Mantua Dress

By the mid 1730s the mantua had become a formal dress worn for grand occasions and for attendance at the royal court.

Mantua dress. Gradually it developed into a draped and pleated dress and. The mantua is made of white ribbed silk embroidered to shape with flowers in long and short stitches and french knots. The stiff constricting boned bodice and skirt style previously worn by women was now replaced with the mantua a more loosely draped style of gown.

By the 1760s mantuas were only ever worn at court the fashion dying out by the 1820s when george iv declared that court ladies were no longer required to wear hoops. The mantua and stomacher resulted in a high square neckline in contrast to the broad off the shoulder neckline previously in fashion. History of the lincoln mantua.

The late 1670s saw a new development in the style of women s dress that would have a far reaching effect throughout the following century. The mantua dress began to be worn at the end of the 17th century when in the european courts the ladies began to prefer it to the hitherto traditional combination of skirt and bodice. Developed into a draped and pleated dress and eventually evolved into a dress worn looped and draped up over a contrasting petticoat and a stomacher.

Known as a mantua the gown consists of a bodice with a train at the back. Wikipedia describes the mantua writing. A very wide petticoat of matching silk completes the ensemble along with a triangle of silk known as a stomacher in the centre front.

The mantua or manteau was a new fashion that arose in the 1680s. Stitched double pleats run over the shoulders to form robings. This model instead was looser and in its own way comfortable.

This richly brocaded ensemble illustrates the style of dress worn by women at court in england.