The female consort to the king of France was not only the Queen of France but also the undisputed Queen of Fashion in the 18th century. Once she became queen, Marie Antoinette enthusiastically took the role of setting the trends for the entire world. In her first years as a consort, her fashion became ever wilder until she took a turn for the far more simple styles.
Her position as an Austrian-born queen made her the target of politically driven enemies from the day she arrived at Versailles. One of their greatest strategies for attacking her was her spending, especially on clothing. While it was expected of a French queen to spend considerable amounts on clothing - to maintain both her status and position as the leading lady in fashion - her enemies and the public took offense at the nature of her expenditure. It was not particularly the clothing bills, but that the queen's personal tastes dictated these - and her tastes were often in direct contradiction to the established order. As such, her clothing was considered to be unacceptable because they were too personal.
The propaganda directed against Marie Antoinette during the revolution covered everything from her friends and family to her fashions. This latter part is the one that has stuck in the public imagination which is why her wardrobe continues to attract attention. Sadly, very few items of her wardrobe survives to this day. A good deal of the queen's wardrobe as it was in 1789 was destroyed during the storming of Versailles in early October that year. The clothing she had previously worn was usually appropriated by her ladies-in-waiting and her dame d'atours - both of whom could claim parts of the royal wardrobe as a bonus. Her most extravagant dresses have also been lost to history. None of Rose Bertin's - the creator of these extravaganzas - accounts survive to this day which means that we have scattered documentation as to the queen's wardrobe.
In an attempt to construct an insight into the doomed queen's wardrobe, the following list is drawn from first-hand accounts, more recent literature and portraits.
While still a dauphine, the young woman learned to ride horses to accompany her husband on his favourite pastime. Dunoyer de Noirmont reported at this time that the dauphine wore a blue velvet dress adorned with a golden braid and a hat adorned with white feathers. The choice of colour was likely not Marie Antoinette's own, as blue had been the traditional colour worn for the king's hunts since Louis XIV's time. As such, it was likely an attempt to show that she belonged to the king's own hunting party.
At other times, she would don a red redingote, also with golden braids. This is a particularly masculine outfit - completely intentional, as women took inspiration for their riding gear from their male counterparts - and was even topped with a classically French tricorne hat. It was in this very costume that Joseph Krantzinger captured her in 1771. In the portrait a bodice of red-and-white striped can be seen in what appear to be silk.
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The Dauphine in 1771 by Joseph
Krantzinger |
For a brief while, the dauphine went so far as to wear breeches while riding. She is portrayed wearing apple-green trousers astride a horse and a clearly masculine coat of yellow-orange silk - also lined with apple-green. This quickly stopped, though, after it was made clear that it was highly unladylike. Not long after, another equestrian portrait was done which shows her in a traditional side-saddle wearing a grey redingote with a sumptuous hat with feathers. Later still, she was depicted wearing a redingote of striped black fabric with almost a top-hat from which two real pink roses were attached.
For the wedding of her sister-in-law, Clotilde, in 1775, the new queen was wearing a silver-brocade dress with unusually few gemstones and feathers. Instead, the bodice was decorated with pink flowers.
While in mourning for Louis XV, the new queen wore a gown of black silk with sleeves heavily ruffled. Her gown included two ruffled stripes of black lace which traced upwards from the bodice to round over the young lady's shoulders.
Marie Antoinette's coronation gown was a marvel in its own right. Created by Rose Bertin, the dress was extremely heavy due to the sheer amount of diamonds and precious stones embroidered into the priceless fabric. The designer herself suggested that the gown should have its own cart for the trip to Rheims - where the coronation was to take place - but she was overruled.
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The queen in a green gown with multi-
colored trimmings, 1780 by Drouais |
Following the birth of their first son, a ball was held at Versailles by the royal bodyguards. Marie Antoinette opened the ball in October 1781 and the future Marquise de La Tour du Pin remembered that the queen was wearing a deep blue gown heavily embroidered with sapphires and diamonds. While imprisoned on the first day of 1792, she was noted as wearing a blue silk grande habit for the reception of the representatives of the Parisian municipality. Her gown was apparently skillfully embroidered.
The infamous Estates General of 1789 required everyone to dress according to their rank. For the queen, this meant the traditionally lavish grande robe de cour. Marie Antoinette chose a cloth-of-silver for her gown which was covered with the finest white diamonds owned by the crown. In contrast, Louis XVI wore a splendid cloth-of-gold. Many of the crown's finest jewels were displayed on her gown and in her hair, including the Sancy, the Mirror of Portugal and the Guise Diamond.
On a similar occasion, the opening of the National Assembly, she wore a gown of purple, white and silver with ostrich feathers in her hair.
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As a young dauphine, she wore
this gown of violet with ruffles and
lace |
In Stefan Zweig's biography on Marie Antoinette, it is noted that when the mob broke into Versailles in the night between 5th - 6th October 1789, she quickly dressed in a plain, grey gown of silk and a black hat with a thick veil which hid her features.
When envoys from Tipu Sultan, king of Mysore, paid their respects at Versailles they brought with them gifts from their own sovereign. One of these included a very fine, white Indian muslin. Marie Antoinette had the fabric turned into a remarkably simple gown - probably due to the quality of the fabric which needed little adornment. The gown remained in the possession of Madame Campan after its owner had been executed. It was Madame Campan herself who wrote that the queen's primary dress at the Petit Trianon consisted of a white gown, coloured ribbon (this could be of a single colour or stripped/dotted) and a straw hat.
