Student: Katie Fowler         

Movie Evaluated: Marie Antoinette

1.         In what time period does this movie take place?

The movie takes place in the latter half of the 18th Century, from the day Marie Antoinette leaves Austria to travel to France on April 21, 1770, and ends on October 6, 1789 when Marie Antoinette, and the royal family along with other loyalists, were being taken to the Tuileries in Paris to be held prisoner after Versailles was attacked during the French Revolution.

2.         From your research, summarize and specify the basic silhouette and garment types worn during this period (male & female), accessories, hairstyles, etc. List and describe specific examples of male and female attire, headwear, accessories, etc.

Predominate Styles for Female Dress, about 1770 - 1790, France

 In France, in the 18th Century, there were many popular silhouettes for women. The silhouettes overlapped from year to year, but there were periods of time when one silhouette was more favored over another.

Women wore several layers of clothing. For starters, they wore a chemise next to the skin. The chemise was normally full and the neckline was often edged in lace or ruffles (Tortora & Eubank, 2010), (See Figures 10 and 11).

Over the chemise they wore a corset (See Figure 7).

Next, over the chemise was the pannier (See Figures 6 and 12). Panniers, or hoops, came in many shapes and sizes during the century.

The robe à la française, (See Figures 1 and 2), was the predominate silhouette at mid-century, and it was most popular in France (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). It is distinguished from other gowns with similar silhouettes by the back which has two large pleats that hung from the shoulders to the hem (Blum, 1982). It also often had an attached stomacher panel (Jiminez,2002). (See Figure 16). The robe à la française was used primarily for court appearances in the latter part of the century.

Showing the pleated back. (Cullen, 2003)

"Robe à la française, 1775–1800 French Silk" (Glasscock, 2004)

The robe de cour (See Figures 3 and 17) or grand habit de cour, meaning court dress, was worn for important functions (Blum, 1982). These dresses were most notable for the incredible widths they reached with the aid of the pannier hoops (See Figure 6) under them. Some reached up to 12' wide.

The robe à la polonaise (See Figure 4), which saw popularity from about 1776 to 1787 (Blum, 1982). It was distinguished by the attached overskirt with pulled back fronts that show the underskirt. The overskirt was often pulled back with decorative cords. The robe à la polonaise had short split sleeves.

 The robe à l'anglaise (See Figure 5) is an example of a silhouette that came into fashion later in the century and, while still beautiful and elaborate, is clearly an example of French fashion turning toward more simple silhouettes (Cullen, 2003). The caraco jacket and matching petticoat were at first servants clothing, but came into fashion about 1776 (Blum, 1982).

The previous silhouettes were not abandoned in France, but simple dresses adapted from earlier periods in history started to become popular. The chemise à la Reine could be put on over the head and had a sash at the waist (Blum, 1982). Marie Antoinette had her portrait made wearing such a dress, and it was scandalous because some thought such a simple silhouette was not befitting the Queen of France (Ribeiro, 1988). The portrait (See Figure 15) was created by Vigée Le Brun, and was seen as showing the Queen in dèshabillè (Ribeiro, 1988).

Women in service wore a chemise with a petticoat and a garment that was hip length called a short gown, and they wore aprons, and a cap to cover the hair (Tortora & Eubank, 2010).

Women wore dressing gowns or negligees in the mornings called mantelet au lever de l'aurore before dressing, and when dressed as such she was in a state of undress, or dèshabillè (Blum, 1982).

Women's Accessories 

Under the previous dresses they had purses on strings that were tied around their waists and they could put anything they wished to carry with them in these purses (See Figures 18 & 19) called tie pockets (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). Ladies also started carrying little silk purses. Figure 19 shows Marie Antoinette's little purse she used when gambling (Fraser, 2001).

Fans were very popular in the last quarter of the century and could be quite elaborately decorated (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). In Eighteenth-Century French Fashion in Full Color: 64 Engravings from the "Galerie des Modes", 1778-1787, many of the engravings from the era show the ladies holding folding fans. Parasols were also popular (See Figure 21).

Out of doors women wore capes with hoods, called Longchamps after the place it was first worn, or coats with fur trim, called Grande pelisse d'hiver (Blum, 1982). (See Figures 33 & 34.)

