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234:). The change is probably partially due to the French political upheavals after 1789 (which encouraged the recovery of ancient virtues, and discouraged the type of ostentatious ornately luxurious display formerly common in aristocratic fashions). The early styles often featured entirely bare arms, as in the ancient exemplars, but from about 1800 short sleeves became more typical, initially sometimes transparent as in
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as French styles, even when the countries were at war. The style was very often worn in white to denote a high social status (especially in its earlier years); only women solidly belonging to what in
England was known as the "genteel" classes could afford to wear the pale, easily soiled garments of
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Empire dresses were light and loose, usually white, and were often made with short sleeves. A tie around the waistline, sitting just below the bust, was often in a different color. A long rectangular shawl or wrap, very often red with a decorative border in portraits, was also worn, and was lain
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around the midriff when seated—for which sprawling semi-recumbent postures were favored. By the turn of the 19th century, such styles had spread widely across Europe. In France the style was sometimes called "à la grecque" after the decorations found on the pottery and sculpture of
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had held a "Greek supper" where the ladies wore plain white "Greek" tunics. Shorter classical hairstyles, where possible with curls, were less controversial and very widely adopted. Hair was now uncovered even outdoors; except for evening dress,
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The last few years of the 18th century first saw the style coming into fashion in
Western and Central Europe (and European-influenced areas). In 1788, just before the Revolution, the court portraitist
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While the style goes back to the late 18th century, the term "Empire silhouette" arose over a century later in early 20th-century
Britain; here the word
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or other coverings had typically been worn even indoors before. Thin Greek-style ribbons or fillets were used to tie or decorate the hair instead.
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The 1960s saw a revival of the style, possibly reflecting the less strict social mores of the era, similar to when the unconstricting 1920s "
388:"The Little White Dress: Politics and Polyvalence in Revolutionary France" in: Fashion Theory. The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture, 19:5
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was influential in popularizing the style around Europe. The word "empire" is pronounced with a special quasi-French pronunciation
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wishing to disguise the stomach area or emphasize the bust. The shape of the dress also helps to lengthen the body's appearance.
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The adoption of this style led to a drastic contrast between 1790s fashions and the constricting and voluminous styles of the
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used the dress in an imperial context, shifting its meaning from Greece to Rome in line with his political agenda during the
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generally less confining and cumbersome than high-fashion clothes of the earlier 18th and later 19th centuries.
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which is long and loosely fitting but skims the body rather than being supported by voluminous
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The Little White Dress: Politics and
Polyvalence in Revolutionary France”
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in: Fashion Theory. The
Journal of Dress, Body and Culture, 19:5, 2015
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The Age of
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French lady in 1808; the style was often accompanied by a
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art which showed women wearing loose fitting rectangular
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is a style in clothing in which the dress has a fitted
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Woman's dress style with a high waist and narrow skirt
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244:(1800), then puffed. The style evolved through the
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19:"Empire line" redirects here. For other uses, see
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264:the era. The look was popularized in Britain by
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