How to Dress in an 18th Century Robe a la Polonaise - 1770s

Join me in the 1770s as I show you all the layers that go in to getting dressed in the fashionable 18th century Robe a la Polonaise gown. In this video I start in just a shift, stockings, and shoes, then show how to lace the stays (corset), wear 18th century pockets and skirt supports, put on the petticoat and gown, and finally top it with a very fashionable Marie Antoinette style hat. The Robe a la Polonaise was the trendy gown of the 1770s. This interesting type of Rococo dress consisted of a gown cut all-in-one at the back like a man's frock coat, and worn with a false waistcoat in front, sometimes sewn in and sometimes a separate garment (mine is sewn in). The polonaise was typically worn over a matching petticoat. FAQ: * This gown is made of pink shot silk taffeta, giving a slight iridescence. It is trimmed with silk organza. Dress diary here: https://bit.ly/2YSUO7b * This gown is pieced with pink cotton in the back of the petticoat, the sleeves, and the beneath the silk organza ruffle on the petticoat. Piecing was a common and expected 18th century practice. * This gown is completely hand sewn. While the Robe a la Polonaise does not appear in the book, techniques for hand sewing similar gowns and petticoats can be found in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking here: https://bit.ly/2LhwX95 * The stays are bones with plastic zip ties, which mimic baleen whalebone. * The shoes are "Dunmore" in black wool by American Duchess. These are no longer available