In the American Colonies people had always worn simple styles of dress, the idea of Marie Antoinette and other aristocrats in the court mantua, often associated with Rococo, were more common on the European continent and more specifically at court. The everyday wear in the 1770s was usually relegated to dresses in a similar bell shape but worn in three popular ways, à la française, à l'anglaise, or à la polonaise. These terms refer to the draping of the dress but within these styles the fabric and accessories varied. The cost of a fabric as well as the way in which it was adorned determined if it was acceptable for day wear or as an evening ensemble, a sartorial expression that survives today.
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