Recycling Fashion

Photo from Quilts of Provence by Kathryn Berenson

Although recycling fashion is currently in vogue, this practice is hardly new. In the eighteenth century (and going back in time), the most valuable part of a garment was often the textile itself. Fabric was so expensive that it was reused many times over until it was worn and faded. And even then, it might still serve as the lining for other garments.

In the photo, a jupon (skirt) and caraco (short jacket) from about 1780 are displayed on the mannequin inside out allowing us to see the patching of worn spots or rips.

Another example of how a dress was refashioned is the dress attributed to Marie Antoinette owned by the Royal Ontario Museum. This lovely gown (believed to be from the atelier of Rose Bertin in 1780s) was recut and refashioned in the 1880s to suit the style of the time.


Although the practice of recycling garments is probably what saved this dress, what a shame that we cannot see this dress in its original glory!

18th Century Hats

The hats in the 18th century, particularly those of 1770-1780, were eye-popping confections. Anything and everything could be used to embellish the hat including appliqued silk and satin, ribbons, feathers, pearls, beads, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

With the high pouff hairstyle of the 1770s, the hair and the hat became a platform for displays of miniature ships and other models. These 'poufs a la circonstance' served to comment on fashionable crazes and topical events like the rage for ballooning, the popular play the Marriage of Figaro, and the French naval victories.

Rose Bertin created many of these poufs a la circonstance and it was her creativity with hats that led to her popularity among the fashionable Parisian elite and her introduction to Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette wore a pouf a la Belle Poule, an intricate hairdo and headdress that displayed the French frigate that won a key victory against the British in June 1778. To read more about Marie Antoinette and her passion for pouf hairstyles, please see my post from October 2008.

P.S. I've posted a review of "The Art of Dress" on Blog of a Bookworm. This book is a fantastic resource for students/fans/admirers of historical fashion.

March and The Mad Hatter

Before I fell down the rabbit hole and decided to host a Mad Tea Party, I had other plans for my blog. But I think I've fallen in love with hats and will use hats as my theme for the month.

If you are one of my fans who visits for posts about Marie Antoinette, don't despair!!! Hats were eye-popping confections in the 1770s and Rose Bertin, the marchandes des modes of Marie Antoinette, initially made her reputation based on hats. I will have plenty to write about to keep my historical fashion fans happy.

If you want to join the Mad Tea Party, please send me photos of your hat creations (whether made using the origami instructions, crafted, knit, or sewn) or your favourite hat that you are wearing (feel free to pull the brim over your eyes if you are shy or wish to remain incognito). I will post them in groupings of four since four guests attended the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, including Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse, and the March Hare. I will accept photos up to and including March 31st. Please send your submissions to artismylife@mac.com.

As for what else is going on in the world of fashion, here are some March highlights:

March 4: Interchange, Taking Shape Lecture at the Textile Museum of Canada - A discussion with artists and curators about the exhibition The Cutting Edge, which focuses on the shape of a garment and what it signifies

March 6: Dr. Alexandra Palmer will be giving a lecture on Christian Dior: History & Modernity to Friends of the Textile and Costume Members of the Royal Ontario Museum.

March 8: Last day to visit the Fashion No-No show at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. In this show, six female artists present their points of view about the body and its relationship to technology, art and design.

March 8: Green is the New Black at the Costume Museum of Canada in Winnipeg. An evening to showcase Winnipeg talent who focus on up-cycling fashion. (I won't be going; you couldn't pay me enough to go to Winnipeg in the winter!). If you go, check out the Nightwear exhibition which explores the intimacy of bedroom clothing.

March 9: The infamous Barbie will celebrate her 50th Birthday!!!

March 22: Last day to see The Nature of Diamonds at the Royal Ontario Museum. There are some spectacular diamonds on display. (My favourite jewels were the exquisite diamond dog collar necklace and the two matching black lace cuff bracelets speckled with diamonds!!)

March 31: The exhibition Court Pomp and Royal Ceremony opens at the Chateau de Versailles. The gown belonging to Marie Antoinette which is owned by the Royal Ontario Museum will be on display there. If you cannot attend the show which will run until June 28, 2009 and would like to see photos of this dress, please see my postings from October and November 2008.

