I'm sure you have seen the pictures of hairstyles such as the ones above, that reach to colossial heights, and the skirts that could not fit through doorways no matter what way you turned.This is why I call the 18th century a time of fashion extremes!

Hair: At the beginning and towards the middle of the 18th century, hairstyles were extremely tall. Contrary to popular belief, wigs were not usually worn by women. Women often added fake hair to their pre-existing locks. We do the same thing today and call it "Hair Extensions". Their hair was usually powdered with a gray or blue-gray powder made of finely ground starch that was scented. Toward the end of the century, the "big hair" was replaced with big hats, and the hair was more generally worn down in masses of curls.

Clothing: The 18th century lady would wear many different layers of clothing, Begininning with a Chemise.Next, the lady wore Stays that were designed to encourage a posture that made the woman stand with her shoulders back, to create the fashionable silhouette. Women during this time period were not usually concerned about having extremely small waists, so their stays were laced snugly, but not uncomfortably.

Dresses usually had a low neckline that was worn over a petticoat. They also had fitted sleeves, often with lace at the bottom.  Some dresses had no front, so a lady put on a stomacher. The stomacher was pinned either to the dress itself, or the stays underneath.

There were three popular dress styles.

"The robe à la française or sack-back gown featured back pleats hanging loosely from the neckline. A fitted lining or under-bodice held the front of the gown closely to the figure.

The robe à l'anglaise featured back pleats sewn in place to fit closely to the body, and then released into the skirt which would be draped in various ways.

Front-wrapping thigh-length shortgowns or bedgowns of lightweight printed cotton fabric were fashionable at-home morning wear, worn with petticoats. Over time, bedgowns became the staple upper garment of British and American female working-class street wear."

~From Wikipedia "1750-1795 in fashion"

Shoes: Shoes were either made out of cloth or leather. Ladies decorated their shoes with beautiful embroidery. They don't look very comfortable!!!