Le Smoking und das Paletot - Les Incroyables - The Cutter and Tailor The Cutter and Tailor Le Smoking und das Paletot Started by Sator , Sep 06 2011 04:21 PM Please log in to reply 15 replies to this topic Location:Sydney, Australia Posted 06 September 2011 - 04:21 PM The internet is a rather international sort of place. This can lead to all sorts of confusion with language - not only is there British and American English, but a term borrowed from another language can take on a new and entirely different meaning. A good example of this is the term "smoking". This is what a smoking jacket looks like: It is a dressier version of a dressing gown and is worn at home. Smoking is obviously an English word. Yet in most Continental languages it has taken on an entirely different meaning as le smoking, il smoking, das Smoking, смокинг etc where it refers to a dinner jacket. Confusingly, in American it is known as a Tuxedo. However, this is not the only word which has taken on new meanings as it gets exported from country to country.

A similar change in meaning has occurred with the term "paletot". It is now largely obsolete in English, and is pronounced "pell-ay-tot". However, this word of French origins (the original French pronunciation is "parl-toe") meant a specific type of overcoat around the Edwardian era up till around 1918 or so. Here is an English fashion plate (by J.P. Thornton) showing a paletot: Note that it has a panelled back (side bodies with curved panels), in this case without a centre back seam. The panelling made it a bit more fitted. American texts use the term paletot in exactly the same sense as British texts (see Salisbury plate XVI, 1866). This is in contrast to the use of the term in other languages. I believe that the term is now obsolete in its country of origin, France. In Italian the term paletot is defined by a dictionary as (note that the French pronunciation is retained): • Cappotto, soprabito [pronuncia: paltó] nome maschile francese invariabile That is: any sort of overcoat may be called a paletot.

Here is an example of its use in Italian from a poster by Polish illustrator Franz Mele entitled Paletots per Uomo, 1902 made for an Italian department store: Here is another example, this time an article about a coat made by Mario Caraceni: I am not quite sure why this is called a "Paletot Ulster" since it lacks typical Ulster lapels. That is, in English you would probably call it a Chesterfield and in German, a Paletot! So it looks like the Italians use the term "Ulster" differently to how it is used both in English and German. In Russian, палетот (paletot) appears to mean something quite different. A Google search of the term showed up all sorts of different types of ladies' jackets - all overcoats and all very short. Here is one example: However, the term пальто (palto: which comes from the original French pronunciation) seems to be in more widespread use in Russian to denote any overcoat - even Ulster and Raglan overcoats: A Google search turns up various styles of overcoats. The term is used in German, however, to indicate a Chesterfield type of overcoat.

Most of the patterns in German for "ein Paletot" would be described in English as a type of Chesterfield pattern - either single or double breasted. The following illustrations come from a Rundschau cutting text (Zuschnitt XII): In English, these coats would be called a single and a double-breasted Chesterfield overcoat respectively. It is quite amusing to find English language blogs by German authors talking about paletots as though it were an English word for a double breasted Chesterfield that would be understood today: The Origins of the Paletot During the eighteenth century, the French developed the word paletot as an umbrella term for various overcoats. By the end of the nineteenth century, the term evolved to include only overcoats worn in town. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British considered a Paletot to be any topcoat with wait suppression, while Americans defined it as an ankle length topcoat, seam-waisted and with a flared silhouette. In the 1920s, the term Chesterfield arose, which was a single breasted overcoat with a hidden fly front.

In order to distinguish between the different overcoat types, the term Paletot was used in Europe to describe a very special kind of double breasted topcoat. Boy is that confusing! It certainly is an amazing fruit salad of different languages and terminology. BTW the term Chesterfield is much older than the 1920s. According to the Cunnington's, it originated in the 1840s and is named after the 6th Earl of Chesterfield (1805-1866). Numerous 19th century texts have patterns for Chesterfields in them including Edward Minister's Complete Guide to Practical Cutting, London 1853: Nor does Minister state anywhere in the rest of the text that this overcoat took a fly front. Nor was the British paletot really considered town wear and was also called a racing coat or occasionally a paddock coat. In American English the term Chesterfield overcoat means exactly the same thing as it does in British English.

