Christina here. A couple of weeks ago I was talking about poignant stories and one that really fits that description is the sad tale of the 18th century French queen Marie Antoinette. Most of us have probably heard her described as “ill-fated”, and the revolutionaries called her “scandalous” and “frivolous”, but that’s not a true portrayal of her as I found out last week. Ill-fated, yes, but the rest was mostly propaganda. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London currently has an exhibition titled Marie Antoinette Style and it shows her as one of the first ever style icons, rather than just a tragic victim of the French Revolution. And no more of an extravagant spendthrift than any other royal, just misrepresented by her enemies and detractors.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I went to see the exhibition, but as well as telling her life story, it was a very comprehensive look at how influential Marie Antoinette was in her lifetime. Just like other later famous people – Princess Diana and Princess Catherine here in the UK and Jacqueline Kennedy in the US, to name a few – she had a huge impact on fashion and people’s taste in general. She was a patron of the arts and had a lot of influence on things like the design of gardens and interiors.
Marie Antoinette came from Austria to France aged just 14 to marry the dauphin (crown prince), the future Louis XVI. She was the daughter of an Emperor so she was already royalty when she arrived. Since she was said to have made a “dazzling entrance to French court society” at her wedding, she must have been fairly self-confident even though she was so young. The dress she wore probably helped – it doesn’t survive but was reportedly very similar to this amazing gown of silver brocaded silk belonging to a future queen of Sweden. Anyone would have felt like a queen in that! (The photo doesn’t do it justice – it’s stunning!)
From then on, she was constantly scrutinised, like celebrities are these days, and everything she did or wore was commented upon and often copied. She was no doubt well aware of this and took great care with all her outfits, choosing the fabrics, styles and accessories – sometimes daring to try new things and thereby setting a trend. According to the exhibition notes, she had a multitude of new gowns every year.
Her “wardrobe” book for 1782 survives and contains 101 silk fabric samples. It’s probable she had as many gowns made that year. The general public were able to go and see her wardrobe at Versailles – presumably many people did and came home with new ideas to try for themselves. The exhibition showed a selection of the type of gowns she would have worn in the 1770s and 80s. My favourite was this striped silk robe à l’Anglaise, just fabulous!
No one really knows what she actually looked like as the portraits from that period are not very life-like. They show a woman with a long, oval face, dark blonde hair and blue-ish eyes, which ties in with a contemporary written description. She was said to be tall and apparently had a good figure with the tiny waist fashionable at the time (achieved by the use of corsets), and judging by the shoes shown in the exhibition she had dainty, narrow feet.
It’s a miracle these shoes have survived, although apparently she received four new pairs a week during her first few years in France!
Marie Antoinette became queen in 1774 and from then on she had even more influence but also a lot of enemies. Although she seems to have been fluent in French (German, French and Italian had all been spoken in her native Austrian court), she was still a foreigner and not entirely trusted. She was often portrayed as extravagant, and she did spend a lot of money on fashion, art and interior decoration.
The king had given her a small chateau in the grounds of Versailles – Le Petit Trianon – where she could be more private. She set about redecorating it and completely transforming the gardens, which must have cost quite a bit. Yet she refused to buy a stunning diamond necklace originally commissioned by the previous king for his mistress, even though she was later accused of having done so. She did own a lot of fabulous jewels, but only some were purchases – others she’d brought from Austria or received as gifts.
Just like with anyone who matures, her taste changed over the years and she came to prefer more relaxed styles. The ridiculous hairstyles in vogue when she first came to the throne – most of them towering creations and some downright crazy like this one featuring a ship! – gave way to more normal ones. She made the wearing of muslin dresses (instead of silk) popular and wore them with her friends during the summer which must have been much more comfortable. Although when she was depicted wearing one in a portrait, there was an outcry as ordinary people thought she’d been painted wearing her chemise (undergown).
As the country hurtled towards the revolution, she was increasingly portrayed as profligate, decadent and debauched. Poor Marie Antoinette was blamed for things that had nothing to do with her at all. Just like some people these days relish gossip about celebrities and their downfall or misdemeanours, the French public presumably did the same. Rumours were grossly exaggerated. Becoming both famous and notorious, this nonetheless helped to create a reputation that has lived on. At the relatively young age of 37 she was sent to the guillotine, a cruel fate that has resonated through the ages. The exhibition included an incredibly poignant item – a small prayer book where she had written her final message a few hours before she died: a plea to God to have pity on her. So very sad!
