Tea at Trianon: Meanwhile, in Paris...

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

Friday, September 28, 2018

Meanwhile, in Paris...

Diamonds are still à la mode. From Forbes:

For gorgeous gothic-esq jewelry, your go-to will be Marie Poniatowski, the founder of Stone Paris. And she knows her stones, namely diamonds. They're her best friend, they're our best friend, let's all be friends. Marie Poniatowski founded Stone Paris in 2004, designing jewelry that echoes her own story. She was born into Polish nobility that dates back to the 15th-century and her father was the director of Vogue Paris, a stylish lineage indeed. Found in her line is Victorian inspired cross jewelry which radiates a regality, and other styles that include understated hoop earrings, delicate ear climbers, ornate pendants and spider web rings that wrap around the finger. Poniatowski's precious stone pieces are very much translated in a today's setting - wear with jeans and a tee as the Parisiennes do, or a LBD for the darker hours. (Read more.)