Location:Sydney, Australia Posted 06 September 2011 - 06:23 PM A Russian website asks its readers смокинг или фрак ("smoking ili frak") - dinner jacket or dress coat? - DJ or tails? The Russian word is фрак ("frak"), the German Frack, Italian il frac, French le frac and Spanish el frac. However, did you know that the word "frack" is related to the English word "frock"? Of course, a frock coat in English is a totally different garment altogether! A frock coat was called "une redingote" by the French, a corruption of the English "riding coat". This became the Italian word "redingote" and in Russian "редингот". Only the Germans translated "riding coat" into German with the term "Gehrock". Interestingly, the word redingote in English and Redingot in German means a type of panelled ladies' coat.

They were quite fashionable in the 1960s: In English too, the word frock today normally denotes a ladies' garment: Likewise, in Italian, un redingote means a ladies' dress - usually quite formal for weddings: Posted 07 September 2011 - 08:16 AM Every language has "false friends". More language fruit salad: "Ich möchte Dir ein Gift geben von Marmelade mit naturelle Präservative!" In this case, your novice to German wants to give "a gift" but fails to realise that "Gift" in German means "poison" rather than a "present". The correct word is "Geschenk" not "Gift". Worse still, your friend wants to give you "marmalade with natural preservatives". Unfortunately, "Präservative" means "condoms" rather than "preservatives". Also "Naturell" in German means something totally different - temperament or disposition. The correct adjective is "natürlich". So instead of giving you "a gift of marmalade with natural preservatives", your friend wants to give you "poison jam with temperment(al) condoms".

"Natural preservatives" = "natürliche Konservierungsmittel". Even "Marmelade" in German means something slightly different from marmalade in English. Marmalade: Jam: Both are called "Marmelade" in German!!! Note the spelling difference. Likewise, the English word is redingote and the German word is ein Redingot, although some texts spell it Redingote! Redingot is probably better because otherwise Germans tend to mispronounce it as "rer-ding-go-ta" rather than "rer-ding-goat". Likewise, in English a "hanger" means this (from the Hanger Project ): (as an aside, I have no financial affiliations with this company) Just as a gift in English is "ein Geschenk", in English "ein Hänger" is called "a loose-hanging overcoat". Likewise, a paletot (also called a racing overcoat) is called "ein Sportüberzieher" in German texts. The German word "ein Paletot" is "a Chesterfield".

An old Viennese text however calls a paletot/racing overcoat "ein Chesterfield mit Schlussrockrücken" (Chesterfield with body coat back - "Schlussrock" being an old-fashioned word found mostly in Austrian, but not German texts, meaning "body coat") Posted 07 September 2011 - 11:33 AM Other off topic multilingual fruit salads (but fun anyway). In Russian the word for jam is джем which is literally is "djem" a Cyrillic form of the English word. The word мармелад ("marmelad" - note the slightly Germanic spelling with the "e") means something totally different - a confectionery made out of fruit: And they have a different word for marmalade - апельсиновый джем, literally appelsin jam, or in other words orange jam! Appelsin is an obsolete English loan word from either the Dutch or Low German meaning the apple from China, or in French pomme de Sine. The Russians also write сандвич - literally sandvich, or a sandwich.

