Tea at Trianon: Fashion at Versailles

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

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Fashion at Versailles

For Ladies:

With Marie-Antoinette, elegance and simplicity of clothing was the order of the day at Court. For everyday life, the robe à la polonaise, a modest outfit, was in fashion among women along with the robe à la lévite. Simply dressed in a robe à la polonaise made of grey silk, the queen is putting together a bouquet in a countryside scene, with a rose in her hand. (Read more.)

Actually, the dress in question (above) was blue, not grey; because it is supposed to be a moonlight scene it may appear to be grey.

For Gentlemen:

Men’s attire in the 1780s were comprised of three main parts: the justeaucorps, which was the coat that later evolved to the frac, the waistcoat, and breeches. Shapes were simplified in favour of a more slender silhouette without affectation. The letter which is part of this engraving describes the type of costume: “Habit de printemps à la Française. M. the Count of Provence. This habit, although plainer, is in the same style as the king’s. This type of habit à la française was worn at the end of the Ancien Régime. […] The habit à la française is composed of a justeaucorps, coat and breeches. The justeaucorps, which was looser-fitting than the frac à l'anglaise, was never worn fastened, despite being decorated with buttons and button holes. It had a straight collar made of the same fabric, in contrast to the English-style collars which were turned-over and made of a different colour. The justeaucorps had external pockets whose flaps constituted an essential element of decoration. The waistcoat was very long and had sleeves, meaning it could be worn without a justeaucorps in négligée dress, and was generally made of a different colour; it hung low and had basques in front and behind…” (Read more.)