Women's Hair

(See Figures 22, 26, 27, and 24.) In the early 1770s, women were wearing moderately tame hair. It was styled closed to the head with many curls and it was powdered. As the century went on, hair began to rise in height. Headdress was whimsical and fun, but at times also reflected current events and political opinions. As the century came to an end, hair was softer, with looser curls, but was still large. Headdress at this time was large to accommodate the hair and employed lots of lace, feathers, ribbons, and flowers (Tortora & Eubank, 2010).

Predominate Styles for Male Dress, about 1770 - 1790, France

Men wore suits (See Figures 8, 9, 31) that were made up of breeches, coats, and waistcoats (Jiminez, 2002). The breeches were fitted. The waistcoat length was shorter than it had been previously and, unlike in earlier times, was made with different fabric from the coat because the coat was worn open, and more attention was given to showing off the waistcoat (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). There was a stock, a "linen square folded to form a high neckband", that was worn at the neckline for decoration (Tortora & Eubank, 2010, pg. 274).

  Men wore loosely fitted clothing at home. (Figure 32) These styles were called robe de chambre, or dressing gowns, and were worn around the home before dressing more formally (Tortora & Eubank, 2010).

Men's Accessories

Men carried pocketbooks, (See Figure 35) had watches, and rings (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). They wore overcoats, like the one in Figure 37, called a redingote a coqueluchon (Blum, 1982).

 Men's shoes were flatter in the latter part of the century than previously (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). They were often decorated with a buckle on top. (See Figures 36 & 38.)

Men's Hair

In the last part of the century, men were still wearing powdered wigs for formal dress, and other colors for less formal (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). They carried a hat called a chapeau bras (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). They also wore tricorn hats (See Figure 39) (Blum, 1982). The wigs were dressed higher than in previous times, rising at the same time as that of women, but not as high.

TABLE OF ALL FIGURES

*All photos in the table can be clicked on to view a larger image. Simply click your browser's back button to return to the table. Works best in IE.

3.  After conducting your research, view the specified movie and analyze the costuming, answering the following questions; provide visual examples.

a.                   Is the costuming accurate for the time period?

b.                  Are the colors and fabrics used for garments accurate?

c.                   Are accessories appropriately chosen?

d.                  Are the hairstyles accurate for the time period?

  I think the movie honors the spirit of the time period, and creates a Versailles that could have existed. The aim of the film was to propel a very real Marie Antoinette forward, and pull out the characteristics that made her someone that could be relatable to our modern times.

But, in the strictest sense, the costuming is not accurate for the time period.

The silhouettes of the time are represented but they are altered. Many seem too simple and too fitted. Also, sleeves lack the rows of ruffles, stomachers are almost non existent, and the petticoat skirts are often too thin and lack the decoration of the time. In essence the costumes are not far off, but they are pared down, and not as heavy as they would have been at the time. That seems to be the point of the costuming according to Canonero, the films costumer.

At the start of pre-production, Coppola handed Canonero a box of pastel-coloured macaroons from the Ladurée pastry house. “She told me, ‘These are the colours I love’,” recalls Canonero. “I used them as a palette. Sofia was clear about the colouration, but left the rest to me. We squeezed the essence of the period, without reproducing it. Even if you think you know a lot about it,” she argues, “you always have to look for a new angle. I simplified the very heavy look of the 18th century. I wanted it to be believable, but more stylised.”  (The Times, 2006)

In my research, I have looked at hundreds of portraits done at the time and images of articles of clothing of the time, and while the colors from the film are there, they are shades or tints of those colors. For instance, there is no hot pink during that time in any of the items I have looked at, but there is pastel pink. Though the pastels in real life are few, and tended to be used as small accent colors.

In Picturing French Style: Three Hundred Years of Art and Fashion (2002), the portraits from the latter part of the 18th Century show an array of richly textured textiles all in hues of deep blue, bright red, mustard yellow. There is also a heavy use of gold and silver.

In Silk (1996), there is an incredible array of textiles from the period. Heavy, rich textiles one may now associate strictly with upholstery and not costume. In the film the textiles, while pretty and elegant, did not convey this same richness. Also, the textiles seem thinner and lighter than what is depicted in either of the books I cite.

