The style of this gown comes from the “robe volante” [flounced gown] that Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) placed at the center of his painting The Shop Sign of Gersaint (1721), with a pleated back dropping smoothly from the shoulders to the ground. This design, with hanging pleats, was de rigueur at the court throughout the 18th century. Composed of a wide mantle with sleeves with two pagoda flounces and a petticoat with Paris frills on the front, it is typical of the floral prints and the fashion trends of the period.
Exposition "Mode au Futur"