MADreads

Revolutionary style

October 16th, 2006 Molly - Central

A boon of recent Marie Antoinette titles will no doubt please fans of ”Madame Deficit” and shed some light on how her expensive style rebellions reflected political power and feminist strength.  Even as she was the subject of enormous criticism, she was copied by noblewomen and servant girls alike, and sent standard conventions racing out of Versailles.  

Caroline Weber’s painstaking research in Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution pieces together a lot of the history that was destroyed during the French Revolution, when Marie Antoinette’s couture was torn to shreds.  Whereas Antonia Fraser and Carolly Erickson offer excellent biographical information, Weber’s work really delves into the colors, fabrics, jewels and cost of dressing a Queen.  At the time of her wedding, Marie Antoinette’s trousseau cost more than $400,000 livre, or the equivalent of ten million U.S. dollars today.

Devotees may also want to place a hold on Abundance:  A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund that will be hitting the shelves shortly.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction