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26. The French Revolution Revolutionized not Only Politics but Fashion as Well
The French Revolution was a great upheaval on multiple levels. The great changes it ushered in were not limited to the political landscape of France, Europe, the West, and eventually the world. They also extended to fashion. When the Ancien Regime was overthrown, and as the Jacobins and radicals came to dominate the revolutionary ranks, a backlash developed against high fashion. The extravagant sartorial choices and elaborate clothing styles prevalent in the days of the Ancien Regime were out, because of their association with royalty and the despised aristocracy.
They were replaced by a new trend that could be seen as anti-fashion, in opposition to all that came before. The new styles emphasized simplicity and modesty for both men and women. When the Revolution was at its highest fever pitch, fashion ceased to be an expression of individual taste. It became an important political statement that could mean the difference between life and death, and to ignore that could be dangerous. To continue to dress in the elaborate fashions of the Ancien Regime was a surefire way to mark the wearer as suspect, and probably worthy of a date with the Guillotine.