] I am having trouble seeing the great difference. I can't see any except that the french dresses are little more ruffly.

Moving into the twenties skirts were less full, a bit shorter and more ornate at the bottom (ruffly as you said as one example) - along with other fashion bits - waist getting a bit lower, hats changing shape, Spencer jackets going out of fashion. It would be like comparing 1990 to 2000 - you would know the difference, but someone 200 years from now would probably wonder.

See link below and you can see the changes more readily. And no doubt there are more links at the top of the board (FAQ?/Links? Can't remember...)

~Linda (Ann)