Watteau ? 1980s Howard Wolf

[foofoogal]

Reading earlier about the watteau.
Made me remember this dress.
Connected at the shoulders a separate panel that comes around to tie in the front.
Would this still be considered a Watteau.
I assume one could wear it not tied but believe supposed to be tied in the front.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Hi,

Can you show the back? From the front it looks like a hip wrap, not a Watteau. I had a few dresses like that in my personal wardrobe in the late 80s, and loved the style. Back when I had a good figure!

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Foofoogal, I thought it might help if I clarified why they're called "Watteau panels". It's based on French fashion, in particular the "Sack back" style depicted in paintings by the 18th century painter Watteau.

Here's a "Robe a la Francaise" with a sack back from 1770 (source: Wikipedia).

And you can see one being worn here in a painting by Watteau "The Signboard of Gersaint" 1721 (source artsy.net)

They're essentially like trains that have been attached at the shoulders.

Here's an example of how the style was applied to a 1960s dress (source: first dibs).