Dresses ‘à la grecque’ evolved from a European pre-occupation with all things Greek and Roman and occurred as early as the 1790s, even though the Regency period in English history did not strictly start until 1811. These changes in fashion favoured the natural contours of the body, draping the female form in gauzy, diaphanous fabrics and were inspired by the French Revolution, the concept of ‘Enlightenment’, freedom, human rights and equality, which were associated with the ancient ideals of Greece and Rome.