She would probably be surprised to find that her legacy lives on. It can still be seen today in the decorative arts, especially in the world of fashion. Jewellers like Dior copy the styles popular during Marie Antoinett’s reign, and fashion designers incorporate the various 18th century details she would have worn. I loved some of the playful designs by the likes of John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood, but I actually preferred the originals.
As someone who has always liked creating my own style (my sister-in-law once looked at my outfit and said “that’s very you” which I wasn’t sure was a compliment!?), I loved learning about this 18th century style icon.
Are there any modern-day style icons who have influenced you in any way? And who would you consider an icon now?
Thank you, Christina, for your very informative post.
I’ve not been influenced by any fashion icons … unless there is one who specializes in the comfortably shabby look. An unsolicited magazine sometimes arrives here for my daughter, and I am astounded at the pictures it contains from some of the big couture houses. The vast majority of the fashions do not appeal to me at all.
I agree Kareni – comfortable is great! Glad you enjoyed the post.
When I shop to update an old garment, I go for simplicity and beauty that enhances what I already have in my looks and figure. I go for quality and a decent cost, so I can wear the new item for many years.
I don’t go for particular designers. I saw an exhibition a few months ago at the Met Museum in NYC about clothing depicting nature. Some of the items I found hilarious. Others were classic and beautiful. All sorts of designers were included.
Fashion Institute of Technology, (FIT), in NYC, also had an exhibit about nature in clothing with a gorgeous dress from Alexander McQueen. It flowed so beautifully, even though it was hanging on a mannequin.
Those sound like great exhibitions Patricia! It’s always fun to look even if we don’t want to wear the garments ourselves.
Lovely blog, Christina. I’ve always been fascinated by Marie Antoinette — such a tragic life. And I always liked the little farm she had, where she and her maids or friends played at being milkmaids.
I remember reading somewhere —I think it was in one of Georgette Heyer’s novels —that a colour called (in French) “hair of the queen” was very fashionable at one time. I was never sure exactly what colour it was,
As for fashion — I do enjoy looking at fabulous clothes, but wearing them is not for me — I choose comfort and ease at all times. LOL.
Thank you Anne, glad you enjoyed it! Yes they mentioned that colour in the exhibition and as the queen had ash-blonde hair it was a sort of cream/beige colour if I understood it correctly.
Thanks for such an interesting post, Christina! I love the gowns you showed , so beautiful. I never felt sorry for Marie Antoinette until i learned more about her in college. She ended up being the pawn in a power struggle between two political faction (this was before the French Revolution) . She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I have not followed fashion or fashion icons for many many years because what they show would never fit my body. I am a classic style person all the way! And that us not “fashionable” as far as I know! 🙂 Of course, when I was a teenager and in my twenties and thirties(from the sixties on) i did try to wear some if the then “in fashion” clothes, but i look back at pictures of me in some of them and wonder “what were you thinking?”
Oh me too Jane :-). But classic is always good – you can’t go wrong with that!
This is as a very interesting post! I never knew a lot about her but feel sorry for her after reading this. Imagine being married at 14!!! It was hard enough at 19.
Clothes have never really interested me I’m afraid. Once I feel comfortable in something that will do me. As a teenager in the 70’s I too wore some awful stuff and thought I was the bees knees. I grew up in rural Ireland so we were quite behind fashion wise and it never caught up with me really. I live in leggings and tops these days and I’m very happy with that!
Sounds perfect Teresa! Comfort is the main thing. I hardly ever dress up these days and when I do I can’t wait to go home and get changed 🙂
What a great post. I can’t say I have ever followed any stylist in particular but if I did it would be a toss up between the sleek look of the late 30s and the wartime or the hippie look. You can see why I haven’t bothered LOL. But don’t you think it is funny that the French were dressing in a robe à l’Anglaise while the English were dressing a la Francaise? I think that might be the most interesting part of fashion – what it tells us about ourselves as humans.
Yes that’s so true! And Marie Antoinette’s garden was apparently in the English style too whereas I’m sure English gardeners were inspired by other countries. That robe a l’Anglaise really was fabulous though! I’d love to wear that.