Thank you for these beautiful pictures and the information you gathered. I do not have any new facts to share, just some photos from a store window display at Demel's in Vienna (click here, please), with a poster from the Marie Antoinette movie surrounded by a variety of "period" cakes and tortes.
I've been meaning to say hello to you. I enjoy your photography and asthetic. I have been reading your blog for a bit, actually from about the time you moved. I too live in the same small town...and I love it most of the time.
As for the pale look, wasn't it also quite common to use lead based make up which often led to serious illness?
I just finished watching this movie (like half an hour ago) and I loved it. Kirsten Dunst isn't usually an actress I enjoy, but she does a great job in this role and the whole movie is so very beautiful. A great one to own so you can watch it over and over and revel in the lovliness. (And shoes - much much shoe revelling). Enjoy!
I've not seen this movie... but I should. It looks stunning.
Happy Valentine's Day! Can't wait for Friday!! :D
OK..FIRST! THANKYOU for the LOVELY birthday gifties! I owe you a more proper thanks..(BY PHONE) (have an idea for when I come to visit too). Let's shoot for the weekend on this!
ANYHOO...back to the gift! I am so excited to now have 3 of your beautiful pendants! It's like a little collection now...and I am going to splurge and try to take the time to make myself a necklace that will show case all 3 pieces! And speaking of paper flowers...YUM! I can't wait to play with that kit!!
xoxoxox
NOW...I think this movie should be paying you for all of the fabulius advertising you do for them! Seriously...can't wait to hear how you liked it!
Hope you two had a wonderful Valentines! We got snowed in, so I didn't have to work last night, so it was a SUPAH'evening!
Thank you for visiting my blog! I loved the Marie Antoinette scenes at Demel's a lot (usually there was a group of people standing in front of the windows, admiring the gorgeous display). Still haven't seen the movie, though.
I put new pictures of Demel's shop window on my blog today.
I know the reviews haven't been great for Marie Antoinette, but I plan to see it just for the eye candy.
Here's something I remembered from my costume history class (one of my favorite college classes): after wars or plagues, replenishing the population was necessary, and so emphasizing a person's reproductive ability was the fashion. Think Empire style gowns at the turn of the 19th century, or the enormous codpieces during Henry VIII's reign (love Empire gowns, codpieces, not so much) :o)
I absolutely love this movie! Some reviews were'nt fantastic but i think it is such a wonderful film. The imagery, the costumes- all gorgeous. Kirsten Dunst was amazing.
Thanks for the stunning film stills you've posted 
now i'm even more excited to see the movie!
this should be in my mailbox from netflix on tuesday!
God, your blog is STUNNING! Why aren't I here everyday???
The time of Marie Antoinetten has many influences on all sorts of things that we wonder about. In those day women wore hip paniers ( panays) that were like bustles but out each side. The could be stuffed pillows or huge cage like things. As wealth or staus grew so did they to the point that a ladie would have to go sideways through a door and opening and going through them was so silly that formal double doors were adopted ( a silly thing when you are trying to heat a castle) and the idea that a man should open a door for a lady. The idea of our dining chairs as well came from this time. Formerly benches or chairs all having arms had been the fashion. But during the time of hip paniers you really did not know who would be seeated at dinner and the paniers would not fit so all arms on dining chairs came off save the one with arms for the male host.
On formal occasions wigs were very tall and "glued" together with honey and flour. They had decorations like ships and carriages and were heavily powdered. They were very inviting to [ests and this is where the idea of a "rats nest" came from.
Heavily corsetted a womans waist was to be the same measurement as the measurement around her face. Lead based powders we used for a pale look as well.
But although times were glamerous for the rich it was miserable to be poor, old or a child. Women often died of childbirth fever as they lay unwashed in there bed with no sanitation. It was felt that they should not move for 5 days.
When they burned the bed linens and drapes of Marie's bed they were left with 28 pounds of gold from the melted gold thread.
I too look forward to seeing the movie.