However, the Russian word for an open sandwich (with a variety of toppings) is бутерброды, literally "byterbrod", a Cyrillic way of writing the German word Butterbrot: However, Butterbrot in German means a plain piece of buttered bread with a single topping eg jam, spread. In Austria Butterbrot really means just that: plain buttered bread. If Austrians put something else on top, they call it something else eg Käsebrot, or "cheese bread". Interests:Tailoring and couture. Posted 14 January 2012 - 09:12 AM The internet is a rather international sort of place. This can lead to all sorts of confusion with language - not only is there British and American English, but a term borrowed from another language can take on a new and entirely different meaning. A good example of this is the term "smoking". This is what a smoking jacket looks like: It is a dressier version of a dressing gown and is worn at home. My personal term for this is an "Oscar Wilde coat." He wore it outside of the home, including, I think, during his lectures in America.

Apparently, he went out West and was a big hit with miners and ranchers, among others. I'd like to make one some day. 372 posts Posted 18 January 2012 - 09:32 PM The internet is a rather international sort of place. This can lead to all sorts of confusion with language - not only is there British and American English, but a term borrowed from another language can take on a new and entirely different meaning. The term for this in language learning is a "false friend", not only in tailoring terms but elsewhere it can lead to confusion and/or embaressment. For a certain generation of French person for instance ''le heeeg leaf'' or the high life was an adjective used to describe anything luxurious or ostentatious! One problem with the smoking jacket is the lack of velvets or nice silks for one to be made up in. I'm having a devil of a time finding anything suitable. Posted 06 November 2013 - 09:40 AM All marmalade is jam; but, not all jam is marmalade I don't have any solid etymology on the smoking jacket.

Typically, the one who popularizes it gets credit for naming it. In this case, I wouldn't be surprised if country gentlemen popularized the style in their smoking parlor, so it has been (de facto) named. The lack of an inventor's name (for example: Allen Solly Placket) infers the "smoking" crept into common parlance. On the topic of finding velvets. There are plenty to be found, it's simply a matter of learning how and where to look. As huge as the internet may be, a huge percentage of businesses (some speculate >70%) don't have (or, desire) a online presence. Depending where you are (geographically) there may be showrooms hiding in alleys or warehouse districts you don't even know about. Try grabbing the yellow pages, making a few calls and setting up appointments with sales people - bring samples of existing garments so they have context to advise you which product/goods you need. tailleuse and ladhrann like this ___________ Pride and Prejudice | Philippa Jane Keyworth Philippa Jane Keyworth 5 Replies This blog post aims to give you a brief outline of how a Regency woman would be dressed.

The thing is, so many authors assume their readers know what a spencer jacket is, what a shift is, what stays are, and if you don’t you feel rather silly asking! I myself will admit, for the first time ever, that I didn’t know what a pelisse was for about the first six years of reading Georgette Heyer novels! So for all you people interested in Regency tidbits, hopefully this will provide you with a basic and simple guide to Regency women’s items of clothing and roughly what order they went on! Shift This was a thin down that does the equivalent of a modern day vest and slip all in one. It went on nearest to the skin and usually had capped sleeves which would have been hidden under the puff sleeves of the dress the lady would put on later. 2. Stays A pair of short stays – these gave that wonderful shelf-like effect for the bosoms… Then came the stays. Now stays are a kind of corset, but unlike corsets from previous centuries, Regency stays were shorter. In fact, they resemble modern bras rather well except that they did not necessarily separate the breasts.

Stays would go on over the shift and be laced at the front or back (usually the former if you were dressing yourself which would be the case if you were not rich enough to have a ladies maid. In reality, that would be the majority of the population). They would be laced from bottom to top in order to ensure the breasts could be pushed as high as possible giving that wonderful shelf-like effect. Older women did sometimes use long-stays which were basically a longer corset-like garment, in order to keep their stomachs in. Some women also had a metal wedge-like implement that they would place between their breasts in order to separate them. This can be seen in caricatures of the period where women are drawn with breasts literally sticking out sideways! Thanks to my good friend Parnel Bennetts for that tidbit. 3. Petticoat A dress with straps that goes over the shift and stays. The petticoat would probably have a patterned hem so it looked pretty when seen! 4.

