The Baroque fashion The Baroque is a period of art’s history from the XVI to the XVIII centuries. It was characterized by switching the focus to the rich, self-centered privileged class who wanted to immortalize their opulent life-style. This lush and sumptuous era had a great effect on the fashion of that period of time which reflected the opulence of people. The Baroque art met to the period of absolutism.
Although baroque era started in Italy, the fashion of that period of history corresponded to the government of Louis XIV, the French king. France became the trendsetter.It was an age when a general fashion was established in Europe, and national characteristics receded into the background, or preserved in the national peasant costume. Stiffness, splendor, plenty of adornment featured the costumes of the baroque period. The ideal man was Louis XIV and the main traits of the baroque fashion appeared during his reign. At first, when he was a child, a braser became fashionable.
It was a short jacket, richly decorated with lace. Also pants “rengravy” came in vogue. They were wide like skirt, also richly decorated with lace.A little bit later a zhyustokor came into fashion. It was a type of knee-length coat.
Besides lace, clothing had a lot of bows on the shoulders, sleeves and trousers. In the previous era jackboots were very popular. It was a type of shoes for the military class. But at that time there were a lot of wars, and jackboots were used everywhere, even at the ball.
They continued to be worn under Louis XIV, but direct to their destination - in the field, in military campaigns. The slippers were highlighted as the everyday shoes. They were decorated by buckles and bows.Women's dress was, in contrast to the dress of the previous period, not on the frame, but on the lining of the whalebone.
It gradually expanded to the bottom, also there was a train. Full women's costume consisted of two skirts, light lower (fripon) and darker upper (modest). The sides of the skirt were decorated by drapes. Draperies are also on the edge of the decollete. The decollete was broad and opened the shoulders.
The most important thing for woman was a slim waist, that’s why they wore corsets. Mancini, Sevigne and Fontange were very popular coiffures. They were very high hairstyles with a lot of curls.Men wore puffy wigs. The fashion also includes umbrellas, muffs, fans.
Cosmetics were used without measure. Patch appeared: face and wigs were powdered to whiteness and a black patch created contrast. Both men and women wore a cane. The materials of the time were wool, velvet, satin, brocade, taffeta, moire, camlet, cotton. So, the baroque fashion reflected the opulent lifestyle of a privileged class.
It had a lot of trifles like bows, curls, lace and etc. This style was luxurious but fanciful. Many features of it we can see in modern fashion: frills, jackboots. A wedding dress is typical baroque style.
