Robe

Physical description

Robe and petticoat made from cream silk. Trimmed with a band of glazed white cotton embroidered with a floral trail in coloured silks, and calendered. The band is bordered with plum coloured silk ribbon.

The robe's bodice has an opening at the centre front. The back is fitted with a pointed concave waist seam to which the trained skirt is attached in narrow pleats. The centre back pleats are adjusted horizontally in French fashion. The sleeves are tight-curving, elbow length and plain pleated up in the hollow of the elbow. The neck is rounded at the back and without a facing band. The front is low and square cut with a drawstring through the top, having a deep, hollow square ended point at the centre front where it meets. The skirt is trimmed at the sides of the front opening with bands as described above, edged with a silk fringe with a plum coloured stencilled zigzag pattern. The bodice is lined with a white glazed linen and three central boned seams down the centre back.

The skirt is unlined and has no pocket slits. The skirt is set into the deeply curving side waist, fanning out inside to accommodate the bones at the centre of the back. At the sides of the back are stitched two white silk ribbon loops through which is threaded vertically from the bottom where it is stitched to the top, a heliotrope coloured silk ribbon, the top finished with a stitched loop bow and hanging loose. This is to adjust the length and drape of the long polonaise.

The petticoat is made of four breadths of material, rectangular except for a slight hollowing of the centre front and back waist. The top is threaded won two drawstrings with ends to fasten at the sides which are unstitched and turned back at the top to form pocket holes. The hem is trimmed with ribbon banded braid similar to that edging the skirt, more elaborately embroidered with narrow bands of floral embroidery as above bordering a wider band with floral sprays of poppies, roses and butter cups and an undulating band formed of brown trefoil leaf shapes.

Place of Origin

France (probably, made)

Date

1780-1785 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Silk, embroidered cotton with silks, silk ribbon, lined with glazed linen, boned

Descriptive line

Robe and petticoat of silk, trimmed with embroidered cotton, probably made in France, 1780-1785

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Natalie Rothstein (ed.), Four Hundred Years of Fashion (V&A publications, 1984), p. 126

Categories

Textiles; Embroidery; Fashion; Formal wear; Women's clothes

Collection code

T&F