Also, in the film, the textiles appear to be plain for the most part, and this is an extreme departure from the textiles worn in the early 1770s. Those textiles are heavily decorated with embroidery in all of the books and images I found. Textiles later in the century, like those made into the chemise dress, were lighter, and had less decoration.

Textiles from the movie in comparison to the textiles of the era to the right. (Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 11)

Textiles typical of the mid to late 18th Century (Anquetil, 1996)

The folding fans shown in the film are an accurate portrayal of an accessory of the time period (Tortora & Eubank, 2010).

The shoes are accurate in their overall styling. Coppola cutely included a pair of Chuck Taylor tennis shoes in one shot, and they most certainly did not exist at the time.

(Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 13)

The jewelry seems most accurate. I found two portraits of Antoinette wearing dangling earrings and short, choker style necklaces like those in the film. Other people portrayed in the film also wear similar pieces to Antoinette.

The make-up is not accurate as far as heaviness is concerned. The makeup in the movie is more blended and light than it was during the time period. There is a shot of a lady in the crowd as Antoinette is going into Versailles that seems more like what one might expect to see women wearing in those days; although I think it is heavy handed. Fraser and Weber both point out that white make-up was applied to the face with circles of red rouge on the cheeks (2001 & 2007).

(Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 4)

5.   Choose a specific scene of the movie (15 minutes), summarize and list all garments, accessories, headwear, and hairstyles shown during this 15 minute time segment. Specify the appropriate term for each item. Are these items accurate for the time period?

Summary of Clothing Chapters 1 - 4

• Antoinette is dressed in a stylized caraco jacket and matching petticoat before the exchange.

  • From my research, I do not believe this outfit was accurate at all. First, according to Weber (2007), Antoinette's mother had taken great pains to make Antoinette over into the perfect French subject. She had supplied Antoinette with new clothing, all French, she had her teeth painfully straightened, and she had a special hairdresser come to change Antoinette's hair into something more French (Weber, 2007). The outfits worn by Antoinette on her journey were made simple to show the contrast between the supposed simplicity of Austria and the complicated fashion sense of France.

  • Marie was dressed in a grand habit de cour made of lustrous brocade, "beribboned" and tight fitted bodice, with "voluminous" skirts over wide panniers for her journey from Austria (Weber, 2007, pg. 12). If that is the case, the simple outfits Antoinette wears before her exchange in the move do not appear to be accurate.

  • Even though the caraco jacket and petticoat did eventually become fashionable for someone like Antoinette later in the century, it would not have been this early in the century.

  • As Antoinette arrives at the place of exchange, she had her hair up in a pompadour, so the simple, unadorned hairstyle in the movie is most definitely inaccurate (Weber, 2007).

  Figure 10

  

  Her costume at the exchange. The chemise she wears can be seen in the opening at the top of the  gown. Her hair is much to simple as well as the rest of her costume. This is not accurate.

  (Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 3)

   

• Maria Teresa is dressed in a black robe à la française.

  • As Fraser (2001) points out, Maria Teresa stayed in such a dress from the time her husband died until her own death.

  Figure 43

  

  Maria Teresa

  (Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 1)

   

• The men wear suits of breeches, coats, and waistcoats.

  • These items are accurate. The colors are intense, but true to the period.

  • Louis XVI wears bright red like that seen in Figure 31.

  Figure 31

  

  "Man's suit, c. 1775 - 1780"

  (Jiminez, 2002, pg. 58)

   

• The men wear flat shoes with buckles on them, and boots which are accurate to the time. They also wear hose with their breeches.

• The men all wear, or carry, tricorn hats. Some of the hats are decorated with plumes.

  • The tricorn worn by the men in the movie does seem to be true.

• The men have wigs on of various color.

• Among the crowd at the site where Antoinette is handed over to the French, the aunt of Louis XVI is wearing a military style outfit that so closely resembles the man standing behind het that it is as if she put on a man's outfit, complete with the masculine tricorn hat she wears.

  • I do not believe this outfit to be true in any way. First, the hat is that of a man. Second, the styling is so obviously like that of the guards. I think this was done because the aunts of Louis XVI were not happy that Louis XV had made this arrangement to bring Antoinette to France, and Coppola wanted to immediately conjure up a sense of war against Antoinette from the outset.

• Antoinette is dressed in a blue caraco jacket with matching petticoat and a tricorn hat at the exchange. She is wearing a chemise and panniers.

