The Rococo is the last period in which courtly fashion sets the trend. Towards its end, starting from England, it transitions into bourgeois fashion, which celebrates its final victory with the French Revolution.
Beginning with the early Rococo or the Regency (named after the reign of Philip II, who reigned for 8 years after the death of Louis XIV in 1715, until Louis XV became of age) through to the High Rococo (1750-1780) and up to the Late Rococo (1780-1789), this period is characterized by a dramatic improvement in living conditions. Demand explodes for rich fabrics and precious jewellery but also and especially for refined and sophisticated arrangements. Thus, it is no longer by wealth but by education and aesthetics that people set themselves apart from the emerging middle class.
Unlike men's clothing, women's undergoes substantial change in the 18th Century. The stiff pomp that prevailed at the court of Louis XIV is gradually abandoned and the retreat into privacy commences. The negligee, a "morning robe" is not only worn at home. This garment produces an abundance of simple upper garments. Rococo Thus, in the Regency, the Contouche or the Adrienne became very popular; a robe, loosely hanging down from the shoulder, that unfolds conically and without waistline over a crinoline. At the same time, the early decades of the century see the development of the robe à la française, consisting of jupe (skirt), stomacher and manteau (overcoat) with marked waist and loose hanging back folds, the so-called Watteau folds. The Manteau also exists in jacket shape, called Casaquin.
The very sophisticated Manteau was used in many different variants of the court dress and adopted, as we shall see later, increasingly pompous forms.

As centuries before, clothing is made to suit the occasion. In summary, there is the ceremonial court dress (Cour), the courtly evening wear (Grande parure), the half flush (Parure), with citizens also donned and, finally, the negligee, the house and street clothing of the nobility. At the beginning of the century, the hoop petticoat, inseparably connected to women's dress design in the Rococo, moves away from the rigid Spanish form of the "Verdugado". While still conical at first, it rapidly transitions into a dome shape to form the typical oval shape in the 30s. Overall, the hoop petticoat becomes noticeably shorter until only two side baskets remain - the so-called "pocket hoops". The wide, oval crinoline is reserved for court garments. The corset - also decisive for the shape of the dresses - changes in such a way that it does not flatten the breast but lifts it for a lush décolleté.
The waist was a little shorter and less pointed.
The bodice fits the corset exactly and is often provided with an ornate chest piece - the stomacher. Even if ladies wear no coats whatsoever, they withstand the cold winter months with fur-lined capes, quilted padded skirts… … or fur-lined or fur-trimmed Manteaus. Material selection increasingly leans towards lighter silk taffeta and damask, mostly in soft, extremely nuanced pastels, … seldom in bright colours, especially red ... … and sometimes in heavy brocades too. Patterns are often made of delicate tendrils and scattered flowers, but also large-patterned flowers and/or tendril fabric are commonplace. Finery becomes all-important: a wealth of bows, ruffles, lace trimmings, sashes and, not least, artificial flowers in all variants. Exquisite embroideries continue to be in fashion.
Until the middle of century, hairstyles remain exceedingly simple: the hair is simply pulled back and pinned up. The only innovation lies in the white or grey powdering. Men's clothing remains relatively unchanged. The Justaucorps is shaped tighter and cuffs and pocket flaps become smaller. Silk and brocades are also the preferred materials, with and without embroidery, ... … velvet is added, usually in blue, brown or red. Trousers (culotte) extend further to the knee and no longer end under the stocking but over it.Over the whole set, people wear the frock coat if needed, a large coat with double or single collar. The shirt features a lace jabot on the chest and lace cuffs on its sleeves. A white band is placed around the neck. Men wear - unlike women - almost exclusively wigs whose pigtail is tied at the neck and fitted with a bow or placed inside a black rubber bag. Men predominantly use white powder. While the tricorn still belongs with a good suit, people no longer wear it as such - on the head - but hold it elegantly under their arm. With the approach of the French Revolution, the contradiction between aristocracy and bourgeoisie becomes a chasm. At the Court, crinolines and hairdos are becoming huge and unnatural, while finery appears invariably grotesque.
At the same time, the influence of the English gentry and upper classes begins to drive the adoption of plain, wool suits and cotton clothes, ultimately setting the tone in the continent with the so-called "English fashion". In men's clothing, for example, the "Werther costume" - blue cloth coat with brass buttons, yellow vest, leather trousers and high boots - which countless young people adopted after the publication of the novel, even Goethe himself, can be traced back to the influence of English fashion.
The Justaucorps - from the middle of the century dubbed "Habit" - will still be worn in silk, brocade and especially in velvet. Unlike the wool suit, the vest is sometimes made out of white pique or silk, and combined with a white tie. Unheard of in fashion to that date, tie and clothing had to be spotlessly clean! In English women's fashion, paniers remained a mandatory Court garment until 1820; outside, however, these were seldom if ever seen anymore. Instead, padded hip rings or simple "pads" were used to lend further fullness to the skirt. Towards the end of the Century, the so-called Cul de Paris, essentially a band or pad worn over the buttocks, became very popular. The robe à l'anglaise, however, also included an - albeit more comfortable - corset. Silk fabrics were sometimes replaced by printed cotton fabrics, the so-called "Indienne", which - as the name suggests - were imported from India.
Matching the robe à l'anglaise we found fabric hoods and hats, the latter mostly made of straw, and more or less richly decorated with flowers and feathers, a favourite at the time. Matching the robe à l'anglaise we found fabric hoods and hats, the latter mostly made of straw, and more or less richly decorated with flowers and feathers, a favourite at the time. The robe à l'anglaise, however, also included an - albeit more comfortable - corset. Silk fabrics were sometimes replaced by printed cotton fabrics, the so-called "Indienne", which - as the name suggests - were imported from India. In France, people hardly put up with the "reasonable" English fashion. While French people were not immune to English fashion influences, they transformed and localised them much more than in other countries. Indeed, women's clothing at French Courts - as mentioned earlier - favours completely opposite trends. By 1740s, indeed, ladies wearing paniers could only pass sideways through a door. Now, wider skirts fitted with hip pads only made matters worse! On the other hand, etiquette demanded the reintroduction of the dress train. These huge masses of fabric, richly embellished with a plethora of gems, carry an enormous weight, which makes moving around a serious endeavour for the wearer. For this very reason, the train is buttoned to the dress and laid out only in the hall or foyer. Outside official events, women in French Courts also wore dresses influenced by English fashion, as is plain to see in the paintings of Marie Antoinette. Incidentally, it was also Marie Antoinette who introduced ostrich feathers in any form of headgear. This trend was to remain until the 19th Century. From the mid-century and for first time in the history of fashion, clothes were sometimes so short that they barely covered the calf. The shape of the Manteaus became bourgeois, being tied up at the rear and on the sides (robe à la polonaise) in a baggily shape. Breast tissues (fichu) - copied from the Dutch bourgeoisie of the 17th century - became fashionable, … shorter lap jackets (Caraco) and even aprons, that nobility only used for pastorals and bucolic games, turn into a clothing attribute. The development of hairdos at French Courts can only be qualified as downright adventurous. By the 1770s, people began backcombing their hair above the forehead higher and higher. Over time, wire nettings, gauzes, bands, etc. were incorporated, leading to hairdos not rarely three to four times overtopped. Quite often, the whole set was crowned with a design recreating a scene from social or personal life. Thus, barbers were declared artists and only the finest and wealthiest women could afford a new hairstyle every day. Hairdos were usually worn for several weeks (at night, with specially constructed nettings). Not surprisingly, lice but also other animals were extremely happy about this turn of events. Funny enough, even wire bonnets against mice were offered for these sophisticated structures...