Utterly fascinating!
Thanks so much for indulging me with more details of fashion & Marie Antoinette's history. I'm really enjoying reading what everyone has added here.
The cinematography & costumes were to die for in this film, it was like watching a dream sequence. There's a scene where they attend a masked ball, that truely made my heart go all aflutter! But as a history buff, the storyline did leave a lot to be desired... you really do have to go into watching this movie knowing that it's a VERY stylistic representation of the period. But I was still so at ease, because it's just so visually stunning. A treat for the eyes!
I've been waiting to see this one, also. Our theatre doesn't always get the movies that appeal the most to me. Miss Potter is another one that I can hardly wait to see.
I loved it. The movie is so very beautiful. Thanks for the details and the history of Marie A.
Ok, all this talk of movies makes me think we should have a girls' night and watch a "chick flick"--or maybe rendezvous for a matinée! I might even dress up for such an occasion! :D
What say all of you??
Oh... and UPDATE! Heh. :D
This is now my all time favorite movie. I've never seen anything so beautiful before. It was candy to my soul! Glad I'm not the only one soooo in love with it!
Wende... I love that idea! Yes, let's!
& I'm so tickled that despite the bad reviews for Marie Antoinette, there are so many people who can look beyond the negative things someone else has to say and see the beauty in something non conventional! You all rock!
Men were the first to try to show off their legs. John Hancock, the signer of the Declaration of Independence, was very proud of his legs. He was quite handsome actually. Love this post!
Oh loving my music on my roadtrips forevermore! Thank you again! And again...
So on this Marie theme. We just did a collaboration of Marie inspired artworks and so many facts have been rumored through emails. The worst of them being my favorite:
Supposedly they used a lot of flour in their hair for the white effect. Well mixed with no bathing the flour would mix with the oils from the scalp and form a sort of dough or cheese! (Ya! That's what I said) But it gets worse. So apparently the little palace critters would get so bad and be after them at night to nibble on some tasty bits of hair cheese. I have heard that there are actually documents that prove there was an invention in use that was a cage that covered the hair and kept the rats out at night!
I was horrified by this news and have since used this as a reminder of the circus mentality that seems to be part of the times and is also good for me to know since I love to glamorize other times and cultures. Pretty crazy eh?
I learned a lot of weird fashion facts as an art history major. Blonde hair was so prized (around the same time as pale skin), that women would use things like urine to lighten their hair! Ew. I learned that when discussing a portrait of the Duke and Dutchess of Urbino (google it!). Also, they liked big foreheads, so they would shave back their hairline. The things we do to look beautiful!
I took a costuming class in college too...the white skin was so prized because it differed from laborers who got tan while working outside. the paler you were, the more aristocratic you were, presumable. and red soles on shoes originated in Louis XIV's court...and are now used by Louboutin. Maybe Mr. Louboutin drew inspiration from the styles of the sun king.
I saw MA on opening night and fell instantly in love. It is a very stylized take on history, but I think the historic tidbits are almost an accessory to the movie, instead of the basis. whatever her motivation, we're left with a fabulous movie and so many artists have found years worth of inspiration from it.
i loved the movie for the same reasons, my favorite scene was when she went to the farm/countryside and was walking in the sunshine fields...sigh sigh sigh!
Did you see the Oscars last night, Marie Antoinette won for best costume design and rightfully so!!
I have been wanting to see that movie too, but thank you for reminding me about the film stills, they are perfect even just for color sampling, brilliant!
Love you blog!
Cheers
KSV, I missed it... my cable's out!
I'm so happy to hear that they won for best costume since they were such a visual feast! The shoes... were as pretty as cake!
Thanks for this post! I wish you could have seen this movie in the theater! Just amazing. I was daydreaming about it for weeks afterwards. Just a mysterious and absolutely LOVELY thing to watch! I want to buy the DVD to soak in the richness all over again. (Now that I have done the research and actually KNOW the story behind this lovely lady, Marie Antoinette.)
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