Journal des Dames et des Modes, Paris, December 7, 1803.
“Coeffure en Cheveux ornée des Perles de Corail. Redingotte de drap.”
When applied to women’s fashion, the French term redingote or redingotte is typically translated as a coat dress, or a three-quarter or full-length overcoat, a feminine version of the male redingote. As we can see, this redingotte, or overcoat, is definitely more substantial than a pelisse. The brief text accompanying this print says it is called a rotonde.
This green wool coat is masculine in style, very much like a gentleman’s multi-caped greatcoat, as seen here. The tailoring, though, is quite feminine. Because of the fashionably high waist, the capes, all five of them, are much shorter than those seen on a gentleman’s greatcoat. Buttoned tabs fasten the coat all the way down from the waist.
Beneath the coat we see a trained dress of white with blue splotches. Her accessories are all bright red, which I love, including a necklace and earrings of coral, coral beads in her hair, and bright red slippers.