And lastly, don't forget to pop over to Blog of a Bookworm. I recently posted a review of 18th Century Embroidery Techniques and tomorrow will post a review of The Art of Dress.

French Fashion Plate Series continued

I should probably write a book about Rose Bertin because I still have so much more to write about her. But today I thought I'd treat my blogging fans to one of my latest creations avec toile.

French Fashion Plate #38
Mixed Media, 9x12 copyright Ingrid Mida, 2009

Rose Bertin, Minister of Trinkets

At the zenith of her success as a marchand de modes, Rose Bertin worked with over 120 different suppliers, including hat makers, hosiers, lace makers, silk mercers, linen suppliers, cord makers, ribbon weavers, flower makers, feather sellers, jewelers, glove makers, furriers, button makers, fan makers, dressmakers, and embroiders. She was at the centre of the Parisian fashion trade.

However, Rose Bertin's close association with Marie Antoinette, her international success as a marchand de modes, and her status as a high profile, unmarried woman sparked considerable resentment along gender and class lines.

To make things worse, Bertin was arrogant and did not hide her feelings of superiority. Even though she was the daughter of a provincial gendarme from Abbeville, she felt her creative genius alone justified her attitude. She did not hesitate to dismiss a potential client's order if she did not feel them worthy of notice, and once refused to serve "the wife of a mere prosecutor from Bordeaux". Bertin's haughty attitude and disrespect led the Baronne d'Oberkirch from Alsace to describe Bertin as "puffed up with self-importance, behaving as if princesses were her equals."

By the 1780s, pamphlets appeared in the press describing Bertin as Marie Antoinette's Minister of Fashion and Minister of Trinkets. And not long after the Queen had pledged personal sacrifice (declaring that the nation needed new warships more than she needed new diamond jewelry), she appeared in public with her flashiest and most extravagant pouf designed by Bertin to date - a tall ship in her hair in homage to the French naval victory against the British in 1778. This sparked further public outrage.

To be continued

Rose Bertin, Minister of Fashion

La Galerie des modes: Fashion Plate mentioning Rose Bertin

Rose Bertin's association with Marie Antoinette reached its zenith in the in the mid-1780s. As the leading marchande de modes, Bertin was known for creating fashion trends, from the pouff to the dress a la Suzanne (a dress with a tight-fitting bodice with a fichu worn with a white skirt and apron inspired by Beaumarchais's play The Marriage of Figaro first performed in 1774).

Bertin loved to brag about her latest collaborations with Marie Antoinette and agreed to sell copies of the pieces she made for the Queen of France, although she was not permitted to do so until two weeks after Marie Antoinette wore the original outfit.

News of the latest fashions was disseminated through fashion plates (like the one shown above from Galerie des Modes) and poupee de modes (fashion dolls). The infamous Marie Antoinette doll which was created with the Queen's features was awaited with "breathless anticipation" in cities across Europe. According to an editor of Le Journal des dames, "fashionable ladies throughout Europe welcomed the oversized, overdressed mannequin with practically as much adulation and excitement as if they were meeting the sovereign herself."

Royalty and aristocrats across Europe flocked to Bertin's atelier. Even the Grand Duchess of Russia bought a number of dresses including "one of silk brocaded with velvet flowers with an overskirt of lace interwoven with gold".

Marie Antoinette rarely wore a gown more than once (this was accepted court practice and even the previous Queen of France Maria Leczinska spent vast sums of money on clothes). In 1776, Marie Antoinette spent 272,000 livres, most of which went to Rose Bertin. Of that sum, 100,000 livres was spent on accessories, even though the Queen's total clothing budget was set at 120,000 livres.

Apparently, Bertin refused to provide detailed accounts of what she had sold to the Queen, which meant that the dame d'atours had no way to verify the charges and had to pay the unsupported bills. It is not surprising that Bertin was dubbed the "Minister of Fashion."

To be continued

Rose Bertin and Marie Antoinette

In October 1773, marchande des modes Rose Bertin set up her boutique called "The Grand Mogol" on the fashionable rue Saint-Honore. The large windows were filled with artistic displays of hats, shawls, fans, silk flowers, laces, ribbons and accessories. The luxurious boutique was adorned with gilded moldings, fine oil paintings, and expensive furniture to complement the sumptuous displays of dresses trimmed with all the necessary accessories.

