French Directory and Consulate

The women's eccentricity

The women who enjoyed the exaggeration of the fashion and who, in their way, matched the Incroyables, were called the Merveilleuses.

The Merveilleuse of 1796 had been caricatured by Carle Vernet, with a hat under which projection we can hardly find her face.

Mrs Tallien, the beautiful actress, Ms Lange and Joséphine de Beauharnais set the fashion to an eccentric costume, that is more frivolous and undressed!

In public: dresses imitating the ancient fashion, without sleeves and very low-necked, in white light fabric and, in private, for bright parties, topless and light fine dresses, at Barras house in particular.

Source of the illustration, on the left: History of costume in France by J. Quicherat.

Theaters - The Merveilleuses, Comedy by Mr. Sardou, represented at the Theater of the Variétés - some types of Merveilleuses. The illustration by Mr. Janet, from the original sketch by Mr. Eugène Lacoste, costume illustrator. Monde Illustré 1872.

A detail let us see a Cane

Men's eccentricity

The elegant man in 1799, with its side whiskers and with short cut hair, wearing the green or blue coat fashioned at his measures, wearing long trousers was already a man of the nineteen century.

The stick becomes thinner. The costume changes. The dandyism announces itself.

Costume of the Consulat, wide coat and long trousers (Anonymous Bibliothèque nationale) A young elegant in 1801. Coat and trousers very short. Small shoes. (La Mesangère, Bibliothèque nationale) Costume in 1802, black coat, trousersand stockings, white waist coat. (La Mesangère, Musée Carnavalet)

Redingote in alpaga with five collars on the top of the redingote in 1804. (La Mesangère, Musée Carnavalet) Woolen coat, color currants. Trousers in knitted (1809), with a top hat. (La Mesangère, Musée Carnavalet) A man's costume in 1810, coat with white waist coat , trousers in stripped nankeen.(La Mesangère, Musée Carnavalet)

* Source: The fashions in the nineteenth century, André Blum.