mantua | Fashion History Timeline (original) (raw)

In the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion(1550-1920) Jack Cassin-Scott states that the mantua-style gown:

“was basically an open robe, but worn with a petticoat. The close-fitting, long waisted bodice was unboned and shaped to the underlying corset. The corset, replacing the stomacher, could have been embroidered or plain in the front. The close fitting sleeves ended just below the elbow with turned up cuffs; the chemise sleeve and ruffle edged in lace appeared below. The petticoat was worn over a structure called the capula, or bell hoop, made of distended hoops of whalebone or cane.” (60)

In the Survey of Historic Costume (1998) Tortora and Eubank explain the mantua’s origins:

“mantua is thought to derive from the form of middle eastern robes which were imported into Europe. The resulting garment, however, was quite different from its supposed ancestor. Full in both back and front, the garment was worn over a corset and a underskirt. For casual wear it was loose (this style is thought to have originated to provided a less confining costume for women), but for more formal wear, it was pleated to fit the body at front and back and belt. Front skirts edges were sometimes pulled to the back and fastened to form a drape effect.” (216)

In addition the Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion explains the enduring legacy of the mantua on later fashion:

“The pulled-back overskirts of late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth-century mantuas (loose-fitting gowns) emphasized this area, and pads or “cork rumps” sometimes supported the swagged-up styles of the late 1770s and 1780s.” (204)