marie antoinette

The Fashion Statement: Bouffants are Back

The bouffant, the piled-high hairstyle popularized in the late '50s and early '60s, is back!

Amy Winehouse has been rockin' a beehive for years. But, this year, bouffants kicked into high gear and were seen on the runways of Chanel, Dior, Oscar de la Renta (above) and Vera Wang. On the celeb front Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson and Kate Beckinsale have all given it a whirl.

Bouffant. Pompadour. Whatever you call it, it was born in France, reportedly first introduced by Madame de Pompadour who was a mistress of Louis XV. But the real bouffant as we know it today was created for Marie Antoinette, who apparently wanted to mask her thin hair. Closer to the truth, it was the fashion. And, as we know, Antoinette was not exactly known for her restraint.

According to Daring 'Dos: A History of Extraordinary Hair, by Mary Trasko, both Pompadour and Antoinette wore their hair high on the forehead, either brushed over a pad or "frizzed." Some estimated the towering styles stretched three feet high. Hair was such a production back then, women slept propped up on pillows. Our quips today that animals could live in those things was more than partly right-the pomades back then were made of lard and attracted vermin.

By the '60s, the style had become so commonplace in the West, it spread to American suburbs. Throngs of women made their weekly trips to the hair salon, usually Fridays. Wash. Set. Tease. And use lots of industrial strength hair spray. Teachers complained about girls whose hair was so big that they blocked other students from seeing the blackboard.

Gallery: The Fashion Statement: Bouffants are Back

Tags: Amy Winehouse, bouffant, Chanel, HairStyles, Lady Gaga, Madame de Pompadour, Marie Antoinette, Vidal Sasson

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L'Wren Scott and the Return of du Barry Red

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Charity

In a brief but exclusive interview with Luxist, designer L'Wren Scott, Mick Jagger's gal pal, describes her single-handed revival of a scarlet luxe with a history.

Both the style and charm of Madame du Barry, who, like Marie Antoinette met the guillotine for her extravagance, have been significantly underappreciated historically. Wearing her own dreamy spring collection at a Haiti benefit, press-shy designer L'Wren Scott, model turned stylist and now Mick Jagger's girlfriend, sets the record straight.

Versailles, Sunday, 22 April, 1769, Presentation of Madame du Barry at Court

"Richelieu had ordered a dress fit for a queen with enormous panniers of silver and gold cloth bespattered with diamonds and a train of inordinate length. . . . The extraordinary thing about Jeanne du Barry was that, for all her sordid past, she still managed to look as innocent as any virgin, with a skin so delicate it hardly required any rouge, teeth of dazzling whiteness in a small, naturally scarlet mouth, blue, yes, made all the softer by their long dark lashes." Joan Haslip, "The Wages of Beauty"

May 6, 2010 L'Wren Scott, in a nod to Louix XV's famously big-spending mistress, wears du Barry red to a Manhattan benefit for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

RxHaiti was a benefit that counted. On Monday, May 6, a well-populated rooftop cocktail soiree and auction in New York, hosted by Mick Jagger and designer L'Wren Scott, benefited earthquake survivors in need of replacement limbs.

On a sparkling, clear evening atop the 20-story Scholastic building in SoHo, a wrinkly Mick Jagger bounded into the room wearing fresh New Balance running shoes, skinny jeans, a gray blazer with schoolboy dark edging around the lapel, and the characteristic lips and undone coif. In the open air, next to gal pal L'Wren Scott, who towers a head taller, Jagger brandished a Sharpie to sign the glossy keyboard cover of a screaming red baby grand being auctioned to raise funds for prosthetic limbs. A vast glass atrium, also on the roof, housed further auction items, including guitars signed by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono. A handler correctly mentioned to actress Rachel Weisz that her buddy Naomi Watts would turn up at any moment. "I love charities that focus on something very specific," Weisz told Luxist.

Tags: fashion, lwren scott, madame du barry, marie antoinette, mick jagger, naomi watts, new york city, rachel weisz, rx haiti, style, versailles

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Breguet Ref. 1160 Marie Antoinette Replica Pocket Watch To Be In LA & NYC

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Want to check out the Breguet Ref. 1160 pocket watch that you've been hearing so much about? Didn't get a chance to see it while it was at the Breguet exhibit at the Lourve in Paris? Well if you are in Los Angeles or New York City at the right times in October, you'll have your chance to see this amazing replica. No, you won't get to see the original. That is going to be unavailable for the masses to enjoy out side of the vault display in Israel for a while I suspect.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is pretty simple and you can Google it for more details, though understand that no one really knows the whole story, so take what you read about the "later history" of the watch with a grain of salt. Breguet was commissioned almost 200 years ago to make the most complex watch in the world for Marie Antoinette. She died before it was completed, but Breguet eventually finished the Marie Antoinette Pocket watch after years of efforts. After passing ownership several times over the years, the watch eventually ended up as part of a pocket watch and clock exhibit at a museum in Jerusalem, Israel. There it was mysteriously stolen in the early 1980s, and just as mysteriously discovered again about 2 years ago. Which leads me back to the replica. Swatch Group (which owns Breguet) owner Nicolas Hayek wanted to make a replica of the Marie Antoinette watch that was faithful to the original. Only problem is that he didn't have the original to model it after. All that existed were some diagrams and photos. Ironically, soon after the replica was finished, the original turned up. I am sure the people who spent the few years painstakingly trying to reproduce the pocket watch were frustrated to say that least - that if they had only waited a bit longer they would have had the original to check out. Oh well!

