Fashions of the Ages Extraordinary Historical Attire

Brief Costume History
1660-1720

Mid- 17th Century dress continued in the softer style, but had a change in the waistline of both men and women by returning to the natural waist. Clothing and all other decorative arts also begin to acquire an excessive amount of ornamentation in what has come to be called the Baroque style.

The French began a fashion for trimming everything with bunches of ribbon, a style that got taken to the extreme in the early 1660's, when Louis XIV (popularly known as The Sun King) reached his majority and started setting the style for men's dress covered in ruffles and ribbons in a style known as "petticoat breeches".

French men's dress 1665 (Kohler)

Women's necklines dropped precipitously among the fashionable (in warm weather), while remaining thoroughly covered in linen among the conservative middle class.

The most powerful women in the second half of the Century are mainly mistresses, and so the "power" look for women becomes increasingly sexy. A fashion begins, late in this era for "dishabille" or dress that looks like a lady just went for a tumble in the broom closet. Conservative writers continue to decry the sensuous look of fashionable women's dress, but these critics increasingly are outnumbered by Restoration poets like Robert Herrick who say "A sweet disorder in the dress/ kindles in clothes, a wantonness.."   

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