Dressing in Comfort: Marie Antoinette



Till then the Queen was not only very plain in her attire, but very economical; a circumstance which, I have often heard her say, gave great umbrage to the other princesses of the Court of Versailles, who never showed themselves, from the moment they rose till they returned to bed, except in full dress; while she herself made all her morning visits in a simple white cambric gown and straw hat. This simplicity, unfortunately, like many other trifles, whose consequences no foresight would have predicted, tended much to injure Maria Antoinette, not only with the Court dandies, but the nation; by whom, though she was always censured, she was as suddenly imitated in all she wore, or did.

Lamballe, Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan, and Catherine Hyde Gouvion Broglie Scolari. 1901. Secret Memoirs of Princess Lamballe: Her Confidential Relations With Marie Antoinette. Washington: M. Walter Dunne.


7 comments:

  1. Poor Marie...nothing she could do could ever be right...
    I love her in this painting. Even in her simplicity she looks absolutely beautiful and majestic. Thanks, Lauren, I love this post:)

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  2. How ahead of her time she was...and hated for it - you can't help but feel bad for her. Thank you for this post!

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  3. That is one of my favorite portraits of her!

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  4. Anonymous3:44 PM

    Casual Marie is my favorite....I was inspired by her to buy a straw hat recently.

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  5. Hers is such a sad story. It's a perfect example of the damage a smear campaign can do.

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  6. I love Marie A's idea of rustication.

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  7. Commendable job with the post! keep it up !! I will be looking forward to your next post!!

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