A sentence from my previous blog connects this one: "There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France."
For the Comme des Garcons Fall 2016 collection, Rei Kawakubo was "imaging punks in the 18th century, which was a time of so many revolutions." (Sarah Mower) The collection took fabrics associated with the riches of Versailles, and worked them into amazing 3-D structures and shapes reflecting pannier skirts, stomachers, corsets, and articulated armour. Black 18th century like gentlemen's wigs atop the model, set the theme off perfectly.
You may ask, what is a 'stomacher'...what is a 'pannier'.... They will be explained in due course.
So, an 18th Century theme.
Regard the above quote...
The king with large jaw and queen with plain face, on the English throne, George the 3rd and Charlotte
The king with large jaw and queen with fair face, on the French throne, Louis the 16th and Marie Antoinette.
(Just before I go any further, I am going to insert this video regarding George the 3rd, he of 'The Madness of King George' film. More to the guy than met the eye.)
And, the riches of Versailles, ah, the riches of Versailles.
On the outskirts of Paris, originally a hunting lodge of Louis the 13th, Versailles was transformed into its state of magnificent glory by the Sun King, Louis the 14th.A very brief history of Versailles:
- 1661 saw the beginning of Louis 14th reign.
- 1665 the first statues were put in the gardens.
- 1682 Versailles becomes the seat of government and the official residence of the court.
- 1715 Louis 14th dies.
- 1722 Louis 15th returns to Versailles.
- 1774 Louis 15th dies, and Louis 16th comes to the throne.
- 1789 October 6, the King, Royal Family and entire Court leave Versailles for Paris for good.
- 1919 June 28 signature of Treaty putting an end to WW1. (A highly contentious treaty, check it out on this site https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zbg4t39/revision/1)
The garden park of Versailles is the model of "a la francaise" formal garden style. Statues of marble, bronze and lead feature alongside fabulous fountains, with Apollo, the sun-god, being a very prominent presence. The hidden symbolism of all these features reveal so much about Louis 14th and the era, and explanations can be found in this booklet.
Some of the statues as they might appear in June, springtime.
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| Images Purple magazine. |
This image is my favourite, there's something "weeping angels" about it
In 2012 Karl Lagerfeld presented the Chanel 2013 S/S Cruise collection around the Trois Fontaines Bosquet fountains at Versailles. This link will give you a closer view of some of the garments. I do like how there is always something connecting with Coco Chanel's iconic two-piece suit.
Versailles buildings were excessive, and so too, was 18th century fashion.
The 'Rococo' style developed during the reign of Louis 15th. It was characterised by the pursuit of personal pleasure and extravagance. France became the leader of fashion during the reign of Louis 16th. It is interesting to note that clothing styles did steer off in opposite directions during this time; one was "a fantastic conceit of artificial aesthetics" and one was "a desire to return to nature"
What you want to do here, is take in fashion historian, Amanda Hallay's 'The Ultimate Fashion History: The 18th Century' you tube power point lecture. She seems to know her stuff.
If you have gone through Hallay's lecture, you may appreciate this link, as it shows the varying fashion changes that came about through the century. It is quick and easy to scroll through.
I have shared this before, I loved paper dolls when I was young, and yes, it's true, I still do! It is so obvious by some of the books I have...
There is something about this wonderful cut-out that is reflected in one of the garments from CdG's collection I started my blog with.
You may enjoy this video, a well-to-do 18th century woman getting dressed
A pannier was the foundation, which helped to provide that wide hip shape.
I liked the contemporary versions of pannier shaped garments, that Amanda Hallay included in her lecture.
Comme des Garcons have their fair share of pannier inspired creations.
The 2010/11 A/W 'Inside Decoration' collection
The 2012 S/S 'White Drama' collection
Last year I created a garment for a CSM personal project I was undertaking. 'Little Eric's story' There are definite panniers. They reflect an armchair (constructed from furnishing fabric) as it was a major aspect of the tale of Little E's new bedford cords. No stomacher however. That area was inspired by 'corduroy roads'
If you want to read the story, try this link, you just need to scroll down to get to it.
The stomacher is the 18th century triangular structure, worn over the chest and stomach, under the front opening of the robe. You will have seen it being applied in the video '18th century woman getting dressed' and the way it was pinned in place using the tabs.
Just before I move on, I want to come back to Amanda Hallay's fun fact regarding there being no left or right foot shoes in the 18th century. I have to share these ballet pumps I made the other week. I had been given this lovely skin/beige coloured satin fabric, and it simply sang out to me "those CdG pumps that went with the motorbike ballerina collection I discussed in my previous blog". The pattern I used did present a specific right and left foot, however what I have finished with doesn't look quite like that, more the 18th century style...I am still quite chuffed I got them together as well as I did.
I arranged the costume for Aslan, King of the Beasts, and the one aspect I really loved was his tail. You can see it in this photo. I always thought it was a nice touch,
The riches and excesses of Versailles cannot go by, without mention of the "queen with a fair face". Such a story and told so many times. She truly was the epitome of Versailles heading in the only direction left it could go.
A girl of 14, Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, headed off to France for a politically arranged marriage to the Dauphin.
The gown she wore for the formal wedding ceremony was made long before her arrival at the French court. It was constructed out of cloth of silver and shone with an overall white hue. The diamonds that covered the dress were a gift from her mother.
1. Panniers
Giving 18th-century ladies their unique, wide-hipped look, these basket-like hooped devices could be made of anything from whalebone to wood, and were sometimes as wide as 3.5 metres!
