Tea at Trianon: Is Conservative Fashion Trending Globally?

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, November 24, 2018

Is Conservative Fashion Trending Globally?

From Russian Faith:

There have been a number of articles written of late about a fascinating trend going on in the world of fashion. Now, what's so interesting here is that the fashion industry, like any industry, is driven by trends that are either from the top down or from the bottom up, or what we might call, in economic terms, a supplier-driven trend versus a consumer-driven trend. So, in the case of a top-down or supply-side trend, professional designers come up with new and innovative fashion ideas, and consumers respond in kind. But with a bottom-up trend, it's the demands of the consumer that moves the market, and fashion can be particularly influenced by consumer based trends.

Now, what's so interesting here is that, within the current state of fashion, there's emerged, over the last few years, a very noticeable bottom-up consumer-based trend. In fact, the appeal of such a trend appears to be so widespread that they're actually calling it a movement. And that trend that is so significantly moving the fashion markets as we speak is what analysts are calling the conservative fashion movement. It's also known as the modesty movement. It's a fashion trend where sex appeal is, in many respects, taking a back seat to a sense of refinement and elegance.

Women particularly appear to be increasingly attracted to dressing in a manner that evokes a sense of sophistication, and poise, and charm, and gracefulness. In fact, within the last five years alone, we're seeing a noticeable increase on search terms related to fashion and modesty on Google searches, and retailers are taking notice, so much so, that there's arisen now a very vibrant business market that features clothing specifically tailored for modesty appeal.

As one journalist put it, it turns out that the modesty aesthetic is proving to be one of the most popular trends in fashion, and its prevalence has, in many respects, gone mainstream with fashion designers such as Celine and others, who are creating a conservative modesty line as part of their dress offerings. In fact, analysts are noting that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is fast becoming a modesty style icon, with her long-sleeved wedding dress, her regular knee-length hemlines, which are becoming what some have called the gold standard of modesty. Our first lady, Melania Trump, has become an icon of modest dress as well. Many of you may have been noticing that, on breitbart.com, they've been featuring the fashion trends of Melania as a model of class, poise, of conservative charm and dignity.

From a practical vantage point, the modesty movement really means little more than simply longer hemlines or long sleeves, looser shapes, higher necklines. It's also an extremely diverse aesthetic with all kinds of applications, in many respects. It's endless. And, again, this is being reflected with the bigger fashion industry. From Celine's and Gucci's makers, we're seeing dress over pants layering. We're seeing Victorian style blouses. We're seeing long cardigans, roomy pants, high-necked tops, and the like. (Read more.)