Drawers & Pantalettes A rough pattern for the two-separate-legged pantalettes – Image from Sewing Central ( ) In terms of underwear, women could wear drawers or pantalettes but generally underwear wasn’t overly common – shocking, I know! Drawers/pantalettes were basically like two separate trouser legs that had a waist-band joining them together. The reason they had separate legs with no joining seam was of course to enable going to the toilet! Although it must be noted that some drawers/pantalettes were joined. I have actually tried some of these pantalette bad-boys on – let’s just say they are somewhat different from the ol’ knickers of the modern day. 5. Chemisette Chemisette for the cleavage 😉 A chemisette was basically a half-blouse which could be worn to cover a women’s décolletage during the day and keep her a little warmer! 6. Dress The dress would be put on over the other layers of clothing and laced or buttoned up the back afterwards.

An array of Regency dresses – Of course my favourite is Lizzie’s 😉 Depending on the time of day and the activity there were a range of dresses: morning dress, walking dress, riding habit and evening gown. Each dress would be made from different material, for instance a morning dress to be worn around the house was usually muslin as seen in the picture from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It’s also worth remember that women didn’t just go and buy dresses like we buy clothes now. Dresses were expensive, especially because they had to be made up for each individual, the easiest way to gain a new look was to merely alter your existing dress with say, a new trim or a fancy new chemisette. 7. Jackets Oh, the jackets! Me and my husband are rather big fans of coats so I like the range of jackets on offer to a Regency lady when going out: Two different Pelisses – Image from Fashion-Era.com, a fantastic website for all things fashion related. Pelisse: a coat with long sleeves and who’s general length reached to about mid-calf.

Lizzie Bennet sporting a fetching Spencer Jacket – Image from Hooks and Needles blog Spencer Jacket: Ah, the favourite of Lizzie Bennet in the BBC adaptation. The spencer jacket was a long sleeved short jacket that finished around the same height as the empire waistline. A Redingote Jacket – Image from American Duchess Blog Redingote: This is a particularly handsome jacket which was long sleeved again, and was short to the empire waist in front whilst remaining long in the back, much like the Regency gentleman’s tail-coat jacket from which the design was taken. However, I have to admit, it was more popular in the 1790s which obviously falls before the Regency began – I just like it so darn much I shall include it! 8. Headwear Now this is a rather large topic. There was just so much a Regency woman could do regarding her headwear. There were straw bonnets, satin bonnets, jockey bonnets designed like the flat-caps jockey’s wore. There were turbans and conical hats and for evenings women might wear feathers in their hair or ribbon or gauze to match their dresses. Regency Headwear – Image again from Fashion-Era.com 9.

Shoes Shoes differed according to the activity. For walking into the village a woman might were boots with a wooden heel whilst for a ball they would wear silk slippers sometimes ones that matched their dress. Ladies tootsies! Image from Fashion-Era.com – seriously, by now you should all be realising this is the website to look at! 10. Reticules A Reticule – Image from History and Other Thoughts Blog A woman would have a purse with draw strings that she would carry not only money but any other nick-nacks she might have around with her. The reason for these reticules was largely because dresses did not have pockets and so they were essential for any woman wanting to carry things with her. They came in many different styles and usually matched the clothing of the wearer if they were fashionable and had the wealth to do so. So, there you go, a whistle stop tour of a Regency woman’s wardrobe bullet-pointed for your convenience. Of course, this is a broad overview and should be treated as such. There were many different fashions, materials, types of dresses and variations within each part of clothing but hopefully this gives those who don’t know, a basic understanding of a Regency lady’s dress.

