1750 -1820 – lo stile Impero

French fashion was particularly influencing in Europe.  In the period after the French Revolution and during the Directoire  no one, in no European country,  wanted to appear an aristocrat . The  informal style triumphed. This style was called Directoire  with reference to the Directory which ran ( = governò) France during the second half of the 1790s, Empire with reference to Napoleon’s 1804–1814/1815 empire, or Regency with reference to the 1811–1820 period of George IV, before Queen Victoria.
Women started wearing gowns (= vestiti)  according to the classical ideals: the  dresses were closely fitted to the torso (= attillati sul busto) just under the bust (= seno), falling loosely below (= cadendo liberamente).
The high-waisted (= vita alta), natural figure substituted the tight “wasp-waist” (= vitino da vespa) corseting (= corsetto).  The gowns were usually made of white, almost transparent muslin (= mussolina, un tessuto leggero), which was easily washed (= facilmente lavabile) and draped (= drappeggiata) loosely (=  in modo non stretto)  like the garments (=ornamenti) on Greek and Roman statues.
Middle- and upper-class women wore different dresses in the morning,  and  at dinner time. The morning dresses were usually worn at home till the afternoon: they had a high neck (= collo alto) and long sleeves (= maniche lunghe) , covering throat (= gola) and wrists (= polsi), and generally plain (= semplici). From  dinner time till night  the sleeves were to the elbow (= gomito) ,  the arms covered with gloves (= guanti), the neck and shoulders (= collo e spalle) unveiled (= scoperte)
There were also diffrenet afternoon dress:  walking dresses,  riding habits (= vestiti da cavallerizza), travelling dresses, dinner dresses, etc.
The most fashionable colours were the pinks (= rosa), periwinkle blue (= blu pervinca), or lilacs, for the young ladies; the more  mature  women  usually wore  purple (= viola), black, crimson (= rosso scuro), deep blue (= blu scuro), or yellow.
A book dictated (= dettava)the main rules (= regole) for fashionable “Ladies of Distinction”: the Mirror of Graces; or the English Lady’s Costume, published in London in 1811.