Tea at Trianon: Baroque Court Dress

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 6, 2018

Baroque Court Dress

Beautiful baroque style dresses that were popular at the courts of Louis XIV and Charles II. (Via katybirdy95) To quote:

Women’s clothing became much less restricting. Flexible stays replaced hard, tight-fitting corsets. Flowing lace collars replaced stiff ruffs. Large farthingales were discarded and skirts were merely layered or padded at the hips to produce a full, flowing look. Usually two skirts were worn, the overskirt (manteau) open at the front and would normally form a train or bustle at the back, and an underskirt. Decorative aprons became popular with the middle classes. The plunging neckline called the décolletage became popular, often accompanied with wide lace collars. Waistlines were also high during the first part of the period, though long, pointed bodices and stiff stomachers came back during the latter half of the period. Sleeves were large, gathered at the wrist or elbow and often with turned-back lace cuffs. They progressively became more and more ruffled and segmented as the period progressed. Solid-coloured silks and brocades were used more frequently than patterned fabrics, and usually decorations consisted only of lace, tied or rosetted ribbons, limited embroidery, and simple pearl jewellery. Women often wore their hair in tight curls at the forehead and on both sides of their head, which was known as “heartbreakers”. However, hairstyles progressively became higher as fashions became more extravagant. Lips and cheeks were often rouged, which previously had only been done by courtesans. Face patches made of silk and velvet and cut into small shapes became fashionable. Shoes often had pointed toes and high heels, but strangely women’s shoes were ironically much simpler than men’s. Jewellery was very simple during this period, consisting of single strings of pearls or diamonds or sometimes a ribbon tied around the neck. (Read more.)