Now you can sit back and enjoy that Regency romance you’re pootling through without being confused by the dress 🙂 “The characteristic of an English country dance is that of gay simplicity. The steps should be few and easy, and the corresponding motion of the arms and body unaffected, modest, and graceful.” – The Mirror of Graces, 1811 Above is an example of the Quadrille In a society governed by strict rules regulating the interaction of the sexes, the dance floor provided one of the only places marriage partners could meet and courtships subsequently blossom. The ballroom guaranteed respectability and proper conduct for all parties since they were carefully regulated and chaperoned. Even so, under cover of the music and in the guise of the dance, young people could talk and even touch in ways not permitted elsewhere. As far as the opportunity to meet people went, private balls had the very great advantage over public ones in that the hosts controlled who attended. One could be assured of the quality of guests at a grand house, so chaperons could rest a little easier that their charge was not interacting with someone below her station. Hosting a ball was no small matter. Musicians had to be hired and supper for all the guests provided.

Cards or invitations were sent out no less than two to three weeks prior to the event and a reply was imperative within a day or two. After the ball, thank you notes were expected of all the guests in appreciation for the hospitality. Dressing for a ball Five Positions of Regency Dancing Balls were, of course, formal occasions which allowed one to show off their finery. But even here, there were degrees of formality. The dress ball which usually began with minuets was the most formal, a cotillion ball somewhat less so. ‘Undress’ or ‘fancy’ balls invited the guests to appear in all manner of historical or fanciful costumes. Whatever the form of dress, gloves were essential lest the dancers touch one another directly. Opening the ball Early in the Regency era, balls were opened with a minuet. By the early 1800’s the practice fell from favor as it took far too long for all the couples to have a turn to display in the slow, elegant dance. Later in the period, the ball would be opened by the hostess, the lady of highest rank or the person in whose honor the ball was given (like a debutant or new bride) who took the top position of the first dance.

The top lady would ‘call the dance’, determining the figures, steps and music to be danced. Polite young ladies were cautioned that if they should lead a dance they should not make the figures too difficult for the other dancers, especially if there were younger dancers present. Dance Partners Every dance required a partner. At a private ball, unlike a public assembly, everyone was considered introduced, so any young man could ask any young woman to dance. A young lady signaled she was interested in dancing by pinning up the train of her gown. If asked to dance, she could not refuse unless she did not intend to dance for the rest of the night. Gentlemen, unless they retired to the card room, were expected to engage a variety of partners throughout the evening. Failing to do so was an affront to all the guests. A gentleman might request a dance in advance, but saving more than two dances for a particular partner was detrimental to a young lady’s reputation. Oftentimes women outnumbered men at these affairs. As a result, it was not uncommon for women to dance with other women rather than sit out the entire evening. Food Halfway through the evening, dancers would pause to refresh themselves with a meal.

Soup, especially white soup (made from veal or chicken stock, egg yolks, ground almonds and cream) served with negus (sugar mixed with water and wine, served hot) were staples. One’s dance partner for the ‘supper dance’ usually would be one’s dining partner for the meal as well. Dances The First Quadrille at Almack’s Supper was quite necessary as most of the ball dances were lively and bouncy. Country dances, the scotch reel, cotillion , quadrille made up most of the dancing. In the country dance, a line of at least five couples progressed up and down the line in various figures as dancers would swing from partner to partner. Country dances basically had only one step that was used to create various chain patterns and shapes along the dance floor. As they reached the top, each couple in turn would dance down until the entire set had returned to its original positions. These dances were very flexible in the number they could accommodate. In large sets, this could take an hour to complete. Some insisted that reels were better suited to private balls than public assemblies because of their merry character.

In this dance four, or sometimes six, dancers would perform interlacing figures with one another then pause for a sequence of fancy footwork similar to a Highland Fling. The cotillion was a French import, with elaborate footwork. It was performed in a square or long ways, like the country dance. It consisted of a “chorus” figure unique to each dance which alternated with a standard series of up to ten “changes” (simple figures such as a right hand star) common to cotillions in general. Some considered cotillions out of fashion by 1800. 1817 – Accidents in Quadrille Dancing The quadrille was a dance for four couples arranged in a square. It consisted of five distinct parts or figures assembled from individual cotillions. Without the changes it was a much shorter dance. The music for the dance was often adapted from popular songs and stage works. One dance not likely to be found in a Regency era ball was the waltz. When it was first introduced, the waltz was regarded as shocking because of the physical contact involved. Even Lord Byron was scandalized by the prospect of people “embracing” on the dance floor.

