Redingote

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The redingote, a dress inspired by English men’s riding coats, was one of many new, informal styles fashionable for women in the 1780s. French versions deviated from the strict simplicity of the man’s coat but retained masculine details, such as this redingote’s wide lapels, cape collar, and cutaway skirt that imitates the line of a tailcoat. While fashion magazines often presented the style as tasteful and versatile, some conservative critics saw the appropriation of masculine dress as a subversion of traditional gender roles.

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