Round gown 1790-1799)

The round gown (inv. Vilamuseu 007446) from the late 18th century is one of the outsanting pieces in the Barbera dels Aragonés house from the clothing and fabric collection. It is a dress model of which very few copies are preserved; a very similar one at the Kyoto Institute of Clothing and one in Paris.

In this case, the Barbera's dress dates from the years 1790-1799 and is a ball or event example made of long, purple silk twill with a slight train and low cut on the chest. As decorations, it has small palms inscribed in a circle (it would have silver sequins in origin) and embroidery on the lower part in shades of green, pink, cream and black and white tulle. 

The changes in fashion trend caused the female silhouette to adapt to them trough garments such as the corset or the bustle. However, at the end of the 18th century, high-waisted dresses became fashionable, similar to those worn by the ladies of Antiquity that left the waist of the woman free of pressure. 

The round gown, forerunner of the shirt and empire style, is characterized by having a high gathered waist and narrow sleeves, usually up to the elbow, in the case of Barbera's dress, it reaches the wrist. It has a light train and in the first models they were embroidered at the hems or edges, imitating the Greek style. On the dress they used to wear a fichu on the chest and shoulders and huge cashmere shawls for the cold nights. As this kind of dress did not have any pockets, some bags appeared, which were called "ridiculous" because they were so small. The shoes lose their heel and resemble classic sandals by adding ribbons. 

This trend became a symbol in times of the French Revolution, where aesthetics returned to the classic canons. The Revolution brought a new politics, a new society and a new fashion. However, this dress could have an English origin, since the embroidery on the bottom reminds of the motifs of the patkas (sash worn by men of the Indian upper class).

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Height: 181 cm
Nº inv. Vilamuseu 007446