“Marie-Antoinette, reine de France à cheval” by Louis-Auguste Brun from the collections of the Chateau de Versailles I found the chapter describing her riding clothes to be particularly fascinating because as Weber points out, women didn’t wear breeches in the 18th century, but Marie Antoinette did. She was able to regain court favor through her dress by wearing men’s-style riding clothes and hunting with Louis XV and the Dauphin. From there she explores Marie Antoinette’s rebellion of Versailles fashion (she refused to wear the grand corps, which were essentially especially stiff stays), which went rather poorly. Weber begins by discussing Empress Maria Theresa’s efforts to Gallicize her daughter’s appearance in order to convince Louis XV to marry Marie Antoinette to his Dauphin, the future Louis XVI. She also includes many pictures, some of which are full color, illustrating the garments she describes. While its title may make the book seem somewhat frivolous, the presentation of Marie Antoinette is actually quite academic and the author includes nearly 100 pages of footnotes and bibliographies. The subtitle is even better: “What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution.” viaĮssentially, this book is a biography of Marie Antoinette explored through her clothing choices.

The paradox of her tragic story, according to Weber, is that fashion-the vehicle she used to secure her triumphs-was also her undoing.-From publisher description.It’s been a while since I posted a book review, but I just finished an amazing 18th century-themed book: Caroline Weber’s Queen of Fashion. Gradually, however, she began to lose her hold on the French when she started to adopt provocative, 'unqueenly' outfits that, ironically, would be adopted by the revolutionaries who executed her. As queen, Marie Antoinette used stunning, often extreme costumes to project an image of power.

Weber surveys Marie Antoinette's 'Revolution in Dress,' covering each phase of her tumultuous life, beginning with the young girl struggling to survive Versailles's rigid traditions of royal glamour. Here, 18th-century specialist Weber shows how Marie Antoinette developed her reputation for fashionable excess, and explains through lively, illuminating new research the political controversies that her clothing provoked.

Marie Antoinette has always stood as an icon of supreme style, but surprisingly none of her biographers have paid sustained attention to her clothes.

Queen of fashion by caroline weber