Tea at Trianon: Lauren Rossi's Gowns

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

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Lauren Rossi's Gowns

From the Daily Mail:

Just outside Central Park, on New York City's Upper East Side, Lauren Rossi is waiting for an UberPOOL, looking as if she had just stepped out of the 18th century – with a twist. The elegant, deep blue gown she is wearing – dyed in an ombre, with gold leaf around the wide hooped skirt and overdress and intricate embroidered beading on the bodice – is completely handmade by Lauren herself, inspired by the Rococo style of the 18th century. She does have some 'modern' accents, as well, including gold makeup flecks she applied above her cheekbones and her necklace and earrings, which are mourning jewelry dated from 1913.

Over her shoulders, she is wearing a 1960s fur collar, and on her left forearm she is wearing a fur muff from about the 1950s – which is her guess because of the metal zipper inside – while she holds her iPhone in her right, checking on when her UberPOOL is supposed to arrive. 'I'm convinced in my Uber rating it says "dresses weird",' Lauren says. As she talks, the feathers pinned to her done-up hair move with her.

She might not look like it, but Lauren works a corporate job in New York City. She is a brand manager and does product development for the mass market apparel industry, including yoga pants and 'casual clothes', but in her spare time – practically all of her spare time – she makes intricately designed gowns inspired by 18th century fashion by hand.

'I just feel complete when I dress like this,' she tells DailyMail.com. 'I feel like it's a way of expressing myself, it's a way of embracing a femininity that I like and so, it just feels right.' (Read more.)