num_pages: 216
description: Neoclassicism recast as a feminine progressive movement through the lens of empire-style fashion as well as related art and literatureThe Age of Undress explores the emergence and meaning of neoclassical dress in the 1790s tracing its evolution from Naples to London and Paris over the course of a single decade. The neoclassical style of clothingoften referred to as robe  la grecque  empire style or undressis marked by a sheer white high-waisted muslin dress worn with minimal undergarments often accessorized with a cashmere shawl. This style represented a dramatic departure from that of previous decades and was short by the 1820s corsets silks and hoop skirts were back in fashion. Amelia Rauser investigates this sudden transformation and argues that women styled themselves as living statues artworks come to life an aesthetic and philosophical choice intertwined with the experiments and innovations of artists working in other media during the same period. Although neoclassicism is often considered a cold rational and masculine movement Rausers analysis shows that it was actually deeply passionate with women at its coreas ideals and allegories as artistic agents and as important patrons.
language: English
title: The Age of Undress: Art, Fashion, and the Classical Ideal in the 1790s
publisher: Yale University Press