18th Century Women's Outerwear
Bedgown:
#1700L10
Indian cotton, wool, silk, linen, brocade
Starts at $50
Bedgowns were worn in Europe and the colonies by working women as day wear (linen, cotton & wool) , and by upper class women as a morning and evening “undress” garment (silk satin, wool, quilted or embroidered). Bedgowns can be pinned, laced, left open over a pair of stays or overlapped and belted at the waist with an apron. Sleeve and collar lengths and widths vary depending on style.
Petticoat:
#1700L11
Base Price for all: $40
estimates:
cotton $40
linen, $55
wool $100
Silk $60
All trim is extra.
Waist size: X-Small 20", Small 30", Medium 40", Large 50", XL 60".
Petticoats for outerwear were worn over the stays and often (but not always) show under the gown, jacket or coat. They can be elaborately trimmed to match a gown or left plain. Social class and fashion determine the hem length, but most often fell between lower calf & floor. Petticoats rarely have trains, but can be made to go over hoops, bums or paniers.
Our petticoats have a fitted or semi-fitted waistband to help reduce bulk. The fabric is pleated into 2 waistbands with ties. All petticoats have pocket slits on the sides.
To tie a double waistband petticoat: pull up the back band and tie around your waist. Then pull up the front band like a bib and tie it in the back, or if the ties are long enough, bring it around your waist and tie in front. This makes it one-size-fits-most, allows you tighten or losen your stays and gives you access to your pockets while preserving modesty.
Caraco:
#1700L12
Starts at $120
The Caraco or Jacket has different characteristics depending on the region and year. Sleeves can be long or short, wide or narrow. Skirts can be long or short, joined or tabbed. The style of this garment differs among social class. Upper class caracos fit over bum rolls or hoops. Lower class caracos fall naturally over petticoats, much like men’s waistcoats.
English gown:
#1700L13
Starts at $200
The gowns pictured here are Mantuas or English gowns. They have a fitted back and were worn in the same years as sack back gowns. They can be closed or open. A closed gown has a full skirt in front and may have a front-laced bodice that is completely closed or opens over a stomacher. An open gown has a split front with a decorative petticoat showing.
English gowns or Robe A L'Anglaise were a direct descendant of the true Mantua gowns that were worn at the end of the 1600's and early 1700's in the French court of Louis XIV.
Sack Back Gown:
#1700L14
silk, satin, brocade, block print cotton
Starts at $250
The sack back gown, Watteau Sacque or robe a la Francaise has several variations. The informal sack is an early version (far right). The excess material is loosely pleated and left hanging. This could be left open in front as a robe gown.
Later sacks have precise pleats and fitted bodices that are either closed or worn with a stomacher (right).
This gown can be used as every day wear for middle and upper class women, or as formal court wear with paniers. Materials and cut determine formality.
Pet-en-l'air:
#1700L15
starts at $200
The pet-en-l’air is a ¾ sack that was worn for informal occasions or by working class women. For those of you who speak French, this is not a misnomer, it really means "fart in the air."
Polonaise:
#1700L16
starts at $200
Polonaise gowns supposedly started with working class women tucking their skirts up through pocket slits or waistbands to keep them out of the mud. Upper class women copied and adapted this “milk maid” or provincial style for both formal and informal occasions.
Polonaise gowns are often paired with matching (or contrasting) petticoats, hoops, hip & bum pads and paniers. The upper part of the gown can be closed or worn with a stomacher.
Waistcoat:
#1700L17
wool, quilted linen, quilted satin
Starts at $100 sleeveless
Starts at $120 sleeved
Waistcoats are used for warmth and worn over stays and under gowns. They can button, tie or lace in front.
This is an intermediate garment, one worn in private as an outer garment, or in public as a semi-undergarment. This may be another source for the "reenactorism" English / French bodice.
