Fashion in the French Revolution

Fashion in the French Revolution looks at the elaborate dress of French society and the court in the 1780s and the way in which plain clothing became identified with "democracy".

Illustrated in full color throughout and with many new additional images, this extensively revised edition of Fashion in the French Revolution looks at the elaborate dress worn by the elite in the 1780s, and then the impact on people's lives and clothing as a result of the events of 1789 onwards. This was a period in which, for the first time, what one wore was radically affected by revolutionary politics and plain clothing became identified with 'democracy'. Award-winning dress historian Aileen Ribeiro skilfully weaves analysis of paintings, engravings, fashion plates and extant garments to reveal how clothing at all levels in society changed as a result.

This new edition, as relevant, informative and provocative as when it was first published in 1988, brings the classic Fashion in the French Revolution to a new generation of readers interested in dress history, fine art, European 18th century history, and all those interested in intelligent, articulate and informed discussion of the period.