Tea at Trianon: Jeans

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, August 27, 2007

Jeans

Are they going out of style? I hope so. I never liked jeans, but that's just me, the perpetual reactionary. Meanwhile, here is the fall fashion forecast. Dresses are "in." Very interesting.... Share

16 comments:

Vara said...: It is so simple, truly. A woman wishes to look and feel feminine (I certainly do!). Although, I must admit that my taste runs to skirts with a nice top matched with a pretty scarf, as this look is more versatile. Sanity prevails, after all!

Vara; August 27, 2007 at 11:58:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I love scarves, too!; August 27, 2007 at 12:11:00 PM EDT
Iosue Andreas Sartorius said...: I don't like jeans, either. I'm a man, and I do not own a pair. There are other options when I go to the mountains.; August 27, 2007 at 3:56:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Jeans have become like the American 'uniform'. We all see them everywhere, every day no matter how appropriate or not they are for the occaision.

I have heard so many times, "well, I wore jeans to the wedding/funeral/party/shower but they were my GOOD jeans, you know..." So wearing overly casual clothing to a wedding or funeral is OK simply because they are newer and free of stains, rips and holes?

How funny that they were originally intended to be work clothes for heavy labor. Now you can see prissy suburbanite ladies wearing $500 skin tight, faded and torn work clothes with Italian leather shoes and skimpy silk blouses. I think it looks SILLY!; August 27, 2007 at 3:58:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: I doubt it. (I saw that article while reading the "Post" yesterday) I'm glad the low hip jeans are going away and high waist has come back. I own a few pairs of jeans (Lee and Bill Blass)in various colors that I wore in college and grad school. (None of them low hip) People will still buy jeans whatever season or style. I've seen fellow librarians wearing jeans to work!; August 27, 2007 at 4:27:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: To each his own. I have always found them to be quite uncomfortable, although I still wear a loose baggy pair for gardening, occasionally.; August 27, 2007 at 6:28:00 PM EDT
Vara said...: As the late great Fr Gregory Capon said in "The Supper of the Lamb", "eat your soup and fish in soup-and-fish". He also stated that anything against the cult of cool was alright by him.

I believe that too many people are afraid to wear anything other than casual clothing, for then, one is making a personal statement. Should one wear a pretty frock, or go for a pinny with a blouse? Why not! You'll look nicer, and I do daresay, it shall give your morale a boost to see yourself looking good for a change. Leave the jeans to the superannuated hippies and liberal poseurs. Remember, living well is the best revenge!

Vara; August 27, 2007 at 7:01:00 PM EDT
Terry Nelson said...: Jeans are really the staple of men's and women's clothing - now all over the world. They aren't going away - like them or not. Have you seen the new "Old Navy" ads? It's jeans.

Admittedly - some people probably should not wear them and they are worn in inappropriate settings.

I always wear khakis instead.; August 27, 2007 at 7:45:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I agree, Vara.

Yes, Terry, jeans do not flatter everyone. People should wear what is most becoming to them, even if it is not in style.; August 27, 2007 at 7:49:00 PM EDT
Alexandra said...: I'm glad, and I've noticed they are more "in". I'm finding some really cute skirts. I don't look best in A-line, so I'm glad for the tapered, paneled skirts that I'm seeing now.; August 27, 2007 at 8:49:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: +JMJ+

I don't like wearing trousers at all, but I like jeans. My favourite things to wear are skirts and dresses--but nice, decent ones are hard to find and usually very expensive.

I remember reading a history book that compared the white powdered wig of *cough*cannotrememberthehistoricalperiod*cough* to today's blue jeans. Since jeans are more practical than wigs, however, I predict they will be around, and on both men and women, for many years to come.; August 28, 2007 at 3:13:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: That is funny, Marissa! I am glad you added this factor to the discussion. I do not know that I fully agree with the analogy, however. I do not know if there is any past phenomena which quite compares with blue jeans. The wearing of powdered wigs (and BTW Marie-Antoinette was not one for wearing wigs; she used her own hair with powder and hair extensions) began with the nobility and trickled down to the rest of society. Jeans originated with coal miners and cowboys. I would say that a better comparison would be the fashion started by Marie-Antoinette of wearing peasant costume and simple white gowns when "dressing down" at Trianon. This was considered revolutionary, that a queen should mimic the peasants. And the white gowns were actually based on undergarments which all women wore. But it was an emphasis on comfort over form, which has come to be typical of modern clothing.; August 28, 2007 at 9:45:00 AM EDT
Iosue Andreas Sartorius said...: "I have always found them to be quite uncomfortable..."

So have I. Now that I've been in Korea ten years, I've gone native and wear nothing but the modern hanbok to work, as pictured below being worn by a fellow expat:

http://image.ohmynews.com/down/images/1/internews_169280_1%5B209899%5D.jpg

It's comfortable, formal, and traditional!; August 28, 2007 at 6:44:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: How wonderful! Yes, I find a flowing skirt to be more comfortable and where I live there are shops that carry them for less.; August 28, 2007 at 6:57:00 PM EDT
Sylvia said...: I was just noticing the other day that I am seeing more and more skirts around my office, even on "dress down Friday." I really think skirts and dresses are more in style and popular than they have been formerly, especially knee-length skirts of almost every variety. I disagree with the "fashion forecast" that the hemlines are going north--I think ladies have found the knee-length skirt to be more practical and flattering than the mini.; August 30, 2007 at 5:50:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Is it too late to join this discussion? I enjoyed looking at the hanbok pic that josue andreas posted, and then I googled more hanboks. They are lovely!

Here in India, I wear the indigenous dress, the salwar kameez, AKA salwar suit. It comes in a wide variety of fabrics, colors, shapes and styles, but it is basicly a long dress as the top (although younger women and girls wear shorter versions now) with coordinating loose-fitting pants underneath (pants under a dress is more modest, don't you agree?) and a coordinating scarf. The cotton ones are perfect for the weather here (hot) and the wide range of silk fabrics with incredible "zehrdosi" rhinestone work and "zheri" gold and silver embroidered thread work on them are incredibly dressy and elegant for weddings and parties. So many of my friends back home lament the fact that the only clothes that seem to be available there are "ugly" ones, and have asked me to send them some of these from here. (I have, but I don't know how many of them are bold enough to wear them outside of their homes!) They are not only beautiful and feminine, they are also very modest.

The fact that the dress and pant and scarf are all already coordinated makes dressing each morning hassle-free. Every day I can look pretty and fresh and feminine. When I go home to the US, though, I admit I tend to wear jeans and usually with a short tunic top from India...and they are not nearly as flattering or feminine. I tried looking for pretty dresses when I was there this past summer and was unable to find anything that was pretty and/or modest.

Some quick pics I found online, not nearly the width and breath of the selection and gorgeous-ness here, but it'll do:

http://dmi-india.com/showcase4.html; August 31, 2007 at 2:30:00 PM EDT