Caroline Weber

Ah, Marie Antoinette - damned if you do, damned if you don't. She was lambasted for her 'sartorial rebellion' of not wearing stays and preferring pantalons to ride horses astride instead of side saddle, and also for spending millions on new creations by Rose Bertin (although Josephine Bonaparte's shopping addiction was far worse, and she should have known better!) Then, when the Queen started wearing lighter, simpler dresses made out of gauze, she was once again public enemy number one for show more single-handedly ruining the domestic silk trade and not looking 'regal' enough! She spent too much, she didn't spend enough. She offended the rich, she insulted the poor. Too much frippery, not enough finery. Let's face it - the French hated her for not being French.

This is basically another biography of M-A, with research cribbed from other biographers like Antonia Fraser and Evelyn Lever, but with the focus on what the Queen wore, from being stripped of her Austrian heritage (and newly purchased French clothes!) in the middle of a forest as a young girl to the forced simplicity of her final white gown in 1793: 'White is the colour of a ghost too beautiful, or at least too wilful, to die. White the colour of the pages on which her story has been - and will be - written. Again and again and again.' I learned so much more about Marie Antoinette, despite having read various other biographies, and developed a deeper respect for her 'frank and independent' nature. Was she perfect? No. She used fashion and fortune to fill the gap until she became a mother and a queen. Did she try to change when she realised that her subjects hated her? Yes, but too little too late. Was she the only woman in history defined by what she wore and how much she spent? Hell, no! Marie Antoinette is fascinating, and will continue to captivate historians, writers and directors for many years to come, and I will buy, read and watch everything about her. show less

This dense nonfiction explores the lives of three women who Proust used as a composite to create his famous character, the Duchess of Guermantes, in [In Search of Lost Time]. Having recently read this novel, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it had been published.

The three women, Geneviève Bizet Straus, Laure de Chevigné, and Élisabeth Greffulhe, (I've shortened their names and titles significantly for convenience!) were staples of the French monde. They were known for their show more beauty and dominance of society. They were significantly different from each other, and Weber does a wonderful job of bringing them each to life separately. They do have things in common, such as loveless marriages, sometimes even abusive, and a shallowness that likely came with their focus on being popular. These traits were central to Proust's novel.

Geneviève Straus's first husband was the composer Bizet of Carmen fame. When he died young she never forgot him despite remarrying. She was an opium user, had a facial tick, and would often entertain in a comfortable but risque nightgown.

Laure de Chevigné was a descendant of the Marquis de Sade. She had an interesting way of speaking, using made up slang and also pursued typically male pursuits like hunting and putting herself in male circles.

Élisabeth Greffulhe was probably the most stereotypical example of a mondain superstar. She consistently made a splash at every ball with her eccentric and beautiful costumes. She gathered men to her, always having many men declaring love for her while she kept them at a distance. It seems she rarely if ever consummated any of these relationships, simply wanting the attention and adoration. She was a beauty, often compared to a swan and painted by many famous artists of the time.

Proust met these three in the order I've described them, at first being obsessed with meeting them and then becoming disillusioned with how boring he found their salons. Weber has written a book that strikes a great balance of describing these women and their lives with source material and also connecting them to Proust's famous novel as characters. She gets the balance between analyzing the book and separating these women from it just right.

I think this will mainly appeal to readers of [In Search of Lost Time], but those who have an interest in the lives of high society women in early 1900 France might also be interested. I loved it.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 715 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: nonfiction relating to Proust show less

To think that the gorgeous gaulles worn by the Queen precipitated the French Revolution would be a bit of a stretch. Caroline Weber, in her book "Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution" notes that the kingdowm showed signs of terminal illness well before Marie Antoinette left Vienna to marry Louis Auguste. Symptoms including, but not limited to; a depleted financial state and national ego brought about, in part, by The Seven Years' War, the backing of the colonists in show more the American Revolution, poor harvests that set the stage for the Flour Wars, the over taxation of the Third Estate made even worse by the King's lits de justice and autocratic manner, the usual malcontents at Versailles and in the Palais Royal, as well as the ostentatious and sumptuous behavior of the ancien regime in general. Though Marie Antoinette, by her very nature and breeding, may have been understandable out of touch with her subjects, by being so became an icon for the corrupt and incompetent monarchy, still she cannot be held responsible for the Revolution. And, I believe, no one really thinks she was.

In fact she gave up (those may not be the right words) quite a lot as the Dauphine and later Queen. Yet, what she removed from her royal body; paniers, her grand corps, the satorial robe a la francaise, the grand habit de cour, she replaced with less formal but equally as expensive gaulles, chemises, chapeaus a la mode and, of course, the pouf. So in the end not only did she do nothing to releave the working-class and lower-class of their justifiable perception of a world in decline, but she also challenged their tratitional ideas of how the monarchy should appear, both literally and figuratively.

Caroline Weber presents a Marie Antoinette more comfortable in English muslin, linen and ribbons then in French silk, velvet and jewels. Though a woman of fine taste, a true trend-setter with a good fashion sense and eye, she was moving stylistically in a direction few could fallow. Yet, Caroline Weber makes the ironic point that by dressing in a manner keeping with a certain Rousseauian ethos she was, through fashion, consciously or not, bridging a gap between the people and the royalty they despised. One wonders, would they even if they could, accept a new fashion aesthetic? Style, with a capital "S," was not yet in the minds of the working and lower classes and given the hard times, could hardly be other wise. Another interesting parallel is between her, as a woman with no real power at court(at least at the start) and the Third Estate's lack of polictical power.
In the end what the Queen wore to the Revolution would make no difference. Again, I don't think Caroline Weber is saying it would. She is only and delightfully describing one woman's (admittedly the Queen of France) experience with haute couture and its regrettable political and social consequences. Something was rotten in Paris and Marie Antoinette would have been damned and decapitated regardless.

I truly loved this book and took it everywhere I went for the last week. Caroline Weber has drawn upon a wealth of sources from the 18th to the 21st century and the notes are fabulous. "Queen of Fashion" is one of those few books that are equal parts scholarship and a joy to read. show less

Amazing. Initially I thought that this would be a history of fashion and style during Marie Antoinette's reign, but Weber provides so much more than that. Weber begins with the story of Marie Antoinette arriving in the French court and her struggle to find a place and with incredible reseach ties it back to her choirce of clothing and even how she later chose to ride a horse at court.

Her decision to be a non-corset wearing Dauphine, could on the surface could be perceived as merely an issue show more of comfort but ultimately was a play on perception, power and control. Tidbits about the conditions at Versailes were equally fascinating. Dress was completely about how much influence and status each person did or seemed to have. Manipulation by the Queen's sisters in law and the competition with DuBarry reads like any modern soap opera with all the necessary twists and turns.

The vast sums of money spent by the Queen to not only influence fashion but also to sway opinions around her ability to drive the King's decisions would ultimately backfire and lead to her and her family's demise. If you want lots of really neat and juicy detail, then this book is for you. Even to the end Marie Antoinette drove how she would appear in public and what she stood for through her choice of dress both in color and style.

I would imagine that not until Imelda Marcos has there ever been a woman so reviled for her expenditures on "frivolous" clothing and accessories all while their countrymen suffer from extreme poverty.

This book is rich and there is so much to enjoy, over 150 pages of footnotes which enhance the experience for us nerds who always want more! show less