Fashion and Passion at the Court of Marie-Antoinette
Discover the refined fashions of the court of the 1700s' it-girl, Marie Antoinette—and their connections to politics, philosophy, and more!
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We are all so aware of the Revolution that it’s sometimes hard to remember that Marie-Antoinette was once a very popular queen, and a fashion icon imitated across Europe—and even in North America.
With her sky-high ‘pouf’ hairdos and her thousands of gowns, she was the it girl at the heart of 18th century Europe’s most glorious kingdom. But despite her reputation for frivolity and excess, the styles Marie-Antoinette promoted represented a new, less formal, more natural reaction to the stiff formality of the Versailles.
Learn about the fated queen’s fashion team:
Her dressmaker, her hairdo-designer, and her makeup compounder. And why people called Louis XVI’s court the “Cour Parfumée.”
How Enlightenment Philosophy influenced fashion of the time.
And how the American constitution is connected to the fashionistas of pre-Revolutionary Versailles.
How Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent , Vivienne Westwood, and Chanel were influenced by 18th century fashion.
Get a look at the beauty routines of a “woman of quality” at Versailles in the time of Marie-Antoinette.
And discover the delicate and refined world of French fashion in a sparking century!
Speaker Bios
A Parisian native, Edith de Belleville was an attorney at law for many, many years, but her passion for Paris and its history led her back to university (at the age of 50) to get her official tour guide license. Deeply inspired by Parisian women of the past, Edith decided to write a book, in French, entitled The Beautiful Rebels of Paris (Belles et Rebelles, Editions Erik Bonnier). Edith also teaches Jewish heritage in Paris at University Gustave Eiffel (Marne la Vallée), and has just finished a book in English about the fabulous life of a mature Parisian woman in the City of Light.
Andrew Lear is a renowned expert on same-sex relations in Greek and Roman antiquity. During his academic career, he taught at Harvard, Pomona College, and NYU. In recent years, he has founded Oscar Wilde Tours, the LGBTQ history and culture tour company and Shady Ladies Tours, a women's history and culture tour company. He is also working with actor/author Stephen Fry on a podcast about the "Scandals and Secrets of London's National Portrait Gallery."