#sacque

[my18thcenturysource]

Hello! I was wondering what the difference between robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise is? (And maybe a basic summary of each if it isn't too much trouble?) Merci!

Sure! I think it’s a good time to go back to the basics for anyone who is new in the 18th century fashion.

The robe à la française and the robe à l’anglaise are the two iconic dresses of the century, and are practically the base for all other dresses. Both dresses change silhouettes, skirt shapes, volume and details, through the century, but remained clearly differentiated from one another.

First of all, we have the names you can find both gowns known as:

Robe à la française. Meaning “French gown” or “French style gown”, can be also known as: sack back gown, sacque, or Watteau gown (if you find 19th century info about this dress, you might find this term, that is not contemporary of the 18th century). When people think of 18th century womenswear, they usually think of this dress.

robe à la française, 1765-70 // robe à la française, 1740s // robe à la française, 1710-1770, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Robe à l’anglaise. Literally “English style gown”. Also known as close-bodied gown, or English gown.

robe à l’anglaise, 1785-87 // robe à l’anglaise, 1750-75 // robe à l’anglaise, 1750-75, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art

These two dresses might share several details in design, but the key difference is simply the back:

Loose pleats for the robe à la française, and fitted pleats for the anglaise (yes! Those are not cuts, but pleats in the back, stitched to fit close to the body!)

Robe à la française, 1750-1770, Met Museum // Robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1770, both The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Traditionally, a French gown has an open front with a stomacher, and an English gown has a closed front, but they can have any kind of front, since what gives them the name, are the backs.

robe à la française, 1775-80 // robe à la française, ca. 1760 // robe à la française, 1770-75, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art

robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1770 // robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1770 // robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1745, altered 1770s, all The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Both dresses can also be worn retousèe or à la polonaise, which is when you lift the back of the upper skirt with ties or though the pockets, BUT a robe à la polonaise is a different kind of dress!

Robe retroussee dans les poches, 1780, Kyoto Costume Insitute // robe à la polonaise, ca. 1780, Met Museum

Note: The first is a robe à la française (worn retousée dans les poches, like the Kyoto title indicates), and the second a robe à l’anglaise worn à la polonaise, but I left the title by the Met (if someone wants to look for the item, the title would be needed).

[historicalgarments1]

1780-90 pet-en-l'air. Undyed cotton, roller printed design in pinky brown, silk ribbon ties, linen lining. Made in England. Manchester Art Gallery accession number 1999.171 . . . . #historicalgarments #petenlair #1700s #18thcenturyfashion #1780s #1790s #pinkjacket #textiledesigner #sacque #robealafrancaise #sackbackgown #18thcentury #watteaupleats #handsewn #fashionhistory #wearart #historicalcostume https://www.instagram.com/p/BzKVlJQBZEc/?igshid=1a5nqhq3ixdk7

[bethshistoricaldresses]

Robe à la Française, ca. 1770 ℹ The robe à la française, with open robe and petticoat, was the quintessential dress of the eighteenth century. ℹ Characteristic of 1770s costume are the piece's low neckline, fitted bodice, narrow sleeves with double layered cuffs, as well as the sack back and fullness at the hips supported by panniers. ℹ This exquisite example is constructed from a rare Chinese export silk dating from the first quarter of the eighteenth century. ℹ The textile is an ivory "bizarre" patterned damask (created by reversing the weave structure so that both the warp-float and weft-float faces of the satin are on the same surface). ℹ As early as the late sixteenth century, Chinese craftsmen created silks for the European market, which were exported by the East India companies of England, France, and Holland. ℹ Due to the exchange of design motifs by both Eastern and Western artisans, Chinese export silks often bore little relation to traditional Chinese aesthetics. ℹ While this patterned damask closely resembles the European "bizarre" silks popular during the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the selvedge-to-selvedge width, fabric weight, and selvedge markings all indicate Chinese manufacture. ℹ To fully appreciate the sumptuousness of this dress, one might imagine the sense of movement candlelight would have created across its surface. #history #museumcollection #antiquetextile #instamuseum #museumoninstagram #antiquesilk #historicaldress #costumehistory #fashion #historicalfashion #historicalclothing #dresshistory #fashionhistory #historicalcostume #fashionhistorian #18thcentury #18thcenturyfashion #robealafrancaise #sacque #sackback Source: The MET https://www.instagram.com/p/B1x2P-wAzFj/?igshid=1395axju1ki23

