Robe à la française

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The chief characteristic of eighteenth-century women's dress is the rigid encasement of the upper body by means of a corset that configures the torso. Light, elaborately patterned fabrics are pinned or anchored loosely to this understructure. Both menswear and womenswear have lace at the collar and cuffs. The skirts of the time are supported by cane hoops to create ballooning volumes: the open robe consists of a connected bodice and an overskirt parted in front to reveal a matching petticoat.

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