  • The outfit is clearly too simple, and the bodice is too fitted to be accurate. Also, the fabric is too light in color and too thin when compared to the textiles of the time in a book like Silk.

  • I looked everywhere for an example of the tricorn hats women are wearing in the movie. I found one such instance in a portrait of Antoinette in hunting attire, but no other example. While the tricorn is a hat style of this time, I do not think women wore the hat as they do in the movie. Correction: According to my professor, women were wearing the small tricorn at this time.

  Figure 42

  

  Marie Antoinette in hunting costume about age 15 (Fraser, 2001).

• Women in the crowd at Versailles are dressed in various styles. They wear the robe à la française and the robe à l'anglaise.

Figure 44

Women in the crowd at Versailles awaiting the arrival of Marie Antoinette.

(Marie Antoinette, 2006, Chapter 4)

• Besides the tricorn hats discussed above, the women in the crowd wear several styles of straw hats with decorations on them.

  • This is accurate. There were many kinds of hats, or chapeaus, worn at this time in history. As the decade wears on, and hair reaches new heights, the hats are not worn as much, but they soon make a return to fashion as the century ends.

6. Choose 4 additional garments worn throughout the movie and describe, supplying appropriate terms for each item; provide visual examples. Are these items accurate for the time period?

1. Coronation robes of Louis XVI

The coronation costumes worn in the movie are obviously an extremely anemic version of the real life coronation costumes worn. The fur robe worn over the waistcoat and breeches is much more grand in real life. If looked at up close, one can see the breeches Louis XVI really wore were pulled up and ruffled. They were also of some kind of gossamer fabric. His shoes are silver with gold buckles while in the movie Louis wears black shoes. It is also very noticeable that the real Louis VXI's crown was red and gold, whereas in the movie it is all gold. The real Louis XVI has lace at his collar. Also, he holds a tricorn hat with a plume in it.

(Marie Antoinette, 2006, 1:07:57)

(Fraser, 2001, insert)

2. Robe worn by Comtesse du Barry as she leaves Versailles

As du Barry leaves Versailles she is wearing a version of the "Longchamps" robe. The robes are similar in shape, but clearly the movie version is made from much lighter fabric for effect. It billows out in the movie quite dramatically. It also lacks any other decoration unlike the one from the plate in the Blum book (1982).

3. Comptesse du Barry's costume

Costume designer Canonero said in The Times that she "dressed her [du Barry] like an exotic bird, in contrast to the rather naive, innocent queen-in-waiting" (2006). Those words ring so true in this scene. The costume being worn by du Barry is not like any other I have found for the time period. The coloring is like a peacock and the gold lining of the long jacket is flipped back and wrapped up over her arm. There are 64 plates in the Blum book and none of them look like this (1982).

4. Antoinette's chemise gown

The chemise Antoinette wears in the movie is not accurate to the time period. It lacks the fullness in the sleeves and the gathers of the chemise of the time period had. The neckline is lower than the real one, and the neckline is more squared off. I thought this was a really odd choice because the whole point of the chemise was supposed to convey ease and the square neckline does just the opposite.

7.  Briefly summarize the movie.

The movie is an exploration of modern ideas of public scrutiny, like the way our public figures live under the watchful eye of everyone, thus, magnifying all of their behavior, good or bad, to epic proportions. Marie Antoinette lived such an existence. Coppola takes the viewer on the voyage with Antoinette through her time at Versailles, and gives life at Versailles a cotton candy coating. From Antoinette's obvious mixed feelings of anticipation and fear at the beginning of the film. Through her anxiety over her public failures to produce an heir, and then her shrugging off of this pressure through pleasure. She takes retreat from the public at her beloved Petit Trianon, but she is pulled back to Versailles, and her duties. Finally, we see fear return as the world outside floods in, taking her, and her family, prisoner because the French Revolution is in full flower.

8. Was this project a learning experience? Why or why not?

I think it was a learning experience. It was a way to focus on a particular time period and put it under a microscope with the aid of a movie. Marie Antoinette was a great vehicle for this application because the movie is hyper focused on a particular moment in time, and on very specific people during that time period.

At the point of turning in this project after a month of working on it, I could still work on it more. I really only scratched the surface of information available on the time period in comparison with the film.