Classicism with its cult of the Ancient World found vivid expression in the costumes of the day. At this time a new conception of feminine beauty was forming: the attractive natural shapes and lines of the body became an object of admiration. In its striving after simplicity, fashion turned to the aesthetic standards of the Greek and Roman past. Costumes were marked by simple outlines, and ladies in such outfits resemble the images found in ancient bas-reliefs. High-waisted dresses came into fashion. They were very open with a plunging neck-line and short sleeves, made of thin linen and cotton fabrics and more often than not white in colour. Scarves and shawls were accoutrements to such dresses. Especially popular were the shawls produced by serf craftswomen on the estates of Kolokoltsov and Merlina.