It was unlikely to have been seen often in public assemblies until the latter part of the Regency era, and even then, not often. For a wonderful animated tour of the figures danced check out this site: . References A Lady of Distinction. Regency Etiquette, the Mirror of Graces (1811). R.L. Shep Publications (1997) Britain Express: Regency Dances Day, Malcom – Voices from the World of Jane Austen. David & Charles (2006) Lane, Maggie – Jane Austen’s World. Carlton Books (2005) Laudermilk, Sharon & Hamlin, Teresa L. The Regency Companion . Garland Publishing (1989) Ross, Josephine – Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners. Bloomsbury USA (2006) Selwyn, David – Jane Austen & Leisure. The Hambledon Press (1999) Sullivan, Margaret C. – The Jane Austen Handbook.

Quirk Books (2007) Period References The Complete System of English Country Dancing – 1815 (click to download pdf) Maria Grace is the author of Darcy’s Decision and The Future Mrs. Darcy. Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website . You can also like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter or email her. Festive Attyre: December 2012 snow-day photoshoot I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! This year, we were treated to a very rare white Christmas in Texas, and my whole family had so much fun frolicking in the snow. Since I didn't get a lot of good posed pictures of my new redingote last month, I decided to make use of the pretty winter backdrop today and snapped a few more pics at the park. It was so much fun wearing this outfit in cold weather. I stayed nice and warm in my gown, and the colors seem to go so perfectly with the snow and bare trees.

I could have kept going for hours, but my son decided that more snowball fights were in order, so I changed back into my street clothes and returned to 21st century mom-mode. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't like cold weather and all of my pictures are a bit out of focus and hazy, but we're going to call that blurriness "artsy" and go with that. ;) But anyway, it was a fun little excursion and a perfect Christmas gift from mother nature for a costume nerd like myself. A late 20's dress for Lanternlight This past Saturday, a group from the DFWCG attended Plano Heritage Farmstead's holiday celebration - Lanternlight. The theme for this event is usually turn-of-the-century Victorian/Edwardian, but this year they switched things up a little and did 1920's, which was SO much fun! In the past, I've kind of turned up my nose at 20's fashions because I don't find them to be the most flattering styles, but I've really come around over the past few years and I'm enjoying them more and more.

I've discovered that not all 20's dresses look like shapeless feedsacks, and some of the styles are really chic and fun to wear. For my dress, I used an undated Pictorial Review pattern, which I am guessing from the styling is from 1930-32ish. But you can see from the pattern diagram on the back that there is almost no shaping in the dress, and I discovered that if you wear the belt at the hips and shorten the skirt a little, it passes for a 20's dress with no problem. You could really see the changes going on in the pattern industry with the way this pattern was made. It has a very brief instruction sheet like older patterns with only the most basic construction steps covered, but then it also has printing on the pattern pieces with cool little illustrations and extra hints and tricks for how to put it all together. Compared to the other 1910's and 1920's patterns that I own, this wealth of information must have been such a welcome change for home seamstresses!

The only changes that I made to the Pictorial pattern was to leave off the cuffs (no good reason why - I just got lazy), and I also omitted the collar so I could wear a fur collar instead. Although you see a ton of fur collars on coats in the 20's, it's much harder to find them on dresses. I got really excited when I found this 1927-28 dress illustration in the book Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties (there's a link at the bottom of this post), since it appears to have an attached fur collar and it looks so similar to my dress anyway. But there is nothing noted about it being fur in the text, so I'm guessing it was really some type of velvet or plush. I have occasionally seen photos of women with fur collars worn with a dress, like this one , but I'm pretty sure most of those are stoles instead of anything that is attached. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to put fur on a dress that needs to be washed, but I was really determined to have a fur collar on this outfit, so I did it anyway. Shhh... don't tell the authenticity police!

