Directoire

Pertaining to a style of dress common during this period, characterised by extravagant, Classically-inspired designs.

Adjective

  1. Pertaining to a style of dress common during this period, characterised by extravagant, Classically-inspired designs.
    • My great-grandmother wore a brief empire bodice, and close-fitting Directoire skirt made of cream silk with a golden stripe running through it. - 1956, Ursula Bloom, Victorian Vinaigrette:
    • Leafing through them now, I notice how orderly the early ones are: drawings of boxy Jasper Conran Chanel-esque jackets and gauzy Galliano directoire dresses, annotations on how "Patsy Kensit showed her bum!" at a...
  2. Pertaining to a style of furniture, decoration etc. prevalent during this period.
    • They prefer concerts and auctions to canasta and golf, are likely to spend the time their mothers relegated to ladies' luncheons to tracking down a Directoire commode for the foyer, just the right bronze for the...
    • The only change was in his hair which he was now wearing in the Directoire style, the points coming down over his forehead. - 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 243:

Origin

From French directoire.

Forms

more Directoire most Directoire directoire

Proper noun

  1. The ruling executive of revolutionary France, from 1795–1799, or the period governed by this body.

Forms

directoire

Noun

  1. An item of clothing in this style.

Forms

Directoires directoire