When it comes to clothing of the 18th century, one is not negotiable: it was rather inconvenient. All representatives of the female half love the style. A carefully thought-out and not devoid of its zest image is selected. But is it worth it? What such tansy, pannier, corsets and other attributes add to the appearance that hundreds of beauties endure these fashion quirks?
Fashion trends
Just as in the 18th century, the standards of beauty changed, women's outfits underwent a transformation. It is assumed that these changes were the result of the Enlightenment, which began in France, but quickly spread throughout Europe. Body standards for women have changed their form. Now beautiful were those who emphasized their full hips and, on the contrary, their significantly smaller waists. This was made possible by wearing "baskets" - wide hoops that stretched to the sides. They supported the long, puffy skirts and voluminous dresses of that era and demanded outside help when dressing.
They also tested the “natural” grace of a woman. The ability to behave elegantly and with ostentatious ease, despite such bulky underwear, was a learned skill and an indicator of high social status. It is known that such tansy from the moment of their appearance were the subject of ridicule. They were mainly ridiculed by men, but the accusations had little effect on popularity.
What were tansy and pannier?
Pannier (panier) is translated from French as "basket". In Germany and Russia they were called fizhmy (German: Fischbein - whalebone, fish bone). The frame was created from whalebone plates, willow or steel rods, reed stems and served as a way to add splendor to the skirt. It is unbelievable that such fixtures increased the skirts to a stunning one and a half meters wide. The earliest versions were hung on the body and formed the shape of a bell for dresses. The later ones were flatter, they simply attached to the waist.
Over the years, they have also increased in width. The paintings show that in the middle of the 18th century, some women wore almost two-meter fizhma, and that such hoops extended the skirts from the sides, leaving the front and back parts relatively flat. This provided ample space where woven patterns, intricate jewelry, and rich embroidery could be displayed and fully appreciated.
History of occurrence
Initially, the style arose thanks to the Spanish court dresses of the 17th century, common for portraits of Velazquez. Fashion became popular in France, and after 1718-1719. and the rest of Europe, when some Spanish dresses were shown in Paris.
Some believe that such tansy appeared in Germany or England, since they existed in Great Britain since 1710 and even appeared at the French court in the last years of the reign of Louis XIV.
By the mid-18th century, women's dress was always an impressive sight and took up three times as much space as a man. In extreme cases, skirts with skeletons could extend several feet on each side. By the 1780s, they were worn only at very formal events and as part of court fashion.