Tea at Trianon: Pink for Spring

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

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Pink for Spring

From Funky Forty:

Sitting in my hotel room as I write this first recap of Milan Fashion Week. The street style really is quite different from that seen in New York. Pastel pink, a colour hardly spotted there came flowing through in Milan – also on the runway pastels in general have been making a huge comeback.

Colour is a big theme throughout the streets of Milan – a real bouquet for the eyes. Having said that, the all black is like the new black this season! We’ve been having fabulous Summer weather but the street style is still giving an indication of trends to come for this Fall/Winter. Over the knee, leg hugging boots being one. Tweed remains a topic and leather is on the uprise.

Bags are pretty and cute but on the runways we see larger bags are set to come back in trend. Shoes are interesting – a couple of years ago the front row shows were filled with sneakers. This season the more elegant shoes are coming forth. The higher the heel the better – time to get those shoe cushions ready to protect your feet! Sneakers of course have not left the scene with chunky being a theme in both NY and Milan. If not chunky NY saw Converse and Milan sees Adidas. Fascinating to see what an “ocean apart” will do to trends. (Read more.)

From Footwear News:

Choosing a color to wear is often said to be emotional. It can also be contagious. On Thursday, day four of Paris Fashion Week, one color was seemingly everywhere — not just on the runways, but out on the streets. Curiously, it was the same story in Milan last week, and back in New York there were hints of it. Fashion month isn’t over yet, but hot pink is already shaping up to be the color of the spring ’20 season. (Read more.)