Cloak à l’Italienne. This fashion was taken in France around the middle of the Reign of Louis XIV, and lasted to 1745 with some variations. It seems that its convenience made it be adopted anew as generally as it was before. (1780)
CLOAK A LA CAVALIERE, or perfect circle cloak, adopted a long time ago by the French Cavalry. Collar à la Czarienne, that is to say, wide, scalloped, an edged with a braid, like that worn by Czar Peter I when he came to Paris.
This Cloak was very fashionable during the Winter of 1779, over all by Soldiers, when they were walking in the streets: they threw one of the tails of the Cloak over the shoulder to free the leg; but the great draperies are so inconvenient that no-one presumed that this fashion would be of long duration. Hat en clabeau; hair short and frised en boudin. Stockings of iron grey chiné silk, shoes à la d’Artois.
Hi there! This cloak (and the description of the difficulty of keeping it in place) makes me giggle – reminds me of my actors last summer struggling with keeping their togas on their shoulders, instead of dragging through the grass (cement?) onstage… Hmmm plus ca change…Best & thanks!Nancy
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And that's why they went out of style so quickly!
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