Katherine says “This is an Exhibition I have been wanting to see for some time but it sold out almost immediately, so unless you are a member or know one can go as their guest it is difficult to get into. The Exhibition is not just about the life of Marie Antoinette, which was in some ways much maligned and misunderstood, it is about the influence of her style through the ages, both at the time of the reign on fashions and subsequently. We think of her as terribly grand, which in some ways she was, but she popularised a romanticised rural idyll, both in her style of dress and the way in which she was depicted and spent time in her gardens at Versailles. She popularised use of the Toile du jouy fabric, and false ribbon decorated farm implements!
The dress in the picture was not actually her dress but was a wedding dress of a relative based on her dress. One can hardly believe the size of the bodice and waist and the silver fabric has to be seen to be believed, utterly jaw dropping. She was married at 14 and executed at 37 so it was a short life. Everyone remembers the “let them eat cake” quote, but one I prefer is “we have dreamt a pleasant dream, that is all”.
She was highly educated and accomplished and had great influence. Both then and subsequently”.
