Tea at Trianon: Inaugural Style

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Inaugural Style

From Tatler:

Meanwhile, the doyennes of the Trump dynasty are dialling up the glamour. Ivanka Trump is spotted on the arm of brother, Donald Trump Junior. She’s opted for a forest green wrap coat and matching skirt which she has accessorised with a saucer-shaped headpiece and a Lady Dior handbag. She’d already made headlines last night at the pre-inauguration for her shimmering, crystal-bedecked Oscar de la Renta gown in which she truly dazzled. As did Usha Vance for that matter, who called upon the same designer for her black velvet asymmetric evening dress. And sister Tiffany Trump and sister-in-law Lara Trump are also oozing respectful grandeur in monochromatic coat dresses as they prepare for their father (and father-in-law) to take his oath.
It’s all-American exquisiteness; a divine display of great taste, good looks and hair oh-so-perfectly coiffed. Trump becomes the president once more, and presidential chic - as good as it was in Jackie Kennedy’s era of distinct gracefulness - is celebrated in a glorious homage to politically-pretty prowess. (Read more.)

From The Daily Mail:

Donald and Melania Trump hit three inaugural balls in one night as they lit up Washington D.C. to mark the beginning of a new MAGA era.
The newly sworn-in president and his glamorous first lady started at the military-themed Commander in Chief Ball, before heading to the nearby Liberty Ball where they danced onstage with the entire Trump family. Then, they motorcaded to Union Station for the Starlight Ball.
'We needed three because we have such support,' Trump told the crowd at the Liberty Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Monday night. The crowds waited for hours to see the returned commander-in-chief and he and the first lady, who were finally played on by the United States Marine Band at the Commander in Chief ball a little before 10:30 p.m.
Melania debuted a leggy, white-and-black gown, which was custom-made by Hervé Pierre, the same designer who crafted her 2017 inaugural outfit.
They did their first slow dance to The Battle Hymn of the Republic, played by the United States Marine Band, before being joined onstage by Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha.
Both couples then danced with members of the military, as is the custom.
'This is quite a gathering huh?' the 47th president said to the crowd that numbered in the thousands, with many servicemembers sporting their dress uniforms. (Read more.)