Liberty Equality Fashion: Three Revolutionary Icons Who Styled Freedom for Women

Three women who “decapitate[d] aristocratic style” in revolutionary France take center stage in this impressive account from Barnard art history professor Higonnet (Berthe Morisot). Tracing how from 1789 to 1804 these “three graces” (so-called at the time for their stylishness) eschewed restrictive, elaborate garments in favor of simple, straight, unstructured dresses, Higonnet contends that this style shift was a bold expression of revolutionary freedom. The most well-known “grace,” Marie Joséphine Rose Tascher de La Pagerie (later Joséphine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon), drew fashion inspiration from women of color in Martinique, where she grew up, and broke “barriers in women’s clothing history” that were “five hundred years old” by wearing one-piece dresses in lieu of the two-piece combo of skirt and bodice. Also profiled are Térézia Tallien, who used the seductive power of clothing to ensnare powerful men and finagle for herself “unprecedented celebrity” and power in the Directory era (she was a key architect behind the overthrow of Robespierre), and Juliette Récamier, who “trademarked absolute whiteness” as a symbol of virginity after a marriage to her rumored biological father made it necessary for her to prove they weren’t actually sleeping together. As rigorous as it is fun, Higonnet’s narrative takes many insightful detours, from close readings of the era’s paintings to an overview of how colonial trade transformed France’s economy. It’s a captivating case study of fashion’s provocative role in politics. (Apr.)