Robe à l'anglaise

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Textile historians attribute large-patterned Chiné taffetas to France. However, small Chiné designs were produced at other European silk centers, especially in England, where they were called "clouded lustrings." It is tempting to postulate an English origin for this dress’s fabric, as well as its tailoring. Chiné fabrics were popular for summer dresses because they were lightweight.

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