 |
| Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Portrait of the Comtesse Du Barry. [1771] ? oil on canvas. |
A contemporary description of Madame du Barry...
Showing posts with label Hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hair. Show all posts
Madame du Barry, a known beauty
Marie Antoinette and Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, friends and trendsetters
Who wore it first? Marie Antoinette or Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire??
A Queen's First Appearance or Marie Antoinette's hair
What to wear in your hair!
I have compiled some images of hair accessories from fashionable ladies of the eighteenth century. This is just for fun and to get an idea of some different ways you can accessorize your own pouf , based on history! There are, of course, countless ways to wear your hair, but if you are looking to add a little eighteenth century flair this summer, this post is for you! Have your own fashion ideas? Let us know in the comments section!
Hats! Can be adorned with satin ribbons, plumes and even jewels. Fasten a brooch to a hat for a bit of shimmer. Plumes that droop with weight look elegant, plumes that stand up tall shout for attention!
Pearls: drape a string of pearls through the hair for a very classy look. To attach the pearls use little bobby pins that match your natural hair color. This will make the pearls appear to stay in the hair on their own. You can loop them through curls or just let them dangle down to the side. Tie a small bow on the end of the string of pearls for an added feminine touch.
Plumage! Size matters, as we all know! Add some plumes to your hair for a, dare I say, exotic look? Not only do they suggest a soft, feminine style but they add movement creating a more dynamic look. They come in all shades so get creative! You can also find weighty ones that fall down on the ends or as mentioned earlier, ones that stand up more tall. Even peacock plumes would do! If you are not so ambitious, try using a smaller feather or group a few together on a headband.
Of course there is the classic, flower in the hair! This can be paired up with anything or just worn on its own. This has really never gone out of style. You can attach these to bobby pins or head bands so that they stay in place. Add a faceted bead to the center of your flower for a surprise sparkle.
Summer is a great time to bunch up some fine fabric, spray it with a bit of fabric stiffener and pin it in your hair! That does not sound as good as it looks....If you bunch up some shinny material so it looks full, let some drape down your back and decorate it wtih flowers, brooches, pearls &ct. you will have a stunning and very elegant look. It may take practice to pin this into your hair. I had to create this type of fabric bunch for my , a total summer hat.
Finally, the simplicity of a ribbon or piece of lace may be all you need for a stunning look. There is nothing to it! Just pick your favorite ribbon or band of material. You can even wrap a thin ribbon around some light weight sheer fabric for a more luxurious feel - yet still simple, natural and elegant. Too easy? Wrap a string of beads around it! This is one of my favorite styles because it is easy and looks good on anyone!
Intuitive Style: Princess Elizabeth
Robert Peake the Elder, Princess Elizabeth. c. 1606, Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In this portrait of Princess Elizabeth by Robert Peake, you might notice a rather impressive poof. Truly before her time style-wise, the young princess has her hair piled high and offsets it with pearls, rubies and emeralds. Lovely!With killer eyes and a nice sense of style Elizabeth would become the Queen of Bohemia, but only for a short period. She and her husband were quickly exiled and became royal refugees. Their residence of choice was The Hague and she remained in Holland for the rest of her life, aside from travel!
The Short Story of Powder: France & England
In France, powder was all the fashion. Powder your wig before you go out, or else! The trend was pushed into a corner when the Revolution arrived, because it appeared that those who used it for style were "taking the bread out of the peoples mouths." Powder now had a negative association with the old regime.It was however, still worn by some. Mostly sticklers who liked the old way of doing things, and insistent coiffures. Also the Swiss guard wore powdered wigs for some time. Eventually it became socially unacceptable and instantly out of fashion. The death of powder in France was quick. Now a more natural look had been adopted, that's right, long, flowing, natural locks were all the rage!
Hair Powder in England did not die so quickly! Even with the revolution and Pitt's genius idea to place a Powder Tax, the trend still remained strong. It was a guinea for everybody who used powder. You received a certificate, and if you used powder sans certificate you would be slapped with a £20 fine! ouch!
"The Duke of DEVONSHIRE has paid five and thirty guineas for his family. The Duchess of NORTHUMBERLAND a single guinea for herself, powder is under interdiction among the rest of that family, though not from motives of disaffection. Her Grace assigns a more justifiable motive; namely a scruple of contributing in any unnecessary way to the present scarcity"
John Ashton, Times June 12 1795
In Health and In Sickness: Fashion at Heart
 |
| Christian Lacroix |
The Fashionable Man: Hair Edition
Yes, Marie and Georgiana spent countless hours sitting for a coiffeur who worked miracles out of pomade and powder. And the men, well they just sat back and complained about the frivolity and cost of the whole ordeal. right????Well not quite! The fashionable men wore their hair both powdered and curled, and don't think they woke up every morning and fixed their curls.
Every man had his own coiffeur ( there were over 1200 mens hairdressers in Paris by 1780!), and although your typical guy did not ask for his hair to be piled three feet above his head
(see left) but they did request their hair to be styled in the latest fashion. For the men, like the ladies, hair design was constantly changing. One week it could be all the fashion to wear two horizontal curls along side the face and the next week four of these curls was the only way to go.Average time to be styled was about an hour. They wore pomade as the ladies did, and scented powder of their choosing. Like the ladies again they would have to cover their faces when it was powder time.
Okay, now I am going to ask you to visualize this:
Prince Kaunitz chose to have 20 or so men line up in a gallery, and while making a huge cloud of powdered mist he would run quickly down the hall ensuring an even layer of fine dust on his hair-doo. Yeah.
So, were the men actually complaining about the frivolous women? Yes
indeed! and to make a point that they (the men) did not fall victim to such frivolities they would often throw their hat on as soon as their coiffure had finished, messing it up a bit. This made the bold statement: Yea, I look good and I know it. But I don't give a damn about 'fashion' or 'hair'.
I'm not addicted to drugs, I'm addicted to glamour
Leonard, coiffeur to the Queen knew how to make a hair doo a hit. Marie wore his creations as the forefront of fashion. His materials were horse hair and gauze, decor, pomade and powder. He was absolutely full of himself. I guess I couldn't be too blunt with that. All one had to do to arrange a meeting with Leonard was to tell him that they admired his fine work. He was self proclaimed, "Academician of coiffures and fashion."
He rarely paid off accounts to other merchants, and if bothered by them would exclaim, "Later, Later!" or send around a boy to deal with them.
A week after Marie had given birth to her first child, Marie-Therese de France, December 18, 1778, she called Leonard, in urgency, because she noticed her hair was falling out! He agreed to help the new mother. Every day he would treat her scalp in effort to restore her hair.
A week after Marie had given birth to her first child, Marie-Therese de France, December 18, 1778, she called Leonard, in urgency, because she noticed her hair was falling out! He agreed to help the new mother. Every day he would treat her scalp in effort to restore her hair.Leonard, panicky, began to go to perfumers to see if there was anything to prevent hair loss. He received several oils that were suppose to have restoration effects. After 18 months of treatments the situation had not been resolved!
Marie was still losing her hair and to say the least Leonard was
alarmed. In a desperate attempt, Leonard received (by help of the Queens perfumer) a pomade of jasmine, tuberose, citron & jonquil. Amazingly her hair stopped falling out!
But damage had been done, she had lost a good portion of her hair. He delicately suggested that she adapt a new style he created solely for her majesty. The coiffure a l'enfant. The thought of cutting her hair so short horrified the Queen, but she let Leonard do it anyway. And a new fashion was born!
For more information on Marie Antoinette's perfumer check out: A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