I found this clip-on fox fur collar on etsy, and since it is not permanently attached, I can still wear the dress and wash the dress without the fur, so I don't feel quite as guilty about it. My dress is made from polyester crepe, which is another strike against me on authenticity. But I had my mind set on making it in deep red, and when I was buying fabric for it last summer, this is the only dark red crepe that I could find. The buttons and belt buckle are all vintage mother of pearl. For the hat, I reshaped a modern wool felt hat using my vintage hat block. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of that process now, but I was so tired this past week that it never crossed my mind until I was almost done. But all I did was wet the hat and stretched it and pinned it over the block so it would sit down much farther on my head. Once it was dry, I cut the brim to a shape that I liked, then wired and bound the edge of the brim with a strip of silk taffeta.

For the decorations, I had originally planned on making some fancy fabric flowers, but I ran short on time, so I ended up buying a huge velvet poinsettia from Hobby Lobby, and I hot glued the individual petals onto the hat. The shoes are from Aerosoles, and they are called Ticker Tape . I thought they were so perfect for 20's costumes, and they were quite comfortable too. I just replaced the leather cord with a ribbon since I didn't like the way the cord looked on its own. Aerosoles has quite a few retro-styles of shoes, and they have good sales too if you are patient and keep checking back. So that's about it. I had a blast wearing this costume, and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of compliments that I received at the event. I guess 20's dresses might not be so terribly unflattering after all. ;) You can see more pictures from the event on my Flickr page . The 18th Century Robe à la Polonaise: Research Summary – Démodé Demoiselle en Polonoise unie en Buras..., Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1778.

Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 44.1336: What Is the 18th Century Definition of a Polonaise?

The dress version — the robe à la polonaise (French/English; also called “polonese” or “poloneze” in English): Bodice and skirt of the robe are cut in one — no waist seam Robe has four pieces: two backs, and two fronts The skirt of the robe is usually looped up using two ribbons, tapes, or cords, forming three swags The center-front of the robe meets at the neckline, then slopes away in an inverted “V” shape towards the waist and into the skirt Inverted pleats emerged at the waist from the side-back and center-back seams, creating more fullness in the skirt The bodice of the robe usually has 1-3 pleats at the side back, which serves to fit the robe closer to the body Under the robe is worn a separate or false waistcoat, bodice, or stomacher The sleeves generally ended just below the elbow, usually with a cuff (called “sabot”) Robe a la Polonaise, 1780-1; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; 1932.51.I: museums/collections-research/online-collections-navigator/ Robe a la Polon

aise, 1780-1; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; 1932.51.I: museums/collections-research/online-collections-navigator/ Robe a la Polonaise, 1780-1; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; 1932.51.I: museums/collections-research/online-collections-navigator/ The jacket versions: Caraco à la polonaise: the same cut, but with the skirtings of the jacket ended about the bottom of the hip and NOT looped up ( example ) Camisole à la polonaise: the same cut, but with the skirtings of the jacket ended about the top of the hip and NOT looped up ( example ) What About Other Dresses Where the Skirts Are Looped Up?

These would not be considered to be a “polonaise.” The French term for any dress (e.g. a robe à l’anglaise, a robe à la française) with skirts looped up was “retroussée” (which means looped or pulled up); for example, a “robe à l’anglaise retroussée” ( example ). There does not appear to be any standard term used in English, where dresses were referred to having been worn “up” or “back.” What About the “Zone” or Underbodice? An underbodice effect was created by one of the following: a false waistcoat sewn into the side back and armscye seams, a separate waistcoat or bodice, or a stomacher. Note that the term “zone” does not appear to have any historical basis. The terms used in the period were waistcoat/veste, stomacher/pièce d’estomac, or corsage (bodice).

