Throughout most of the eighteenth century, women’s fashion was not categorized according to the time of day, but rather by the degree of formality and the setting in which a garment was worn. A strict order of styles emerged. The most formal garment was the grand habit de cour worn at royal courts. The robe à la française was appropriate for elegant drawing rooms during the day or the evening, while the robe à l’anglaise evoked life in an English country house and was worn in more relaxed social settings. The chemise gown was based on the chemise undergarment and was worn in the informal atmosphere of the countryside.
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