Ca. 1750-60 Silk Taffeta Sacque Gowns (Robes à la française)

I've put these two gowns together here as they were effectively made from the same concept, although like any good hand-made 18thC. gown, each one was a unique piece.  

The first was made of a beautiful soft turquoise and gold silk iridescent taffeta in broad, subtle stripes, lavishing trimmed with furbelows, ruched meanders, and puffings, all of which was edged in fine gold trim.  Every bit of the gown was constructed by hand, a labour of love of well over 200 hours.   This gown sold -- and she went to the Fêtes Galantes at Versailles! 

The second gown shown here is also of iridescent silk taffeta, but with broad bands of darker and lighter teal, creating an overall deep teal impression.  I made some structural and design changes on this gown as compared to the previous one, and used silver edging all over, rather than gold.  The effect is more muted, but I liked the combination of silver and deep teal.  It's perhaps not quite as impressive and fancy as the other gown, but still very elegant. 

One thing is true though: the camera was incapable of capturing the true scintillating effect of these silk gowns.  In real life they are much more beautiful than still photos are able to depict.  Photos taken below in both cloudy and sunny outdoor lighting conditions demonstrate what a difference the lighting can have on silk taffeta.