Caraco

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the first half of the eighteenth century, ladies wore casaquins and petticoats for daywear as an alternative to the formal robe à la française. The casaquin, or jacket, was cut like a dress but came only to the hip. Usually the skirt was of a contrasting material or color and ended at the ankles. This popular costume was the basic ensemble for ladies of the bourgeoisie and for servants. This Italian casaquin, once in the Simonetti Collection, Rome, is an elaborate example of the style, which enjoyed great popularity in Italy and is often seen in contemporary paintings. The contrasting silk cuffs rounded at the edges were pinned back in imitation of gentlemen’s cuffs of about 1725. The back of the costume is fitted.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art