Eighteenth Century

The shapes and silhouettes, the corseted waists and deep décolletage, the incredibly wide and flat skirts—in a word, the majesty—of eighteenth-century style have provided lasting inspiration for fashion even to the present. Consider, for example, the images on the cover of this book. On the front a Gianni Versace evening ensemble with denim blouse of 1992 is juxtaposed with a mantua and petticoat of 1690–95. The back cover shows a 1998 natural vintage recycled linen evening dress by Olivier Theyskens, a young designer in his twenties. …