Author Regina Doman kindly gave me permission to use this lovely bridal photo of herself, wearing a gown inspired by Marie-Antoinette. On the sidebar of this blog is the painting of the queen by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, in the gaulle dress which Regina replicated so beautifully. The white costume is typical of Marie-Antoinette's love of modesty and simplicity, qualities which she tried to introduce into the French court. Her efforts met with great resentment from many, along with accusations that she was trying to put the French silk merchants out of business in order to help her brother's Flemish weavers. Consequently, the queen only wore the simple dresses when in the privacy of Petit Trianon. How delighted she would be to know that, in a time and place far away, others would appreciate her exquisite taste and be charmed by her love of a simple life.
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8 comments:
...and of course the fishwive accused her of only wearing a chemise...
de Brantigny
Yes, it is sad how the queen was criticized for everything she did, even her most innocent actions.
I can only say this best (in French): tres belle!
That is a beautiful thought...and the dress reflects the moral and spiritual beauty of the Queen.
how lovely!
One last thing, after all is said and done, guess what, the style so caught on that white diaphinous dresses caught on. This style is the one which is most assoociated with the revolutionary period. young women who flaunted the revolutionary regime worn these chemise like dresses and basically dared anyone to approach them. The Queen would not have approved. Dreeses became so filmy that womaen dampened them to make them cling more. A new type of underwaer becme popular which would develop into pantalettes which could be seen under the dress.
Modesty was not a big issue to the Godless.
de Brantigny
The flimsy gowns of the Directoire were so immodest that even Napoleon Bonaparte did not approve. Such garments were nothing like the Queen's gaulle dresses, which were very modest, in spite of what her enemies said.
oh so lovely : )
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