2. Whalebone stays
& cloth of silver stomacher
Don’t
breathe out! Marie Antoinette owed her perfect poise to tightly laced whalebone
stays. The V-shaped stomacher was worn over the stays. Ornate and opulent, it
matched the rest of the dauphine’s gown.
3. Chemise
The
underwear staple of any lady’s wardrobe, the simple chemise was concealed
beneath the wedding finery. This would be the only simple thing Marie
Antoinette would wear on her wedding day.
4. Cloth of silver
mantua
The
final piece of the puzzle, Marie Antoinette’s silver mantua was covered with
diamonds and pearls fit for a blushing royal bride.
5. Silver petticoat
Billowing
out over the panniers, the petticoat was of the finest cloth of silver and
beautifully decorated.
6. Stockings and
garters
Tied around
the knee, Marie Antoinette’s stockings would’ve been pristine white.
7. Shoes
Just
like today, 18th-century brides loved to show off their finest shoes on the big
day. Decorated and buckled, Marie Antoinette stepped out in style.
Marie Antoinette would wear this outfit, when she played at being a shepherdess or milkmaid, in the Hameau de la Reine, at the Petit Trianon, which was given to her by her husband, Louis the 16th. Apparently he required an invitation, if he ever wanted to visit.
Two interesting articles pertaining to this dress,
And the wonderful television series 'A Stitch in Time', their episode which covered this portrait and the making of the chemise. It is so good. I love the women who are responsible for the making of the garments. They are so highly skilled and gentle in their craft.
Frock Flicks is an interesting link. They're into the analysis of costumes in film and television, and they go for it, both good and bad. Here they are regard 'chemise a la reine' and its appearance in film.
My viewings are: Barry Lyndon, Jefferson in Paris, The Lady and the Duke, and of course, Sofia Coppola"s Marie Antoinette. Glorious costumes! Vogue magazine did a wonderful article around the time of the film. Photography by Annie Leibovitz, both film images and Kirsten Dunst wearing contemporary designer garments. My favourite is the Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere.
https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/marie-antoinette-photos
This link will give you a view of the whole collection, if you are interested. It's always cake with a Marie Antoinette connection, isn't it. She'll never live it down!
This is for those of you who may be into furniture...Marie Antoinette's chair being renovated at the V&A, God, I love that place!
Watch an interesting video covering the making of the film. Sofia Coppola is fascinating, she is so low key, calm, go with the flow, no hyper, no dramatics, impressive.
Jeremy Scott delivered his re-imaginings of Marie Antoinette in Moschino's Fall 2020 collection.
And, I have always liked floral artist Emma Bass's arrangement she titled, Marie Antoinette.
In the 80s I purchased this Issey Miyake pattern,
and made up the whole ensemble, which I wore one time when I was ushering at an arts function. I always remember someone coming in and saying "Wow, 18th century!"
Men's 18th century jacket coats sort of have the look...
Harold Koda and Richard Martin put together a book 'The Historical Mode, Fashion and Art in the 1980s'. These were 2 garments that pertained to the 18th century.
On the left, Chantal Thomass evening pants ensemble, 1989/90 collection,
On the right, Man's Ensemble, 1785.
On the right, Carle Vernet Parisian Incroyable, 1790 - 1800.
Les Incroyables and their female equivalent Les Merveilleuses, made up a subculture of French aristocracy, during the period 1795-1799, known as The French Directory. The male costume was one of high collars, large lapels folded back and breeches. The women attired themselves in much lighter clothing, reminiscent of classical Roman and Greek female attire.
This links to a lovely fashion shoot by designer Veronika Orlova, titled 'Les Incroyables'
As Amanda Hallay noted in her lecture, great change in dress came about through the French Revolution. The wearing of those extravagant styles, such as what we see on the left in the above image, were considered to be anti-revolutionary, and it was best to be not seen in such attire.
Long pants, referred to as sans-culottes (non-breeches) and jackets called carmagnole, a short jacket worn by the working class became a more acceptable look.
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| Louis-Leopold Boilly (1761-1845) |
This look eventually evolved into the style of frock coat and trousers, which became the men's suits of today.
In 2011 the Palace of Versailles presented an exhibition 'The 18th Century Back In Fashion'. CdG's 2010/11 Fall collection features, as you can see in this link to the lovely catalogue,
but what really took my eye was the Maison Christian Dior A/W 2007/08 collection garment on page 18,
I immediately thought of this wonderful garment from the CdG Fall 2016 collection.
This will link you to a fabulous Nick Knight photo shoot covering this collection. The above dress is the first amazing image.
https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/9044/the-full-story-comme-des-garons-by-nick-knightAnd last of all...
Well, I think Samurai Warrior
I have created my own panniers
and a petticoat/skirt, the double pleating is a lot of fun.
Topped off with a capelet, ala CdG 2019 A/W collection.
But, I'm not finished!
My mind simply will not stop!
Remember earlier on, I used the phrase "articulated armour" relating to the CdG Fall 2016 collection...
The hereditary military nobility and officer caste in Japan, from the late 12th century to their abolition in 1876.
Connection, they were still doing a samurai thing in the 18th century, but maybe not quite to the strength and power they once possessed. Apparently, they were at their peak in the 1300s.
This is a great site for explaining samurai armour
I am inspired to create something out of these...all the used pinwheels I have collected over the years!
Here he is! May not be articulated armour, but so pleased to have created something with those leftovers.
SLTSLTBsigning off.