Bertin was known for her creativity and innovation, especially when it came to hats. She often introduced new styles and people were drawn to the shop to see her latest creations.

According to Marie Antoinette's femme de chambre, Madame Campan (who later wrote her memoirs), the fashionable Duchess of Chartes introduced Rose Bertin to the Queen in the spring of 1774. It did not take long for Marie Antoinette to become dependent on Bertin's taste. In fact, Marie Antoinette insisted on allowing Bertin to participate in her morning toilette ritual, which scandalized the court as etiquette had previously allowed only the most senior and favored courtiers to the ceremony. Marie Antoinette conferred with Bertin in a small chamber and then stepped out to greet her ladies in waiting. Nevertheless this change in the strict etiquette of the French court was viewed by courtiers with disdain, since they did not consider Bertin of sufficient rank to have such privileged access to the Queen.

Bertin capitalized on her close association with Marie Antoinette and labeled herself Marchande de Modes de la Reine. Each season, she would dress a poupee de mode (or fashion doll) and send it to Italy, Spain, England, Sweden and Russia. There was one doll that was endowed with the Queen's face, figure and hair and came with a complete wardrobe of formal court dress. Apparently, this doll caused such a frenzy in England that a satirist writing for the London Spectator "complained about women's inability even to concentrate on church sermons, so preoccupied were they with this doll".

To be continued....

The Rise of Marchandes de Modes and Rose Bertin

Paris has been the center of fashion since Louis XIV, the Sun King, recognized the symbolism inherent in his sartorial splendor. At the top of the French social hierarchy, the King's luxurious, elaborate and ostentatious clothing and accessories created the impression of power, grandeur and prosperity.

Members of the court were expected to follow the lavish dress of Louis XIV. It was recognized that proper dress could provide access to the King and a courtier by the name of Nicholas Faret wrote in 1636 that "clothing was one of the most useful expenditures made at court". The importance of dressing fashionably at court fueled the demand for luxury textiles, ribbons, lace, and related accessories.

Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, designed economic policies that capitalized on this demand. Colbert emphasized the expansion of commerce and the production of textile and fashion-related industries in France. He also regulated the guilds that controlled the manufacture and sale of luxury goods.

Guilds were strictly regulated, with strict rules of conduct and quality control. There were approximately 125 different groups associated with dress (Savary de Bruslon's Dictionnaire Universale de Commerce of 1726). These groups could be categorized into three main groups:
1. manufacturers who provided the raw materials (eg., fabrics and trims)
2. craftsmen and women who produced garments and accessories (eg., corset makers, tailors, glove makers, hat makers, fan makers, jewelers, embroiderers)
3. merchants who sold the goods (mercers, drapers, linen merchants, furriers, hosiers)

Over time, mercers became more and more significant in the luxury goods trade in France. Since they were not allowed to manufacturer goods, only to sell finished products, they developed a range of techniques to make their wares more desirable. Items underwent the process of "enjoliver", prettying up, and shops became gathering places for the fashionable elite.

As fashions changed, with less emphasis on the textile itself and more emphasis given to the trims and accessories, fashion merchants became uniquely positioned to meet the needs of their customers. The marchandes de modes rose to the top of the fashion pyramid.

In 1776, when the guilds were restructured, the importance of the marchandes de modes in the merchant trade was recognized and a new separate guild was incorporated. This was one of the few guilds that allowed women.

The best known marchandes de modes is Rose Bertin (born by the name of Marie-Jeanne Bertin in 1747). Even before she was introduced to Marie Antoinette by the Duchess of Chartes in 1774, Bertin was considered a preeminent fashion merchant, and was known for her creativity, especially when it came to hats.

To be continued ....

Marie Antoinette's Dress at the ROM

I popped into the Patricia Harris Costume and Textile Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum and was stunned to see that Marie Antoinette's dress is still on display. When the dress was first brought out on exhibit in October, the ROM widely advertised that it would only be out of the vault for two weeks. Given the inherent fragility of this garment, it is surprising that the dress has been on display for over three months!

There is now a video of curator Dr. Alexandra Palmer talking about the dress. She did not add much new information except to say that Versailles had asked to borrow the dress.

