AllMovie

This film gives insight into the roles, mores, interests, and lives of 18th century women, by using their clothes to tell the story. Costumes are provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its director, Philippe de Montebello, and the Costume Institute's curator, Stella Blum, explain the constraints under which the 18th century woman lived, as both the property and paramours of men. Costume Institute Special Consultant, and former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Diana Vreeland relates, in her inimitable way, how women survived and thrived in a culture that attempted to constrict their movements in society and in clothes.