Women also wore waistcoats as part of a riding habit or sporting wear. Like men's waistcoats & coats they were often part of a matched set. The sleeveless waistcoat had a decorative, fitted front and the back was plain while the coat was of a matching cloth all around.
Stomacher:
#1700L18
embroidered linen, brocade, silk, satin
Starts at $20
Stomachers are a decorative fabric front piece worn between a pair of stays and a gown. They were pinned or laced to the stays or the gown. Stomachers can be sewn onto one side of the gown and fastened with hooks & eyes to the other. They can be very elaborate, and can be moved from gown to gown.
Mantle:
#1700L19
silk, lace, fur
Starts at $100
Mantles are similar to shawls but are made of heavier material and often lined or trimmed with fur. Lightweight dress mantles can be made from lace.
Riding Habit:
#1700L20
Starts at $250
Riding habits mimicked men’s fashions. They had clean lines, formal cuts and were made from serviceable fabrics like linen or wool. Summer habits can be lined with muslin or cotton. Winter habits can be lined with wool or fur.
Our riding habit includes a riding skirt, a sleeveless waistcoat, and a sleeved waistcoat that fits over your skirts.
All trim is extra.
½ Circle Cloak:
#1700L21
wool, linen, silk, cotton
½ length Starts at $100
full length Starts at $200
Women and children usually wore 1/2 circle cloaks rather than a man's full circle cloak. 1/2 circles are very attractive and have clean lines. Collars and hoods can be added. They are usually 30" long.
Pictured here is a full-circle cloak, red wool lined with brown linen.
Chemise Dress:
#1700L22
Starts at $100
The Chemise Dress was popularized in France as a semi-informal gown or day dress. The ideal dress was made from cotton or muslin, was white and wispy, and showed the classical beauty of the woman wearing it. After 1785 soft colors were worn, and occasionally even red or black. Some women retained their stays, others gave them up in favor of a more natural form.
Colored sashes were very popular accessories, and corded petticoats and bums could be worn under the dress to give it greater volume. After 1800 the Chemise Dress evolved into the Empire Dress.
18th Century Women's Outerwear
Bedgown:
#1700L10
Indian cotton, wool, silk, linen, brocade
Starts at $50
Bedgowns were worn in Europe and the colonies by working women as day wear (linen, cotton & wool) , and by upper class women as a morning and evening “undress” garment (silk satin, wool, quilted or embroidered). Bedgowns can be pinned, laced, left open over a pair of stays or overlapped and belted at the waist with an apron. Sleeve and collar lengths and widths vary depending on style.
Petticoat:
#1700L11
Base Price for all: $40
estimates:
cotton $40
linen, $55
wool $100
Silk $60
All trim is extra.
Waist size: X-Small 20", Small 30", Medium 40", Large 50", XL 60".
Petticoats for outerwear were worn over the stays and often (but not always) show under the gown, jacket or coat. They can be elaborately trimmed to match a gown or left plain. Social class and fashion determine the hem length, but most often fell between lower calf & floor. Petticoats rarely have trains, but can be made to go over hoops, bums or paniers.
Our petticoats have a fitted or semi-fitted waistband to help reduce bulk. The fabric is pleated into 2 waistbands with ties. All petticoats have pocket slits on the sides.
To tie a double waistband petticoat: pull up the back band and tie around your waist. Then pull up the front band like a bib and tie it in the back, or if the ties are long enough, bring it around your waist and tie in front. This makes it one-size-fits-most, allows you tighten or losen your stays and gives you access to your pockets while preserving modesty.
Caraco:
#1700L12
Starts at $120
The Caraco or Jacket has different characteristics depending on the region and year. Sleeves can be long or short, wide or narrow. Skirts can be long or short, joined or tabbed. The style of this garment differs among social class. Upper class caracos fit over bum rolls or hoops. Lower class caracos fall naturally over petticoats, much like men’s waistcoats.
