France is a country of fashion, sophistication and unsurpassed female charm. Over the years, she dictated her rules in the field of clothing, shoes and hairstyles. Many fashion fans know that the famous little black dress and pencil skirt were presented to the whole world by the French. Some people know that the famous Coco Chanel invented them.
But a much smaller number of people have an idea of what the national costume of France is. What does it consist of? What is the name of the national costume of France? What are the features of clothing in some provinces of France? What is the difference between women's, men's and children's outfits?
Are you interested in the most famous French fashion designers and historical facts from the fashion industry? We will share such information. But first, we’ll take a short excursion into history.
Interesting facts about French fashion
- In the Middle Ages, Parisian mannequins drove through the cities of Europe. The things worn on them were the standard of fashionable clothes.
- One of the elements of women's clothing - a bra - was invented in France.
- In ancient times, the status of a person could be determined by the number of buttons on clothes. The more there were, the higher the place in society occupied a person. The French king Francis I had about 14, 000 buttons on his suit.
- One of the most popular elements of women's clothing - trousers - was first worn in France.
- Where did the fashion for white wedding dresses come from? That's right, from France. This tradition originated in the 15th century.
- Men's square-toed shoes were invented in France to hide the presence of a foot defect in King Charles the Eighth.
- Fashion for wigs went from Paris. They began to be worn during the time of King Louis XIV. The wig was long hair curled into curls.
- A favorite accessory of the French is a scarf. Almost everyone wears it: children and adults, men and women.
National costume of France
He can tell a lot about the country, convey its features and originality. The national costume of France was formed by the 17th century. Moreover, in different areas, he had strong differences. Most of the society in those days was peasants. Here, in this environment, the national costume of the people of France was born.
What materials did he sew from? Most often used wool and canvas. From coarse clothes were sewn for every day, and the thinnest went to underwear and holiday shirts, trousers, skirts. The colors were the most common: brown, white and gray. Noble people used red, lilac, black and blue shades in their clothes. Want to know what the French national costume looked like? The photos used in the article will help you to get an idea about it.
From the history of women's clothing
The national costume set included a wide long skirt, approximately to the middle of the lower leg, and an apron - it was slightly shorter and was made of light-colored fabric. The national costume of France for women was necessarily complemented by a hat. It was called the "cap", over which a scarf or hat was worn. It was worn not only on the street, but also at home.
The shirt or jacket was with long sleeves, fastened at the collar and tied with an apron. A handkerchief was put on top, which was tied around the chest. City dwellers usually still wore a corsage, also it was an element of holiday clothes. The most varied colors were used, including white, blue, red. Black in clothes could be met very rarely.
The women's national costume of the province of Auvergne (France) and some other regions was distinguished by embroidery elements, the shape of hats and the color of the aprons. Later, light, feminine dresses began to enter into fashion. They looked like tunics and tied with a belt high under the chest.
Ten years later, the dresses became longer, several skirts were put on under them. Common accessories for mid-19th century French women were white gloves, umbrellas, couplings, scarves and scarves. A variety of hats were very popular. Especially small with a veil. French women did not go outside without them.
Men's suit
In the 19th century, it included the following elements: knee-high pants, leggings, stockings, vest, jacket, blouse. The shirt was usually white and sewn from thin material. A scarf was tied around his neck. It could be tied to a bow or knot. A hat or beret was put on his head. Until the 18th century, men in France wore cocked hats. Later they were replaced by hats with wide brim.
Over time, the pants became narrower. Men's clothing was made of woolen fabric. Vests were made from velvet and silk. A wide shirt or blouse was usually worn over a jacket. At first it was worn only by peasants, and then by artisans. Wealthy citizens put on a coat. Shirts liked to be worn by artists. They loved men and raincoats, it was considered to be especially chic to put them on one shoulder.
National costume of some provinces of France
Alsace and Lorraine. White shirt, corsage, apron and skirt. Most often black. Hats were worn with a large bow.
In Brittany began to use lace. It was here that various accessories made of this material first appeared. Men wore jackets of different lengths, knee-high pants, hats with wide brim, vests.
Flanders Wide skirts, apron, corsage. A distinctive feature of the costume is a checkered shawl with fringe. Caps with decorations from ribbons, natural and artificial flowers.
Gascony. Women put on black jackets with lace-up sewing, blue skirts, and fastened ribbons in their hair. Men wore tight knee-length pants, a jacket, a wide belt, stockings, leather shoes. Headdress - takes black, white, red or blue.
Items of clothing
Next, we consider in more detail what the national costume of France consisted of. Name and definition of its most common elements:
- Rengrav - men's pants, similar to a women's skirt.
- Justocore is a long caftan worn without button fastening.
- Bracer is a small jacket with short arms.
- Alpargates are woven sandals.
- Clogs - wooden shoes.
- Purpuen - swing clothing.
- Se - outerwear.
- Mangots - openwork arm ruffles.
- Barretin is a men's hat. It was a cap, usually red or purple.
The most famous French fashion designers
It is not difficult to imagine how deprived the fashion world would be if the following personalities were not created in it:
- Coco Chanel. In the 20th century, she made a real revolution in the world of French fashion. Having freed women from long skirts and tight corsets, she paved the way for elegance and sophistication. Simple styles of dresses and suits, hiding flaws and emphasizing virtues, for many years determined the direction of not only French, but also world fashion.
- Yves Saint Laurent. I gave women a tuxedo, taught me to combine things of different styles and use bright colors in clothes.
- Christine Dior. He returned corsets and puffy dresses to the French fashion. In his creations, the woman looked like a beautiful flower. Characteristic features: a narrow waistline underlined by a belt or belt and a wide, fluffy skirt.
- Pierre Cardin. He was engaged not only in women's, but also in men's fashion. Tight pants and jackets without collars with pleasure began to wear a strong half of humanity. He created colored tights and high boots for women.
France national costume for children
Children's outfit does not have special differences from adult clothes. In France, as in many countries of Europe, for a long time children were dressed up in the same way as their parents. Boys and girls under four years of age, and sometimes longer, were dressed the same. It was a long wide dress, put on a skirt and stockings underneath. There’s a cap on his head.
At the age of seven, the boys began to wear pants, a raincoat and a sword. Girls were dressed like adult women. One difference nevertheless was: on children's dresses, from the back, wide ribbons were sewn. Very often collars were put on a dress.
