BIG hair, cleavage on show and going out with no knickers – no, we’re not talking about a night out with Jordan.

Rather, we have turned back the clock to York in the mid 1700s, with the spotlight falling on what the well-to-do of York used to wear.

Fairfax House is staging a new exhibition, Dress To Impress: Revealing Georgian Fashion (1730-1780) – and it is as eyebrow-raising as it is informative.

One exhibit reveals the hazards facing young women who could trip up in their long, hooped, cumbersome petticoats. Bearing in mind that undies were yet to be invented, a letter writer to a newspaper in 1713 wrote: “I saw a young lady fall down the other day and, believe me Sir, she very much resembled a bell without a clapper.”

So much for polite society.

And yet, York was very much the northern centre for the moneyed elite of the north.

“York played host during the winter season to a round of opera, balls, assemblies and private parties,” says Hannah Phillip, director of Fairfax House and curator of the exhibition. “Dressing to impress one’s neighbours, friends and peers at such social gathering was a necessity, not an option.”

The fashions of the day, says Hannah, were exquisite.

“The detailing and craftsmanship of this period is second to none. It is such an evocative period, pre-French Revolution and the introduction of the simplified empire line style of dress, when fashion was about rococo splendour, exquisite silks, ornamentation, intricate detailing and, above all, creating the right shape.

“In some ways, it was also quite a daring period with very low-cut décolletage being the fashion of the day.”

Corsets – or stays as they were known in the 18th century – were used to define women’s waists and sculpt their cleavage. On display are examples of stays from England and France, the latter unusual because of its front-fastening.

Fashions from France were hugely influential in Georgian England and the latest looks were dispersed through descriptions and drawings in the popular The Lady’s Magazine.

“From the mid 1770s, the magazine started to carry fashion plates [a page of drawings], which revolutionised what people learned about fashion,” says Hannah. Another method of sharing the latest trends was to buy a fashion doll, which was adorned in the most chic couture of the time, including underwear and jewellery. There are examples of a doll and The Lady’s Magazine at Fairfax House.

By staging the exhibition throughout the Castlegate town house, Hannah is inviting visitors to imagine the costumes in their authentic setting.

The house was remodelled by John Carr in the mid 1700s to afford the Fairfax family (whose main home was at Gilling) a fashionable town abode but also to provide a dowry for Anne, Viscount Fairfax’s sole surviving child.

The Viscount and Anne moved into Fairfax House in 1762, and records give us a glimpse of their lavish lifestyle.

“We know what they wore from their inventory,” says Hannah. “We know that Anne bought the finest silks and had riding habits made.”

For the Viscount, only the richest of velvets would suffice. He opted for suits made in one colour – which was part of a growing trend among men to move away for the dandier elements of the time.

“Bling was very popular in the mid 18th century,” says Hannah. “But you do notice that men moved from wearing very highly patterned, colourful suits to becoming much more restrained by the end of the century.

“They chose a rich fabric in a fashionable cut and the reason was their fear of being associated with the young gentlemen coming back from the Grand Tour on the Continent who were dubbed as ‘macaronis’ and lampooned and ridiculed.”

The ‘macaronis’ took fashion to extremes, wearing garish and patterned clothing, towering wigs (often with tiny hats on top) and striped stockings.

Portraits of Viscount Fairfax which hang in the drawing room show him dressed in plain-coloured suits. Between 1759-60, he had three made from Superfine, the most luxurious form of wool, trimmed in silk and gold lace. While he was no fop, neither was he a fashion frump. He loved his wigs, with six in total, dressed daily to provide him with a perfect coiffure around the clock.

Shoes were delicate affairs in Georgian times, often made of silk or brocade and fastened with a large buckle. Ladies could have them made in a fabric to match their dress. Because of their fragile nature, they were often worn with an “over shoe” – a base with a strap which was worn over the shoe to protect it from dirt, wear and tear.

No outfit was complete, however, without a fan. Again, these were delicate, intricate affairs, often made from ivory and paper. There is a good selection on show at Fairfax House, and Hannah explains how they were used in the fine art of flirting.

“Women could give signals with it,” she says. Half open on the lips meant “you can kiss me”; held over the left ear signalled “I wish to be rid of you”; while twirled in the right hand indicated “I love another.”

If only matters of the heart could be displayed as elegantly today.

• Dress To Impress: Revealing Georgian Fashion 1730-1780, at Fairfax House, Castlegate, York. Tel: 01904 655543.

• Admission is £6 for adults £5 for concessions and includes entry to the exhibition. For more information, visit fairfaxhouse.co.uk