English gown:
#1700L13
Starts at $200
The gowns pictured here are Mantuas or English gowns. They have a fitted back and were worn in the same years as sack back gowns. They can be closed or open. A closed gown has a full skirt in front and may have a front-laced bodice that is completely closed or opens over a stomacher. An open gown has a split front with a decorative petticoat showing.
English gowns or Robe A L'Anglaise were a direct descendant of the true Mantua gowns that were worn at the end of the 1600's and early 1700's in the French court of Louis XIV.
Sack Back Gown:
#1700L14
silk, satin, brocade, block print cotton
Starts at $250
The sack back gown, Watteau Sacque or robe a la Francaise has several variations. The informal sack is an early version (far right). The excess material is loosely pleated and left hanging. This could be left open in front as a robe gown.
Later sacks have precise pleats and fitted bodices that are either closed or worn with a stomacher (right).
This gown can be used as every day wear for middle and upper class women, or as formal court wear with paniers. Materials and cut determine formality.
Pet-en-l'air:
#1700L15
starts at $200
The pet-en-l’air is a ¾ sack that was worn for informal occasions or by working class women. For those of you who speak French, this is not a misnomer, it really means "fart in the air."
Polonaise:
#1700L16
starts at $200
Polonaise gowns supposedly started with working class women tucking their skirts up through pocket slits or waistbands to keep them out of the mud. Upper class women copied and adapted this “milk maid” or provincial style for both formal and informal occasions.
Polonaise gowns are often paired with matching (or contrasting) petticoats, hoops, hip & bum pads and paniers. The upper part of the gown can be closed or worn with a stomacher.
Waistcoat:
#1700L17
wool, quilted linen, quilted satin
Starts at $100 sleeveless
Starts at $120 sleeved
Waistcoats are used for warmth and worn over stays and under gowns. They can button, tie or lace in front.
This is an intermediate garment, one worn in private as an outer garment, or in public as a semi-undergarment. This may be another source for the "reenactorism" English / French bodice.
Women also wore waistcoats as part of a riding habit or sporting wear. Like men's waistcoats & coats they were often part of a matched set. The sleeveless waistcoat had a decorative, fitted front and the back was plain while the coat was of a matching cloth all around.
Stomacher:
#1700L18
embroidered linen, brocade, silk, satin
Starts at $20
Stomachers are a decorative fabric front piece worn between a pair of stays and a gown. They were pinned or laced to the stays or the gown. Stomachers can be sewn onto one side of the gown and fastened with hooks & eyes to the other. They can be very elaborate, and can be moved from gown to gown.
Mantle:
#1700L19
silk, lace, fur
Starts at $100
Mantles are similar to shawls but are made of heavier material and often lined or trimmed with fur. Lightweight dress mantles can be made from lace.
Riding Habit:
#1700L20
Starts at $250
Riding habits mimicked men’s fashions. They had clean lines, formal cuts and were made from serviceable fabrics like linen or wool. Summer habits can be lined with muslin or cotton. Winter habits can be lined with wool or fur.
Our riding habit includes a riding skirt, a sleeveless waistcoat, and a sleeved waistcoat that fits over your skirts.
All trim is extra.
½ Circle Cloak:
#1700L21
wool, linen, silk, cotton
½ length Starts at $100
full length Starts at $200
Women and children usually wore 1/2 circle cloaks rather than a man's full circle cloak. 1/2 circles are very attractive and have clean lines. Collars and hoods can be added. They are usually 30" long.
Pictured here is a full-circle cloak, red wool lined with brown linen.
Chemise Dress:
#1700L22
Starts at $100
The Chemise Dress was popularized in France as a semi-informal gown or day dress. The ideal dress was made from cotton or muslin, was white and wispy, and showed the classical beauty of the woman wearing it. After 1785 soft colors were worn, and occasionally even red or black. Some women retained their stays, others gave them up in favor of a more natural form.
Colored sashes were very popular accessories, and corded petticoats and bums could be worn under the dress to give it greater volume. After 1800 the Chemise Dress evolved into the Empire Dress.