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Watteau's album of French fashion provided models for the billowy, waistless dresses called 'ballandes'. By 1712 hoop skirts were seen on the fashionable promenade of the Tuileries, with petticoats draped over wicker frames to create a broad new silhouette. The inevitable counterpart was development of the upper body, notably with décolleté bodices and complex coiffures. The French art of dress and "cosmetics" played a driving role, fuelled by portraiture and engravings.
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