The Popularity of the Polonaise The polonaise style was popular from about 1772 until about 1785, although we have found sources that suggest its origin was as early as 1767. It was likely to have been the most popular undress (informal) style of its time — roughly fifty percent of the fashion plates in the Gallerie des Modes depict the polonaise, while other leading styles were shown in only about ten percent of the plates. It was worn across the social spectrum, although sources suggest that it was considered more appropriate for young and early middle aged women. By the mid-1770s, it was fashionable enough to be worn at informal court balls in France and England. How Do You Know? We consulted a wide range of eighteenth century sources for our research.

We systematically surveyed French and English fashion and women’s magazines, including L’Arlequin, ou Tableau de Modes (1798-99); Cabinet des Modes ou Les Modes Nouvelles (1785-86); Le Courier de la Mode (1768-69); Journal des Dames et des Modes (aka Costumes Parisiens) (1800-4); The Fashions of London & Paris (1798-1804); Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français (1778-87); Gallery of Fashion (1794-1810); Journal de la Mode et du Gout (1790-3); Journal des Dames et des Modes (1798-9); The Ladies Magazine (1770-1810); Magasin des Modes Nouvelles (1787-9); Magazine à la Mode (1777); and New Lady’s Magazine (1789-95). We furthermore reviewed a large number of eighteenth-century works of art (paintings and drawings), personal writings (memoirs, diaries, and letters), and publications.

Finally, we identified a number of extant (surviving) robes and jackets à la polonaise in museum collections, some of which we studied in-depth. Extant Examples of the Polonaise There are a number of surviving examples of robes and jackets à la polonaise in museums: Polonaise Longue (a variation with a trained skirt worn down) — Robe a la turque de Mme Oberkampf, Musee Toile de Jouy: Caraco or Camisole à la Polonaise — Casaca, 1760-1770; Centre de Documentacio i Museu Textil; Terrassa, Spain; 11732: Caraco à la Polonaise — Casaca, 1760-1770; Centre de Documentacio i Museu Textil; Terrassa, Spain; 11819: Robe à la Polonaise, 1780-1; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; 1932.51.I: museums/collections-research/online-collections-navigator/ Caraco à la Polonaise — Caraco et Jupe, ca.

1785; Musee Galliera, Paris; GAL1977.80.3B: Caraco à la Polonaise — Caraco, 1770-80; Musée Galliera, Paris; GAL1992.177.X: Robe à la Polonaise — Polonaise dress, fabric. ca. 1770-3; Killerton/The National Trust, Broadclyst, United Kingdom; Kil W 04253: collections.org.uk/ Robe à la Polonaise — Dress (Robe a la Polonaise), ca. 1780; Kyoto Costume Institute, Kyoto, Japan; AC7620 92-34-1AB: archives/digital_archives/ Robe à la Polonaise — Dress (Robe a la Polonaise), 1774-93; Metropolitan Museum of Art, new York; 34.112a,b: Robe à la Polonaise — Vestido a la Polaca, ca.

1775-80; Museo del Traje, Madrid; CE001004-CE001005: Caraco à la Polonaise — Sopraveste Femminile, 1775-9; Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Venice; CI. XXIV n. 0239: comunicazione.it/Sicap/ opac.aspx?WEB=MuseiVE Robe à la Polonaise — Women’s Long Jacket or Gown with Short Skirt, 1775-85; Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA; 2006-42: Others, not available online, are cited in our article. Are There Any Published Patterns for the Polonaise? Norah Waugh includes two patterns in her book The Cut of Women’s Clothes . The first is for a robe à la polonaise at the Victoria & Albert Museum . The other garment, which she calls a “polonaise style jacket,” is more likely to be some kind of redingote.

Kendra is working on a book related to this research that will include scaled patterns for several robes and jackets a la polonaise… more details when they’re available!

Question: How would a redingote usually be treated?
Answer: Worn