I also enjoyed listening to one of the textile conservators talk about her work on the dress. Apparently the skirt is badly stained but it is hard to see evidence of that in the dim light of the display case.

In any case, if you have not yet seen the dress and are interested in fashion, it is worth a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum.

Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park Circle, Toronto

Women's 18th Century Court Dress in Versailles

The strict rules for admission of women to eighteenth-century French court required a woman to prove a title of nobility reaching back to 1400 (although special dispensation was made for "favourites" like the King's mistress). The regulation of court dress was a legacy of Louis XIV's plan to bring the aristocracy into line and the guiding rule was "Persons of Quality must now become Persons of Taste". Dress etiquette allowed nobles to visibly demonstrate their place in society and for many, a brilliance of style in dress became their reason for being.

For presentation at court, women had to wear le grand habit de cour (the grand habit). Full court dress consisted of a heavily boned bodice with short sleeves, a full skirt over a large hoop, and a long train. This ensemble was all made of the same fabric, typically silk or satin brocade. The skirt alone typically required 20-25 yards of fabric. Trimmings included lace, ribbons, bows, embroidery, beads, sequins, and sometimes even jewels. A tailleur de corps (always male) made the whale-boned bodice and train, a courturiere made the skirt, and a marchand de mode (like Rose Bertin) provided the trimmings, lace and adornments for the ensemble.

This elaborate and cumbersome gown made it difficult to move gracefully. According to the Marquise de La Tour du Pin the weight of the dress made it impossible to raise the foot in heels three inches high, so the correct movement was to take little gliding steps.

The grand habit was worn for the most formal court occasions such as presentations, balls, baptisms, and marriages of members of the royal family.

Given that Marie Antoinette grew up in a more informal court environment in Vienna, is it any surprise that she rebelled against such rigid dress etiquette and preferred the chemise a la reine, a simple white muslin gown?

(Source: Dress in Eighteenth-Century Europe, by Aileen Ribeiro, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2002).

Marie Antoinette, Madame Deficit

At the height of her glamour (prior to the birth of her first child), Marie Antoinette spent a fortune on clothes, accessories and pouf hairstyles. Although she received an allowance of 120,000 livres per annum to cover these expenses, she often spent far more than that. In one year alone, she ordered 172 new gowns and in 1786, she earned the nickname "Madame Deficit" for spending more than twice her allowance. Her shy, indecisive husband covered her overages without complaint.

According to Madame de Campan's memoirs, Marie Antoinette typically ordered twelve grand habits, twelve robes with paniers and twelve undress robes each season. Everything was given away at the end of the summer and winter seasons to make room for the new. There were three rooms allocated in Versailles for her clothing.

During the Revolution, almost everything belonging to Marie Antoinette was confiscated or destroyed and that is why the dress on exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum which "may or may not belong to Marie Antoinette" is such a rarity.

It is believed that the dress was given to a member of the court who took it to England and passed it down through that family, with alterations taking place and the dress being worn by its new owner in the 1880s.

In 1925, the dress was sold by Christies Auction House to the Royal Ontario Museum for 450 English pounds. The dress is unsigned but has been dated to 1770-1780 and is believed to have come from the marchande de modes of Rose Bertin. It also matches a description of an ivory silk dress worn by Marie Antoinette as noted in Rose Bertin's records.

Is this really Marie Antoinette's Dress?

Is this really Marie Antoinette's dress as the Royal Ontario Museum claims?

In my view, the bodice is altogether too plain and the neckline is too high. And why is the bodice unadorned with ribbons, bows or embroidery?

Compare the bodice to that illustrated in this engraving from the Galerie des Modes, a type of fashion portfolio published in France the later part of the 18th century. The decolletage and the adornments on the bodice are markedly different between the two dresses even though they are dated to be within the same time period (1770-1780).


This Galerie de Mode image from 1778 is said to be of Marie Antoinette in the grand habit de cour. The dress is lavishly adorned with lace, diamonds, pearls, ribbons and tassels.

Yesterday at the lecture on Marie Antoinette's Fatal Flair for Fashion at the ROM, Caroline Weber, author of "Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution", admitted that "the dress may or may not have belonged to Marie Antoinette and may or may not have been from the marchande des mode of Rose Bertin."

