I recently read a glowing review of Liberty, Equality, Fashion by Anne Higonnet and thought I’d see if I could get a copy from my local library, which, fortunately, is part of a larger network. It arrived in a few days, much to my delight, and fulfilled all of the promises of the review. Higonnet is a lovely writer and–surprisingly–the book is a page-turner, filled with lovely illustrations.
Higonnet tells the story of the changes in fashion during the French Revolution, specifically the Directory period, from 1795-1799, propelled by the radical changes in French politics. All the rules of society (and civility) had been broken and the citizens who hadn’t lost their heads during the Reign of Terror felt liberated by the new order. Three women became what we’d today call “influencers,” and threw out the tight corsets and stays that made women’s clothing so constricting that breathing itself was painful. Gauzy Indian cotton chemises became the thing to wear.
The women were Rose de Beauharnais, who became Josephine Bonaparte when she married Napoleon in 1796; Tereza Tallien, a fashion icon and political firebrand; and Juliette Recamier, famous for her virginity. This may seem an esoteric topic, but women’s fashion has always been a bellwether for women’s rights. Tereza Tallien invented the chemise when she was imprisoned for her politics and was only allowed to wear a cotton sack. She turned adversity into a fashion statement. Tereza, Josephine, and Juliette were also at the forefront of the social turmoil of that period, hosting salons where politics, arts, and morality were avidly discussed and debated. Their portraits were painted multiple times by the famous painters of the day.
The new clothing they championed shocked conservatives and prompted outcries of obscenity but the women persisted in wearing their comfortable clothes, cut their hair short, wrapped themselves up in shawls, and did as they pleased. They even invented the handbag. Women all over France and wherever fashion magazines were read followed their lead. Unfortunately, Napoleon championed old styles and old rigidities and Josephine was soon back in brocades, velvets, and tight underclothes. Everyone soon followed. It wasn’t until the 1920s that women regained the freedom these three fashion rebels had championed.
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