Join me in the 1770s as I show you all the layers that go in to getting dressed in the fashionable 18th century Robe a la Polonaise gown. In this video I start in just a shift, stockings, and shoes, then show how to lace the stays (corset), wear 18th century pockets and skirt supports, put on the petticoat and gown, and finally top it with a very fashionable Marie Antoinette style hat.

The Robe a la Polonaise was the trendy gown of the 1770s. This interesting type of Rococo dress consisted of a gown cut all-in-one at the back like a man's frock coat, and worn with a false waistcoat in front, sometimes sewn in and sometimes a separate garment (mine is sewn in). The polonaise was typically worn over a matching petticoat.

FAQ:
* This gown is made of pink shot silk taffeta, giving a slight iridescence. It is trimmed with silk organza. Dress diary here: https://bit.ly/2YSUO7b
* This gown is pieced with pink cotton in the back of the petticoat, the sleeves, and the beneath the silk organza ruffle on the petticoat. Piecing was a common and expected 18th century practice.
* This gown is completely hand sewn. While the Robe a la Polonaise does not appear in the book, techniques for hand sewing similar gowns and petticoats can be found in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking here: https://bit.ly/2LhwX95
* The stays are bones with plastic zip ties, which mimic baleen whalebone.
* The shoes are "Dunmore" in black wool by American Duchess. These are no longer available, but many other 18th century styles are: https://bit.ly/3cntBNL
* The stockings are over-the-knee silk clocked stockings available here: https://bit.ly/2YSULs3
* The shift is made of 100% linen.
* The split bum was made for the book "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking" which you can buy here: https://bit.ly/2LhwX95
* Here's a video on how I did my hair for this shoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDBXLro1hUI

Music in this video is from Epidemic Sound
"What Once Was" by Gavin Luke - https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/VLMCHp0SIs
"Life on the Mainland" by Infiniti Ripple - https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/ddw6jFw56S

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#18thcentury #historicalcostume #marieantoinette

0:00 Introduction
0:09 Start with a shift stockings and shoes
0:20 The underpetticoat goes on before the stays
1:04 A bodkin (a large blunt needle) is used to lace the stays
2:43 The split rump was the fashionable skirt silhouette of the late 1770s
2:49 It's perfect for the polonaise style and accentuates the puffs of the skirt
3:02 A separate, large pocket ties on to the side
3:24 The top petticoat matches the gown fabric and trimming
3:36 The petticoat is open at the sides to access the pockets
3:54 This petticoat is pieced in back with a cheaper fabric, a common practice
4:31 A neck handkerchief fills the neckline of the gown
5:06 The gown is a Robe a la Polonaise a very popular style in the 1770s
5:32 The false waistcoat is pinned at center front
5:44 The boned stays and stomacher keep the pins from poking through
5:58 Pinning gowns made them adjustable for changing sizes
6:23 a breast bow finishes the look
6:53 Hats were both fashionable and sun protection