Merveilleuses during Napoleonic period
Les Merveilleuses, surname given to the elegante young women during the
Directoire period. The adoption of a new feminine costume by the Merveilleuses
revolutionizes the fashion.
This feminine fashion with the antique agrees with a great freedom of manners, this vestimentary behaviour lets see the shapes of the body as much as possible, does not obstruct the movements and facilitates the joys of the dance. In comparison with the 20th century, this behaviour is as provocative as that of the pin-ups in bikinis in the Fifties, or with the miniskirt in the Sixties.
The Merveilleuses’ vestimentary behaviour is characterized by the adoption of a right tunic with clear color inspired by ancient Greece, of a generous low neckline, a ribbon which is used as a belt but which is placed under the chest. The hair, not powdered, floats on the shoulders or takes as a starting point the antique Greek or Roman hairstyles. This fashion slices frankly with the previous period (Louis XVI): abandonment of the corset, the basket and the powdered wig.
The right cut of the dress will influence the Napoleonic Europe.
Galery made by Laurent Abadie.
