One of the French Revolution’s most controversial figures – Marie Antoinette is the subject of much speculation and controversy to this day – 220 years after her death. Here at TUB we have always been intrigued by this mysterious figure whom some blame for the fall of the House of Bourbon and others label as a mere victim of her times. Despite all of the drama and intrigue surrounding her name, there is no doubt Marie Antoinette was a style and fashion leader and her creativity was years ahead of her contemporaries.
She invented and named colors, searched for inspiration in the everyday and always challenged what she was offered an demode and non-inventive enough. Her regard was seen as destructive to the French silk industry as up until that time, fashionable colors and textiles changed at a much slower pace allowing for the manufacturers to produce at a more acceptable pace while the consumer familiarized themselves with the new fashion trend. Marie Antoinette changed all that as she was constantly demanding new colors, often inspired by objects, people or events that dominated her existence. Her time spent at the Petit Trianon inspired not only free-spirited outfits but also the need for nature-kissed colors and textiles. The Austrian consort was notoriously lavish in her fashion choices, a trait that later cost her both her crown and life.
Late 18th century was still marked by heavy symbolism that is today seen in a number of paintings. The Dauphine of France, herself, used her fashion and belongings as symbols to communicate her political and personal opinions. The signature rose – symbol of Austria, the riding redingote – symbol of gender interplay and masculinity and the excessive use of feathers, silk and flowers – symbol of her femininity and coquettish expression, were all items that re-appear in all surviving visuals of her.
We are mostly intrigued by all the colors and color shades that were associated with the Dauphine. Black was seen as the color of aristocracy, the color of the French Revolution enemies and as one of the two main colors on the Austrian flag, yellow being the other. White was associated with the House of the Bourbon and green and purple were the colors of royalty and counter-revolution.
Marie Antoinette’s boundless appetite for sartorial novelty drove her to request brand-new, of-the-moment colors that often did not exist. She invented colors that were inspired by the most unexpected of sources. She named a dull greenish brown, caca dauphin, after her newborn baby boy’s soiled swaddling clothes. Incendie de l’Opéra, a flaming red shade, was designed to commemorate the fire that destroyed the Paris Opera in June of 1781. One of the longer lasting colors was the burnished-blond hue known as cheveux de la Reine that Marie Antoinette’s personal dressmaker Rose Bertin commissioned from the French silk makers. The most-talked about color that Marie Antoinette was responsible for was actually named by her husband – Louis XVI. In an effort to control his wife’s wild spending the Dauphin labeled the latest dull yellowish-pink color fad as puce, or flea, hoping that it will turn his queen off. Not only did it not dissuade Marie Antoinette about the color’s charm and appeal but the Dauphin himself sported the color towards the end of his life.
As she aged, Marie Antoinette started to exclude colors from her wardrobe and often deemed them démodé. Such was the case with pink, which after she turned 30, made Marie Antoinette’s skin look pale and unattractive. The Dauphine was seen as a style influencer and was often copied once the style or color of her choice made it to the masses. Unfortunately, most all of her clothes and belongings were destroyed during the French Revolution and it is left up to the surviving paintings of her and her contemporaries to portray the Queen’s exquisite fashion.