The Extravagance of 1700s Court Dresses | The Spitalfields Mantua Dress

Historic Royal Palaces

In the 18th century, Mantua dresses were the height of court fashion. In this video, our experts discuss a rare and spectacular dress that dates from around 1756. It's 210cm in width, designed to show off how much expensive fabric the wearer could afford. Furthermore, the wider you were, the more li