Ball gown styles of the 1790s
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The second half of the 18th century began with fashion trends that were fantastically extravagant. Ball gowns boasted massive, multi-layered skirts. Humongous panniers, up to 15 feet in circumference, made the skirt jut straight out over the lady's hips. Nearly every inch of fabric was decorated with frills and ribbons. By the time the 18th century drew to a close, women were exhausted by these ridiculously impractical dresses and were turning toward simplicity.
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End of the 1780s
A fichu is a folded scarf worn to accentuate the breasts.
By the end of the 1780s, women had discarded the unwieldy panniers, that created so unnatural a silhouette, and replaced them with bustles to accentuating their rear ends, and fichus to draw attention to their bosoms. Ornamentation was not as lavish as it had been a decade ago, but women still laced themselves tightly into whalebone corsets and wore ball gowns with fitted bodices and full skirts. Marie Antoinette loved to wear white, and this drove gaudy colors out of style in favor of white and pale pastels.
Early 1790s
Throughout the 18th century, America based its fashion on European styles, and Europe took its fashion cues from France. During the first several years of the 1790s, France was embroiled in a revolution that brought fashion development to a standstill. Ball gowns remained the same as at the end of the 1780s.
Middle 1790s
Beginning in 1794, ball gowns received a complete makeover. Tight bodices were replaced with empire waists and breezy, flowing skirts. Ball gowns were floor-length and often included a short train, sometimes of a contrasting color. Women no longer wore contraptions to alter the shape of their skirts, but gowns were designed with only a few gathers in the front and many gathers in the back. This made the fabric flow down straight in the front and puff out behind. White was still the most popular color. Ribbons, lace, fake flowers and dainty embroidery were used for ornamentation.
Turn of the Century
Empire waists became as high as possible. Women began to show off more skin, so ball gowns had short, puffy sleeves and low-cut decolletages, sometimes heart-shaped. Ladies pushed up their breasts with corsets to reveal as much cleavage as possible. This style continued into the Regency era and is elegantly portrayed in many movie adaptations of Jane Austen novels.
Source: www.ehow.com
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