Thursday, April 25, 2013

18th Century Robe Battante

So even though I had thought I was going to make a Caraco jacket. yesterday I had found that extant photo of a Robe Battante, the last photo in the post, and really fell in love with the look.

So now I have decided that that is what I will be making for the Curtain Along! That and the other deciding factor is that Michael's new 18th century uniform is early, 1740s to be exact. And the robe Battante is an early style.

6 comments:

  1. This is a term I haven't run across before. They look so similar to sacques. Can you clarify what the difference is?

    Best,
    Quinn

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    1. Quinn,
      This was a new term to me as well I had to look it up at first.

      "At the beginning of the century, the sack-back gown was a very informal style of dress. At its most informal, it was unfitted both front and back and called a sacque, contouche, or robe battante." from Wikipedia

      I chose to use the term Robe Battante, because I feel it is a clearer destinction between the eras of the Sacque back gowns. Robe Battante for the early informal style and Robe a la Francais for the later style. But this is just personal preference on my part. And you would be perfectly correct in call them Sacques.

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  2. Ooh! The Robe Battante is not something I've ever seen a costumer make. The "Robe Volante" is another very similar style. I don't have my notes in front of me so I forget which one came first, but both were transitional styles from the even earlier mantua into the sacque or francaise.

    If you do one in a cotton print, it will be VERY fashion-forward! Cotton prints are a lot rarer earlier in the century.

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    1. I have only very limited research in this era as it is in general relativly new to me and specificly to the early part of the century is still a mystery to me.

      I am unfamiliar with the differences between the few early transitional gowns but if you have more details I would love to have the help!!! My two goals with this project are: 1) make a curtain along dress and 2) make an early 1730-1740s gown to wear with Michael and his new early uniform. I really like a challenge and I really like to make what is least expected/ least common for an era :)

      So anything you have to help keep me historically accurate i would really find incredibly helpful!!!!

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    2. Yay for specific goals! That does help a lot. Tell you what - can you send me an email at sceneinthepast [at] charter dot net? Then I can type up some of the more specific notes tonight or tomorrow. :)

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    3. sweet :)
      Thanks for the help! having this costuming community makes such a difference in evolving our knowledge in so many eras.

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