Breguet is planning a quick tour of the Breguet Ref. 1160 to be shown at the Breguet Boutiques in LA and NYC this month (see details below). The one-off piece is NOT for sale, but you'll conveniently be at a Breguet store if you are feeling up to a new timepiece acquisition.

Beverly Hills
October 14 (10-2 pm)
October 15 & 16 (10-6 pm)
The Breguet Boutique
280 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Telephone: (310) 860-9911

New York City
October 19 (2-6 pm)
October 20 & 21 (10-6 pm)
The Breguet Boutique
779 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10065
Telephone: (212) 288-4014

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 1160, boutique, breguet, marie antoinette, MarieAntoinette, pocket watch, PocketWatch, replica

Breguet Ref. 1160 Marie Antoinette Pocket Watch Perfect Replica On Display At Louvre

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

When I first mentioned that Breguet was going to have an exhibit at the Louvre I speculated that they might include as part of the collection the special Ref. 1160 pocket watch that was a painstakingly made (over three years of work) replica of the original Breguet Marie Antoinette pocket watch that was itself completed in the 1840s after almost 40 years of efforts. The exhibit does in fact display the Ref. 1160 pocket watch nicely and fans of the Breguet brand or horological history should check out the exhibit if they are in Paris up until the 6th of September. In addition to the Ref. 1160, there are a number of very interesting Breguet pocket watches, chronometers, clocks, and other items that you'll probably never get a change to see, all in beautiful restored condition.

For more information check out the mini site for the Breguet Louvre exhibit.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 1160, breguet, exhibit, information, louvre, marie antoinette, MarieAntoinette, museum, paris, pocket watches, PocketWatches, swiss

Christian Louboutin's $5,660 Shoe

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

So I'm feeling a bit deflated because I thought these shoes, from Christian Louboutin, which are sold in UK pounds (£3,975) but at today's USD price (according to OANDA) are $5,660, were pricey. And then I saw this post from my colleague Rigel. I'm willing to bet, however, that for many of us, $5,660 is still a chunk o' change for shoes.

Only 36 pairs of these Marie Antoinette-inspired shoes are being made in each color -- ballerina pink, bright yellow, and blue. That means that only 108 women (unless you buy multiple pairs) will have the opportunity to (try to) walk in these high-heeled creations, which are embroidered by Jean-Francois Lesage, a man behind many a couture gown, and decorated with crystals and ribbons. If you prefer to keep these showpieces safe in their box each night, no worries -- they come with a special box.

Available February 24 at a Louboutin boutique near you.

[Thanks, Lana]

Tags: christian louboutin, ChristianLouboutin, fashion, heels, louboutin, louboutins, marie antoinette, MarieAntoinette, shoes

No Sale For Marie Antoinette's Pearls or Orson's Oscar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Both Christie's and Sotheby's had auctions this week with some very important items that failed to sell. Perhaps the last few weeks before the Christmas holiday is not the best time to hold big auctions, although certainly either one of these items could have made a once-on-a-lifetime present.

The only Oscar given to Orson Welles, the one for writing Citizen Kane, did not receive a suitable bid and Sotheby's pulled it off the auction block. All offers were well below the minimum price set by the seller. It was hoped that the Oscar would sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million, raising money for the Dax Foundation, a Los Angeles-based charitable group. The statuette may now be sold privately. A screenplay of Citizen Kane did bring in $97,000.

For Christie's it was a set of historic pearls that turned out not to sell. The pearls which had been given by Marie Antoinette to a British countess for safekeeping after she was imprisoned during the French Revolution, did not sell during the Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale on Wednesday. The pearls, which were later set into a necklace containing rubies and diamonds, were estimated to sell for up to $815,000.

Tags: auction, christies, marie antoinette, orson welles, oscar, pearls, sothebys

Marie Antoinette's Pearls Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Recently I told you about the gorgeous pearls that will hit the block at Sotheby's in December. Of course, their toughest competitor Christie's also has a jewel auction in December with another set of pearls with historical provenance. The necklace shown here is made of natural pearls, diamonds and rubies and will go on sale at Christie's in London on December 12. The pearls once graced the neck of Marie Antoinette and were smuggled out of revolutionary France by Lady Elizabeth, the Countess of Sutherland. The pearls were later mounted onto a necklace for the wedding of Lady Elizabeth's grandson and have remained in the family for over 200 years. The necklace was made in 1849 and has a fringe of 21 graduated drop-shaped gray natural pearls, each suspended from an old-cut diamond collet, and connected to a diamond ribbon which intertwines with a ruby collar. The collar is set with 12 button-shaped gray natural pearls mounted in gold. This amazing piece is estimated to sell for between £350,000 and £400,000.

[via The Independent]

Source

Tags: auction, diamonds, marie antoinette, MarieAntoinette, natural pearls, necklace, pearls, rubies