Rococo
ロココ
A decorative style that arose in France in the 1730s, marked by flowing curves, asymmetry, and pastel colours, reaching from interiors all the way to dress.
01About
Rococo arose as a reaction against the formal style of Louis XIV, replacing symmetry with curves and counter-curves and strong light and shade with soft yellows, creams, pearl greys, and pale blues. The word comes from rocaille, a way of decorating grottoes and fountains with pebbles and shells. Court gowns of the period were worn over panniers, side hoops that widened the skirt to left and right while keeping front and back flat, leaving broad panels for woven patterns and embroidery; by the 1780s panniers were mostly kept for formal court dress.
02In the gallery
Look at the 1760s robe à la française from the side, then at Lanvin's robe de style: which way does each skirt spread, and what does its flat face display?
Wall label terms in Japanese
- ロココ
- Rococo
- パニエ
- Pannier
- ローブ・ア・ラ・フランセーズ
- Robe à la française
- ローブ・ド・スティル
- Robe de style
03Notes
Rococo court gowns used panniers to spread the skirt wide to the sides while keeping front and back flat.
Seen from the front and from the side, does a gown have the same outline?