Baroque and Rococo- 1600- 1700

Although we talk about both Baroque and Rococo styles in the same era they are different one to another. With Marie Antoinette leading the fashions we see great differences throughout the century.

Marie-Antoinette, painting by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 18th century; in the Versailles Museum.

Clothing in the Baroque era (1600-1720) went through profound changes. Starting off in the Renaissance and gradually shifted to softer silhouettes and styles. Flowing skirts, draped sleeves and bodices marked the Baroque style.

Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, Peter Paul Rubens, 1606

Rococo (1715-1720) fashion changed from the strict Baroque style into more refined and decorative style. The style influences did not only affect fashion but all arts such as: architecture, paintings, sculpture etc.

Madame de Pompadour, Francois Boucher, 1756, Pinakothek Munich.

A self portrait of Peter Paul Rubens and his wife Isabella, reveals a perfect example of a Baroque style dress. Isabella's dress had a large ruff collar, a tight bodice, long tight sleeves and a wide skirt. The tight bodice is black and decorated with gold and silver luxurious fabrics. The long sleeves contrast the wide red skirt of the dress. In this portrait Isabella looks undoubtably rich but also appears very stiff, which quickly changes when the Rococo style takes over years later.

Peter Paul Rubens, self-portrait with wife Isabella, c. 1609

The Rococo style was much softer and elaborate than the style of Baroque. The Robe Volante is a flowing one-piece dress that loosely falls from the shoulders an the front and back. The back is is called sack-back and has large pleats called Watteau pleats. There is an opening at the front of the bodice covered by a stomacher, a piece of embroidered/decorated fabric pinned to the stays Underneath the Watteau pleats is the lacing that holds everything in place. Paniers, which sit on either side of the hips give the skirt its shape, hoopskirts would also be used for a similar finishing.

Robe à la Francaise, Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Venice. Photo: Epochs of Fashion

Embroidered Rococo STOMACHER, 1700-25, V&A Museum (flickr, picture by moorina)

One thing that has stuck with us is the hoopskirts or paniers. Nowadays they are not used in our everyday life as they were centuries ago, but they are still included in luxury fashion and on runways. Some are used as they were underneath for support and shape where as some are used as a regular skirt. The Loverboy’s Charles Jeffrey, spring 2019 collection went contrary to the designers usual designs using dramatic hoopskirt designs, that make you think of Marie Antoinette. This is just one of his designs that helped repeat history.

Loverboy, 2019 collection look

Which is your favorite style? The strict Baroque or the free Rococo? Let us know in the comment section.