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Marie Antoinette in her personal
favourite - this portrait caused an outrage
as it was considered to be too simple for
a queen of France |
These white gowns were often made of muslin or cambric. A particular favourite with the queen was the choice of a lilac or lavender colour for the ribbon on her hat. The infamous portrait by Madame Vigée le Brun shows the queen wearing just such a cambric gown. The complete lack of jewels, ribbons or any of the other adornments worn at Versailles was immediately criticised by the public - ironically, the same public that berated her when she did wear those accessories.
One of the few outings she was permitted a prisoner of the state was a visit to Bellevue in the summer of 1790. The Comtesse de Boigne recorded her dress for posterity: a white gown embroidered with clusters of mauve flowers, a fichu and a matching mauve ribbon tied in a bow on the chest. To top it off, she wore a straw hat with another mauve ribbon.
It was customary for the queen to order dresses on specific days. For instance, a new gown for easter and all saints' eve were ordered every year - the latter because it coincided with her birthday. For her last year at Versailles, Marie Antoinette had an easter gown of white, Italian silk which had been embroidered with Reine-marguerite flowers - also of silk. The one for all saints' eve was of brown satin.
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The queen in grande habit de
cour, 1780 |
By the 1790's, circumstances - and the queen's personal taste - meant that she spent less and less with Rose Bertin. While the milliner burnt most of the queen's accounts, the orders she had placed in 1791 still exist. These clearly show that the queen was not ordering new garments but rather had existing ones repaired or redone. This allows us to look into what was in the royal wardrobe. For this reason we know that in the year 1791, the queen's wardrobe counted these state gowns or grande habits de cour:
1 gown of orange velvet trimmed with gauze, 1 striped gown with various exotic bird feathers, 1 dress of violet taffeta and 1 of violet silk, 1 gown of lilac silk imported from India, 1 of orange velvet trimmed with marten fur and 1 gown of blue, embroidered satin for New Year.
At the same time, robe à la Turque were very popular with the queen. It is noteworthy that of the repairs ordered by Bertin state robes and "Turkish" robes - and two redingotes - features heavily. This means that we also know that she had:
1 such gown of blue taffeta shot with black, 1 of pink taffeta, 1 gown with violet stripes and a crêped skirt, 1 gown of blue and white striped satin and 1 dress of Indian satin "painted white and pink".
As a new sovereign, it came as a matter of course that the new queen was to be portrayed in all her royal splendor. From 1775-79, these official portraits show the queen in the time appropriate grand robe with its characteristically enormous panniers, tightly laced bodice and lavish decorations.
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| Marie Antoinette in 1775 by Dagoty |
The grande robe depicted by Dagoty above is a sublime example of a state gown. Clear blue silk makes up the base for oversized garlands of striped fabric held together in knots of precious stones. If you look closely, the lilies stuck into these diamond clusters are real lilies. The bodice replicates the garlands in a smaller version while the sleeves are made almost entirely of delicate lace. Naturally, the ermine-trimmed robe of deep royal blue embroidered with golden fleur-de-lys nails home her status. Topping off the ensemble is a small, blue hat with a single, white feather.
Another grande habit de cour was from 1778 and consist of a massive gown of white silk trimmed with golden tassels, ribbons and braids. More white silk was used to festoon the petticoat in large curves. The bodice is made up completely of white silk arranged in horizontal ruffles with a large, white bow of satin - note that the ruffles are continued in gauze which is wrapped around her neck. The sleeves are also of white silk but have several layers of exquisite lace.
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| Grande habit by Vigée Le Brun |
The portraits of Marie Antoinette gives a visual representation of what she wore at different times in her life.
When Madame Vigée Le Brun painted her in 1787 surrounded by her children the queen was dressed in a gown of scarlet velvet lined with some type of fur - possible marten. The neckline shows both white gauze and delicate white embroidery on the bodice. Although it is difficult to see from the position in which she is sitting, the bodice appears to have been cut in the manner of a zone front.
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| Marie Antoinette, 1787 |
Probably the most famous portrait by Le Brun of the queen is Marie Antoinette à la Rose. The portrait was done after the "original" showing the queen in her extremely simplified gauze gown caused national outrage. Unusually, the maligned queen was accused of not properly representing her rank in such simple clothing. Others claimed that it seemed as if the queen had been painted in her underwear. In response, Marie Antoinette was painted anew in a traditional gown of blue silk with delicate white embroideries, ribbons of white gauze and a bow of white-and-blue silk. Her signature feathers are also back atop of a hat equally adorned with gauze.
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| Marie Antoinette à la Rose |
During the latter part of the 1780's, Madame Vigée Le Brun primarily painted the queen in rich velvet gowns. Besides the red one above, she also portrayed her in a royal blue with a pristinely white petticoat. Once again, three white feathers can be seen swaying from the queen's hat which also has a veil of a thin fabric, either lace or gauze. Note that the hem of the petticoat is trimmed with fur - like the red version.
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| 1788, also by Vigée Le Brun |
As she passed the age of 30, the queen began to dress more conservatively. This portrait by Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller shows the queen in a remarkably simple dress - words that were usually not connected with the creator: Rose Bertin. Gone are the tons of ribbons, bows, artificial flowers and gemstones. Apart from the quality of the silk fabric, the only other luxuries are the sumptuous amounts of lace around both the neckline and the sleeves. The queen is still wearing jewels although they are far more discreet than otherwise common at court: two chains hang from underneath her bodice - one of diamonds and one of pearls. Likewise, the tone of her dress is replicated in the pearl bracelet. Finally, there are buttons of diamonds on the stomacher and enameled rings on her fingers.
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| By Wertmüller |
