Scarves, Fashion, and the Right to Work in 18th-Century France

Costume and workers have always had a symbiotic relationship: the creators of garments must follow the expressed style and the designers need to accede to the workers’ skills. In Old Regime France another element intruded: the industrial regulations imposed by the fashion guilds, that ruled which materials might be used, how the garment was made, and which of the several needlework trades would be legally allowed to produce an item. Like all guild regulations, these were intended to maintain standards and ensure qualified workers. But the clash of rigid regulations and ever-changing fashion led to unexpected turmoil.

Conflict over the scarves in 1708 Rouen was a trenchant example. A scarf to wear on the shoulders was a fashion novelty, or so said the Tailors’ guild, which claimed the right to make them. The female guild of Embroiderers and Bonnet-makers (Maîtresses brodeuses et Étoffes Bonnetières) sued the tailors, asserting that the scarves were worn on the head, and that tailors had the right to make clothing but not head coverings. Tailors challenged the women. The Embroiderers replied, saying they “had the right to make what fashion brings.”

Similar disputes broke out between the Feather makers and Hat makers, Linen-drapers and milliners; hand-knitters and those who used machines. In short, making costumes in Old Regime France became a contested economic and political field, that penetrated not just the fashion world, but the structure of the society itself.