COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN CRITIQUE

Katrine Mae F. Salvador

Clothing Evolution I
A. INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES



The first thing that comes to mind when I hear about Directoire and Empire Period is
Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Empress Josephine. During the 18
th
century, it was
Napoleon who led the new French Empire. Due to his multitude of military campaigns into Italy,
many statues and artifacts from Greco-Roman ruins found their way back to France. Historians
believe this to be the main fuel for a revival of all things "classical", meaning Greek & Roman.
These classical ideas affected everything---literature, governments, and most importantly to
us...fashion.
Women's fashion of the Empire/Directoire period clearly "reinterprets" Greek and Roman
dress. According to some research, vase paintings and statues were studied intently and
garments were created in imitation of their findings. However, the resulting dresses were much
more complicated in construction than the rectangles and squares of fabric draped around the
bodies of the past.
Looking at Napoleon Bonapartes wife,
Josephine depicts how women during this period
dressed up. Extravagant corsets, panniers, and
gowns made of silk brocade were cast aside as
thin, almost transparent Grecian- like cotton
gowns were adopted. It was this idea of
neoclassical simplicity that changed the way
female form was treated. Garments began to
drape and flow. Corsets were discarded
altogether. For the first time since antiquity, the
body was free to remain in its natural shape.
Initially, lightweight and relatively sheer white
fabrics prevailed the new fashion. The once
colorful Greco-Roman statues had been bleached white. The imitators of the late 18th/early
19th century interpreted this fact to mean that all of the clothing was also white, thus the choice
of white for the neo-classical dresses. Eventually, pastel dresses became fashionable as well.

During their Napoleon Bonapartes reign as the Emperor, he hoped that France would
become a fashion leader. He halted the import of British textiles, revived French lace making,
and forbade women to appear at court in the same dress more than twice. Napoleon's wife, the
Empress Josephine became a fashion icon, a trendsetter of the day. On the other hand, even
Napoleon himself became the basis of most mens costume from then on.
B. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN DESCRIPTION

There is something about the Christian Dior Spring 2005 collection that is effortlessly
perfect and undeniably couture. What is extraordinary about this collection is the subdued
nature of the silhouette paired with extremely detailed techniques. Christian Dior Haute Couture
has been sensational for the past seasons and this is no exception. John Galliano has done it
again. But this was no literal historical recreation. The combination of flat pointed knee boots
and raised-waist dresses amounts to a whole new proposition in silhouette and style. Add in the
throwaway richness of the fabrics and colorsthe threadbare red damasks and velvet, turned
into sumptuous, puffy dresses and worn with Cavalier hats, or the delicately sumptuous
embroideries on Napoleonic coats and Josephine gownsand this is a collection with the
power to reverberate throughout fashion for seasons to come
C. DESIGN ELEMENT COMPARISON
Very much evident on the Christian Dior Spring 2005 collection is the silhouette used,
which reminds me of the Directoire/Empire Period. Most of the designs looked definitely
something Empress Josephine would wear.

First thing I noticed was the empire waistline on most of the dresses that walked the runway.
During the Empire/Directoire period, gowns were universally high waisted. The emphasis was
on the bosom, and the resulting silhouette was tall and vertical. This silhouette has evolved to
what is known now as the Empire Waistline.
On the other hand, headdresses were
generally either a variation of a bonnet-style or
a Greco-Roman inspired headwrap. Gallianos modern take on the headdresses were a little bit
extravagant.
It was also during this period when spencer, which is a tailored short jacket that ended
at the fashionable waist or underbust became a fashion.
I personally think that Christian Diors modern take on it
is totally chic.








Moving on, I think that John Galliano also took inspirations from the Emperor himself
Napoleon Bonaparte. The design on this Napoleonic coats was a subtle take but nonetheless, if
you take a closer look it still shows. I see Napoleon Bonaparte as a man of power. Hes the
epitome of a ruler to me. And to me these garments in particulars speak that.
When Galliano strutted down the catwalk of his haute couture collection for Christian
Dior in January of 2005 dressed in a dramatic black frock-coat that unmistakably identified him
as the pint-sized Napoleon Bonaparte, he could have never guessed with what eerie
premonition he would wear those borrowed robes and how this very image would come to haunt
him a few years later when his long and glorious reign at Dior came to an abrupt and untimely
end. Irony had done its worst and the emperor of fashion was in exile.














I personally think that Christian Dior will not be Christian Dior if not for John Galliano. As
I look at their collections now, a part of it is missing. Glory may be fleeting and obscurity forever,
but it is doubtful indeed whether such a man renowned for his pageantry will be willing to simply
fade into the grey walls of Diors history.
D. BIBLIOGRAPHY
17951820 in Western fashion (n.d.) in Wikipedia, Retrieved September 26, 2013 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17951820_in_Western_fashion

Dress worn by Empress Josephine (2012, October). In Grand Ladies, Retrieved
September 26, 2013 from http://www.gogmsite.net/empire-napoleonic-and-roman/subalbum-
empress-josephine/albumette-dresses-and-cloth/dress-worn-by-empress-josep.html

Lowell, L. (2006). Empire/Directoire Review,. Retrieved September 26, 2013 from
http://www.cfa.ilstu.edu/lmlowel/the334/empire/empirewomenreview.htm

Monet,D. (2013). Fashion History - Early 19th Century Regency and Romantic Styles for
Women,. Retrieved September 25, 2013 from http://doloresmonet.hubpages.com/hub/Fashion-
History-Early-19th-Century-Regency-and-Romantic-Styles

Mower,S. (2005). Spring 2005 Couture. Christian Dior,. Retrieved September 26, 2013
from http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2005CTR-CDIOR









E. PHOTOGRAPH/S OF THE DESIGN/COLLECTION AND ITS HISTORICAL
SOURCES
Napoleons Coronation

Christian Dior Spring 2005