![jaclynday:
What I’ve Read: Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber
There is perhaps no better example of “vanity run amok” than Marie Antoinette, especially when the events are told through Caroline Weber’s exhaustive book on the queen’s sartorial history.
If your only knowledge of Marie Antoinette stems from the Sofia Coppola film, you may be surprised at (and less sympathetic with) the narcissistic and defiant queen discussed in Weber’s book. Choosing to express her political beliefs and personal agendas almost exclusively through her wardrobe, Marie Antoinette influenced worldwide trends, nearly single-handedly brought down the French silk manufacturing trade, had enormous shopping sprees, devoted three large rooms at Versailles to her wardrobe and ultimately shocked and offended the patriots of the French Revolution with what she wore to a state beyond repair. Her insistence on using flour to powder her hair and expensive poufs while French citizens starved is only one example of the enormous chasm between the French court and the “commoners.”
However, at no point in the book do you feel that her actions were purposefully spiteful to her detractors. Instead, it seems that the class divide was so great and so pronounced that she simply didn’t think that her vanity or love for fashion and beauty could have any lasting impact on her subjects—any lasting impact that she would feel, at any rate.
As the revolution picks up momentum, you see Marie Antoinette’s continued loyalty to the crown manifest itself almost solely through her choice of costume. In a sickening turn, she foils the only viable escape attempt she and her husband and children ever had because of an extensive wardrobe overhaul that delayed their departure and tipped off several members of her entourage.
It was a surprise to read how intertwined the realm of fashion became with the realm of politics. Although I admired the queen’s continued defiance through her choice of dress or ribbon, the fact that I knew how the story ended colored each of her decisions in a more fatalist way. Each time she refused to follow the fashion dictates set forth for her felt like one more notch against her life. Sadly, this is essentially exactly how events proceeded.
Speaking of the final turn of events, I was interested to see how Weber confronted this as many authors have trouble describing Marie Antoinette’s death in a way that seems fitting. Others (like director Sofia Coppola) decided altogether against following her to her grave. The final few paragraphs of the book, I have to say, were beautifully written and so descriptive that I almost felt I was watching the day unfold.
This is a book absolutely worth reading and I loved every minute of it, but I do want to add that it can be very academic. If you’re expecting pages upon pages of photos and illustrations and macarons, this isn’t the book for you. Although the entire book is about fashion and what she wore and why she wore it, it’s taken in a larger academic context that may not be as exciting to you as, say, watching the movie. Just a warning! :)
OMG I’m so afraid that could apply [esp to mideast countries] even today. I’ve GOT to get this book. MAD PROPS for the review!
And I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve never felt sympathetic towards this particular historical figure. Not hatred, either — I could see most developed countries having plenty of women with her mindset (even though they’re not exactly ‘gentry landed’, much less royal family, class). When I think of M.A., I think of her fate as a warning.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li7i64SnNb1qz7t98o1_400.jpg)
What I’ve Read: Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber
There is perhaps no better example of “vanity run amok” than Marie Antoinette, especially when the events are told through Caroline Weber’s exhaustive book on the queen’s sartorial history.
If your only knowledge of Marie Antoinette stems from the Sofia Coppola film, you may be surprised at (and less sympathetic with) the narcissistic and defiant queen discussed in Weber’s book. Choosing to express her political beliefs and personal agendas almost exclusively through her wardrobe, Marie Antoinette influenced worldwide trends, nearly single-handedly brought down the French silk manufacturing trade, had enormous shopping sprees, devoted three large rooms at Versailles to her wardrobe and ultimately shocked and offended the patriots of the French Revolution with what she wore to a state beyond repair. Her insistence on using flour to powder her hair and expensive poufs while French citizens starved is only one example of the enormous chasm between the French court and the “commoners.”
However, at no point in the book do you feel that her actions were purposefully spiteful to her detractors. Instead, it seems that the class divide was so great and so pronounced that she simply didn’t think that her vanity or love for fashion and beauty could have any lasting impact on her subjects—any lasting impact that she would feel, at any rate.
As the revolution picks up momentum, you see Marie Antoinette’s continued loyalty to the crown manifest itself almost solely through her choice of costume. In a sickening turn, she foils the only viable escape attempt she and her husband and children ever had because of an extensive wardrobe overhaul that delayed their departure and tipped off several members of her entourage.
It was a surprise to read how intertwined the realm of fashion became with the realm of politics. Although I admired the queen’s continued defiance through her choice of dress or ribbon, the fact that I knew how the story ended colored each of her decisions in a more fatalist way. Each time she refused to follow the fashion dictates set forth for her felt like one more notch against her life. Sadly, this is essentially exactly how events proceeded.
Speaking of the final turn of events, I was interested to see how Weber confronted this as many authors have trouble describing Marie Antoinette’s death in a way that seems fitting. Others (like director Sofia Coppola) decided altogether against following her to her grave. The final few paragraphs of the book, I have to say, were beautifully written and so descriptive that I almost felt I was watching the day unfold.
This is a book absolutely worth reading and I loved every minute of it, but I do want to add that it can be very academic. If you’re expecting pages upon pages of photos and illustrations and macarons, this isn’t the book for you. Although the entire book is about fashion and what she wore and why she wore it, it’s taken in a larger academic context that may not be as exciting to you as, say, watching the movie. Just a warning! :)
OMG I’m so afraid that could apply [esp to mideast countries] even today. I’ve GOT to get this book. MAD PROPS for the review!
And I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve never felt sympathetic towards this particular historical figure. Not hatred, either — I could see most developed countries having plenty of women with her mindset (even though they’re not exactly ‘gentry landed’, much less royal family, class). When I think of M.A., I think of her fate as a warning.