[wildfishmark]

[sewprettyprincess]

Purple Flowers Sacque Layette fits 12 inch baby dolls

For just $14.00 This cute layette fits most 12-13" dolls and it will tightly fit around the neck of a cabbage patch premie doll. This layette includes a sacque and a bonnet. The sacque and bonnet are made out of a muted floral printed knit fabric. The Sacque opens and closes in the back with 2 snaps securely hand sewn in place. The bottom of the sacque has elastic which provides stretch for feet to be exposed. There is a white ribbon bow stitched to the bottom of the sacque. The bonnet has purple lace and white ribbons. *All edges of fabric and ribbon that might fray have been are finished. *Dolls in photos are for display only and not for purchase. *Made in a smoke free home.

[sewprettyprincess]

Floral Sacque Layette fits 12 inch baby dolls

For just $14.00 This cute layette fits most 12-13" dolls and it will tightly fit around the neck of a cabbage patch premie doll. This layette includes a sacque and a bonnet. The sacque and bonnet are made out of a muted floral printed knit fabric. It opens and closes in the back with 2 snaps securely hand sewn in place. The bottom of the sacque has elastic which provides stretch for feet to be exposed. The bonnet has purple lace and purple ribbons. *All edges of fabric and ribbon that might fray have been are finished. *Dolls in photos are for display only and not for purchase. *Made in a smoke free home.

[bethshistoricaldresses]

Robe à la Française, ca. 1765 ℹLike the #Mantua the sack, or #sacque dress began life as an informal garment. It was initially a #French fashion, its defining feature being the row of two double box pleats sewn in at the center of the neckline at the back of the dress and falling to the hem. ℹ The early form of the gown was loose and unstructured, falling from the shoulders in a bell-like shape. ℹ This evoked many comments on the potential for immoral behavior, with the consequences safely concealed by the voluminous gown. ℹ A sack was always worn over #stays (a #corset ) and gradually the style developed to become much closer fitting around the waist, with only the pleats at the back remaining free from the bodice. ℹ The gown was now worn open down the front, revealing a petticoat and stomacher. The closed, buttoned #stomacher on this particular dress is referred to as a front. ℹ The flat folds of fabric, known as robings, that edge the sides of the gown were left over from the large pleats that once fell from the shoulders. ℹ As the sack became more formal, robings presented an opportunity for embellishment, as in the pleated folds adorning the sides of the blue gown pictured here. ℹ They were often stuffed with sheep's wool to give them volume. Other types of adornment included metallic lace and fly braiding on a trim of silk floss tied into tiny multicolored knotted tassels. ℹ The #flounces that decorated the front of the petticoat were known as #falbellas or #furbelows, and were usually affixed only to the front of the petticoat, where they were visible. ℹ By the last quarter of the century, trimmings for formal dress had become increasingly elaborate, often costing more than the dress fabric. It was common practice to wear the same dress to different occasions, merely changing the trimmings to give a different effect. #history #museumcollection #antiquetextile #instamuseum #museumoninstagram #antiquesilk #historicaldress #costumehistory #fashion #historicalfashion #historicalclothing #dresshistory #fashionhistory #historicalcostume #fashionhistorian #18thcentury #18thcenturyfashion #robealafrancaise #sackback Source: The MET https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz61yitAu6I/?igshid=2vjs0tpzooli

[bethshistoricaldresses]

Robe à la Française, 1760–70 ℹ The robe à la française was derived from the loose negligee #sacque dress of the earlier part of the century, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front at the back. ℹ The silhouette, composed of a funnel-shaped bust feeding into wide rectangular skirts, was inspired by #Spanish designs of the previous century and allowed for expansive amounts of textiles with delicate #Rococo #curvilinear decoration. ℹ The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. ℹ The robes à la française are renowned for the beauty of their textiles, the cut of the back employing #boxpleats and skirt decorations, known as robings, which showed endless imagination and variety. #history #museumcollection #antiquetextile #instamuseum #museumoninstagram #antiquesilk #historicaldress #costumehistory #fashion #historicalfashion #historicalclothing #dresshistory #fashionhistory #historicalcostume #fashionhistorian #18thcentury #18thcenturyfashion #robealafrancaise Source: The MET https://www.instagram.com/p/BzpapGvAxMD/?igshid=ye53ti7t0vb1