 // robe ร la franรงaise, ca. 1760 // robe ร la franรงaise, 1770-75, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art
robe ร lโanglaise, ca. 1770 // robe ร lโanglaise, ca. 1770 // robe ร lโanglaise, ca. 1745, altered 1770s, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Both dresses can also be worn retousรจe or ร la polonaise, which is when you lift the back of the upper skirt with ties or though the pockets, BUT a robe ร la polonaise is a different kind of dress!
Robe retroussee dans les poches, 1780, Kyoto Costume Insitute // robe ร la polonaise, ca. 1780, Met Museum
Note: The first is a robe ร la franรงaise (worn retousรฉe dans les poches, like the Kyoto title indicates), and the second a robe ร lโanglaise worn ร la polonaise, but I left the title by the Met (if someone wants to look for the item, the title would be needed).
