Rococo style in clothes

Sensuality, coquetry, romance, femininity and elegance. This was the rococo style in clothing at the court of King Louis XV of France. That is how it remains today.

The Rococo style replaced the pretentious baroque and became almost its complete opposite. Tired of brightness and pomp, the French turned to elegance and lightness.

The new style inherited from the baroque, perhaps, only a love for textured and expensive materials.

The features of the new direction are:

• Everlasting youth. From fashionistas, regardless of their age, it was supposed to look always young.
• Thin waist and small chest. They even came up with special devices that were placed under the bodice in order to reduce the bust.
• Using a lot of white and blush. With the help of cosmetics, the focus was on the eyes and lips.
• The predominance of delicate pastel colors in clothes. Particular preference was given to blue and pink.
• There is just a huge amount of all kinds of bows, lace and ribbons.
• Fluffy skirts that became more and more magnificent every year. To give them a proper shape, a fizzy (frame) was invented. At the same time, the length of the skirts became much shorter and the outfits began to slightly open the legs.

The trendsetter in the new direction was the last French queen, Marie Antoinette. With the help of the well-known milliner Bertin and the dancer Guimard, the queen invented a new style of outfits almost every day, which immediately became fashionable.

In spite of everything, women always want to look young and beautiful. This desire greatly contributed to the fact that clothing of the 18th century was again in trend.

Slightly modernized, but still retaining the features of the era of the decline of the French monarchy:

• a thin waist, most often formed with a corset;
• a significant proportion of unnaturalness (accentuated aristocratic pallor, and hypertrophied forms of outfits);
• additional elements in the form of stockings, gloves or mitts;
• all kinds of fans and lace;
• an abundance of flowers in the outfit itself and in additions to it;
• fluffy hemlines;
• asymmetry.

Of course, rococo in modern fashion is not a casual style. But it will perfectly fit into all sorts of parties and festive events (weddings, birthdays, proms), which should be unforgettable.

Unlike European fashion almost three hundred years ago, modern designers turning to that era do not prefer light pastel shades, but rich dark tones. Brown, gray, blue with silver, gold and even black colors are relevant.

But the main styles of dresses - the main item of the wardrobe - remained practically unchanged. A thin waist and open shoulders are still in vogue.

As for the cut, the trend is:

• Dress - "inverted glass". Model with a tightened top (most often a corset is used) and a wide bottom on the frame.
• "Watteau" or kontush is a one-piece wide model with narrow shoulders with pleats on the frame and a special design on the back. By the way, the dress got its name not at all because of the peculiarities of the cut, but by the name of a famous artist who often painted celebrities in a similar model.
• "Polonyse" - with a lot of trimmings in the form of frills, ruffles and various artificial decor.
• A shirt-cut dress - a straight model with a belt that highlights the waist, folds in the chest area and a long skirt shifted back.

In shirt dresses with a high collar, the "trademark" distortion of the proportions of the figure occurs due to the use of skirts on the frame with pockets and voluminous folds. In models with a neckline, the whole image is leveled with fluffy skirts with numerous frills.

Embroideries made with gold metal thread, trimmed with stones, beads, rhinestones, and appliqués in the form of geometric shapes are very popular. The most stylish is the rocaille pattern, which is a golden curl (the name rococo comes from the word shell, shell, which led to this choice of designers). Numerous laces on clothes are still in vogue.

Both chic bows and short capes have passed into our century.

For an aristocratic look, shoes with a heel-glass, with a pointed toe, are perfect. Both are inventions of the heyday of Rococo in France. Instead of shoes, you can choose ankle boots, boots or boots.

Shoes can be either plain or decorated with silk and lace trim.

One of the characteristics of the stylish trend is the love of accessories. As such, beads, necklaces, large earrings, all kinds of decorative elements with rhinestones are used.

Fans, small handbags, hats decorated with feathers and flowers or made of straw perfectly complement the royal image.

Handbags can be printed in the form of flowers, on thin chains thrown over the shoulder or handbags. Velvet clutches will also look great.

In the makeup that complements the image, as in the past, thick black eyebrows are relevant (in those days, eyebrows were false and were made from special brushes), pale skin color, emphasized by the most natural shades of lipstick. Makeup on the eyes should also be discreet and not bright.

As for the hairstyles, a tall hairstyle decorated with a headband will best match the look.

The Rococo area is not suitable for going to work. Yes, and older women are better off abandoning such an image.

The ideal option in this style would be a wedding dress. It will definitely look special, unique and attractive, and will allow its owner to feel like a real queen. In this case, it is not necessary to choose an outfit of the traditional "wedding" color. It can be lilac or light blue, the color of azure or sea sand, beige.

As a decoration, you can use lush original coats, an unusual veil or a train of various lengths.

Today, models of this style are actively used in their designer collections by such trendsetters of modern fashion as Prada, John Galliano, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood and others.

Lady Gaga, Madonna and Mariah Kerry are considered star fans of the direction.