In the Enlightenment, there were two opposing forces : rationalist thought, based on scientific inquiry, and the essential nature of man, rooted in primitive drives.
In the midst of this conflict, elegant costume was created with the influence of Rococo art. Understanding the mode of costume requires not only the study of the forms and the patterns of fabrics, but also investigation into the ideas which prevailed at the time.
In this essay, the views of the Enlightenment philosophers on costumes are analysed.
The sources for this research are “L'Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences des arts et des métiers” and the writings of such philosophers as Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau. The results found in this investigation are as follows :
1) Philosophers were generally very critical of the current modes of fashion.
2) Voltaire agreed that it was necessary to maintain the social order by means of dress, but insisted that in order to express man's inner-self, an outwardly luxurious appearance was not necessary.
3) Diderot, when he criticized religion, argued that religion had no moral impact on women's fashion.
4) Rousseau reformed his own dress to correspond with his appearance and his essential qualities. He was generally critical of the modes of fashion, but sympathetically approved of those with good taste who could control the direction of fashion.
It follows that the idea of costume of the time represented these two conflicting aspects of the Enlightenment. That is, the costume which was the indication of classes affirming the actual society, and the costume which expressed one's essential qualities not reflected in his appearance.
