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| J looking snazzy in the male version. I think I will compliment him very nicely in a white gala gown! |
The national suit was planned and probably also designed by Gustaf III in 1778. There was a design competition and the winner was selected by the king- and he chose a design by some bloke called Anonymous… For ladies the gown consisted of three parts, regardless if it was the common version for ladies not presented for the king, or the court version.
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| The original pattern showing the first cut, the two different kind of sleeves, two of the collars, the bodice and the placement of the trim of the petticoat. As the robe was looped up in the back, the back of the petticoat had to be in silk and trimmed as well, making it more expensive. |
A petticoat decorated
with two rows of pleated trim in the same fabrics. It was to be worn over
pocket hoops, which made it easier t wear than the former Robe de Cour that
demanded large paniers. It was also used with ordinary stays and not the
heavily boned bodice of the Robe de Cour was just about the only thing about it
that the ladies of the court liked.
A sleeveless bodice
laced in the back and with a pleated trim
A robe with sleeves
rather fuller than the current fashion and made into two puffs. On the common
version the sleeves were in the same fabric as the robe, but the court version
had sleeves made in thin white fabric with a lattice work in the robes fabric.
The first version of the robe was cut a la polonaise, but it seems that it was
eventually cut a la anglaise. It was decorated with the same pleated self-fabric
trim. The common version had a shorter train than the court version and it was
also looped up a bit differently.
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| The cut of the extant common gown. |
For all versions a
collar was to be worn, two that was high, akin back to a fashion nearly 200
years out of date, and one lower, more like a trim than a collar. The court
gown was either the white gala version or black. Depending on which court the
ladies belonged to, sash and ribbons were in red (the king’s court), blue (the
queen’s court or yellow, (the widower queen’s court). There was also a version
for country wear that was yellow with pale blue decoration. For older ladies it
looked like the ordinary national gown, but for young ladies was cut like a riding
habit.
The common version
could be made in any solid colour and so could the sash and ribbon. The
national gown was never very popular with the ladies, and there is only one
extant example left, a common version worn for a wedding. There is, however, extensive
documentation on it as Gustaf III was a bit of a control freak and wanted
things to made just so after his wishes.
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| The Card Game by Pehr Hillestrom, 1779. One of the seated ladies is wearing the black court gown and the lady beside her is wearing a common version in grey. The lady arriving is also wearing the national gown, through as her sleeves are hidden, we can't see which version it is. The two seated men are wearing the men's national suit in the court version, and the man kissing the hand is wearing a grey common version. |
