Neoclassical Women & Fashion

Round Gown Italy 1795. A perfect example of Neoclassical style dress, this gown follows all the criteria of the period. Adapting toward the Greek and Roman classics, the looseness of the fabric embraces the natural womanly shape. The neutral tone and soft texture represents the change of thought to nature and an adoption of a more simplistic style while maintaining sophistication. Fashion as a reflection of the neoclassical era proved to be an important transition in history as women were the largest producers and consumers of fabric. Fabric allowed women a lane to accentuate themselves in their new thinking, beliefs and prove their status. Fabric was the determining factor in proving one social class as the varied fabrics a woman had equated her wealth. A woman was deemed more powerful, beautiful, and popular based on her access to multiple merchants with expensive fabrics. Furthermore, fashion as a good stimulated the economic success. In the example, symmetry , color, and shape of fabric circled back to nature as a material representation of the woman body.