The facts that lead the ROM to believe it is Marie Antoinette's dress include:
1. the dress is scattered with embroidered wildflowers, one of the Queen's favourite motifs
2. the peacock feathers in the embroidery are representative of royalty
3. the description of the dress seems to match an entry in Rose Bertin's records that describes "an ivory silk dress"

I would have liked to question Ms. Weber about the bodice and the attribution to Marie Antoinette, but time did not permit. If this was Marie Antoinette's dress, I would hazard a guess that the remodelling of the dress in the 1880s not only included narrowing the dress to remove the paniers but also significant alterations to the bodice.

The dress will be on display at the Royal Ontario Museum for one more week - until Sunday, October 26, 2008. See for yourself and make your own conclusion.

Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park Circle, Toronto
www.rom.on.ca

Marie Antoinette's Dress at the ROM: Photos

This magnificent dress is believed to have been worn by Marie Antoinette in 1780 or thereabouts. It is known to have come from Rose Bertin's atelier, where Marie Antoinette acquired most of her gowns and accessories. Purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum in 1925, the dress has not been exhibited for many years.

Currently on display until October 26th, the dress is a marvel to behold. Because it is behind glass and displayed in low light to preserve the fragile textiles, it is difficult to convey the beauty of the intricate embroidery, applique, beading and delicate workmanship in my photos. It is known that the dress was altered to make it narrower to conform with London fashions of the 1880s.

There is one thing that I find odd about the dress: the plain unadorned bodice with a relatively high neckline. The bodice neckline seems higher than it should be for 1780, especially as the corsets worn at that time tended to push the breasts upwards and into a decollette. I also find it quite surprising that the bodice has no ornamentation or embroidery. Given that most of the portraits of Marie Antoinette show incredibly ornate bodices, I wondered if this is in fact her dress. Or did she chose an unadorned bodice to showcase the incredible royal jewels? Or could it even be possible that the panels that were removed to make the dress narrower were reworked into a simpler bodice for the new owner?

While studying the dress, I heard one visitor remark that the dress was much "smaller" than she expected. She explained that she had envisioned "something larger than life" given the notoriety of Marie Antoinette. But to get a real picture of what the Queen looked like in this dress, one has to imagine the paniers and a pouf hairstyle which would have created a significantly wider and taller silhouette.


Take note of the opulent train. It is known that Marie Antoinette studied with a French dance master to learn to walk gracefully at court. Even if this is not in fact her dress, whoever wore it must have been a vision of loveliness.

Photo Credit: Ingrid Mida, copyright 2008 (Not for reproduction without permission)

Patricia Harris Gallery of Costumes and Textiles
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park Avenue
Toronto, Ontario Canada
www.rom.ca 416-586-8000

Marie Antoinette's Minister of Fashion: Rose Bertin

Marie Antoinette Dress, back view (copyright of Assouline, NY)

I saw the dress today. It was utterly breath-taking! A truly magnificent creation and a work of art. While doing some research on the clothing of this period I found this image of the dress in a book called Marie-Antoinette Style by Adrien Goetz (Assouline, New York, 2005).

Note the beautiful fabric and exquisite embroidery on the train. According to Goetz, Marie Antoinette was known for her great love of fabric. She had a distinct preference for pastel colours (greens, liliacs, and pinks), bouquet motifs and heavy brocades.

The ROM purchased the dress from the Christie's auction house in London, England in 1925. It was attributed to Marie-Antoinette based on the knowledge that it came from the atelier of the Queen's celebrated fashion merchant, Rose Bertin.

The Rachel Zoe of her time, Rose Bertin was a marchande de modes - the equivalent of a modern day stylist. She did not make dresses but completed ensembles and advised on how the wearer could best enhance their dress and coiffure. Apparently her fees were astronomical and Bertin was so well known at court that she was given the moniker of "Minister of Fashion".

Marie-Antoinette often gave away gowns to courtiers at the end of each season and it is believed that this dress made its way to England in such a fashion. It was remodeled around 1870-80 to remove the paniers that would have been worn in 1780s.

Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park Circle, Toronto
www.rom.on.ca 
416-586-5700