BAROQUE AND ROCOCO FASHION

BAROQUE AND ROCOCO PERIOD OF FASHION

The Baroque and the Rococo movement was initiated in the 18th century. This particular movement affected not just fashion but various other aspects as well including art, lifestyle, music and architecture. Rococo and Baroque were formed in Paris, France as a result of the reaction from various artisans over the strict rules and regulations. 

Fig: Woman dressed in a classic Rococo print

Rococo can be called the late Baroque style. But what exactly was Baroque? It was simply a form of art which was included in every possible creative field like clothes, music, and even theatre. When we talk of Baroque in the context of architecture or material styles, it was portrayed as rich. These designs were put up on walls covered with art. Rococo on the other hand was more about natural elements - sticking to lighter colour schemes. 

Beginning with the Baroque period- it was King Louis the 14th who brought changes in fashion. He introduced the idea of having dressmakers and designers as professionals. As a shift from the renaissance period, the dresses became much lighter in terms of weight - however, the decorative elements continued to grow. The gowns further began to have cuts of different kinds and various embellishments and frills. They became less flouncy and the necklines further widened. Although the French were considered to be the most fashion forward ones, it is hard to believe that they were the least orthodox. The dresses used a lot of frills, pearls and other adornments to complete the look. French came to be known for their perfumes as the Parisians got not bathing and carried these perfumes around to kill the strong and smelly body odour that they had been carrying for months. Unfortunately, this trend is followed even today! The queen of that time- Marie Antoinette was considered to be an epitome of style and fashion. She introduced the wearing of the big hair. Hairstyling was an art in itself- the bigger the hair the more style you’d have. The wigs were also in style which were coloured in silver powder. Diamonds and pearls were trending when it came to jewellery to showcase their wealth. 

Fig:Woman's common fashion in Baroque Era

Moving onto the Rococo period, hairstyles got even bigger and more elaborate and the colour trending was blue, along with pink and white. The utterly feminine shoes and slippers were soft and made of satin. Use of heels was also initiated. Women wore tight corsets and plunged necklines. New styles emerged, which more skin show and the garments were now lighter in weight but remained decorative.