13 thoughts on “The Royal Exchange Mish-Mashes the Early 18th Century

    1. Agreed. This was more or less a dressing gown at the beginning, NOT something you’d wear at court. Versailles was it’s own little world, with it’s own rules, and even styles highly fashionable in Paris would be frowned upon in Versailles. Marie Antoinette paid dearly for not taking this into account. Otherwise, if the background and/or dresses are black with crosses on it? We’re in Spain…French historical cliché.

      1. Fair point, but I’ll bet the volante was worn at court for non-formal occasions – the princess palatine complained about dressing gowns worn at a ball in 1699 for example.

  1. That portrait by Francois de Troy makes Mariana look like a scaled down adult. Louis XV doesn’t look much better.

  2. Goes on my to see list. Also wasn’t the Mantua style court dress popular at French Court? I seem to remember the Victoria and Albert with a few on display.

    And yes children were dressed as small adults.

  3. OOOOH a story that includes the Spanish Bourbons! (I have a certain weakness for Philip V and his family, specially the love story between Ferdinand VI and Barbara de Braganza.)
    Sees the Spanish
    Sees them all in black
    Sideyes HARD
    One of these days we will stop being depicted as the people who only wore black.

    1. ETA: well, not all exactly in black. But really.

      Also, I think the ball snood might be supposedly a maja snood? If it is, it is totally out of place. (and time, if I remember well)

  4. Wow those kids look adorable. I’m very interested to see small children in a court setting, as they were expected to look like adult and almost act like them too. I don’t mind them aging up the girl because a better performance makes it worth it. She does look very young.

  5. Are you sure that’s lacing up the back of that delicious ruby red riding habit and not just a stripe of gold trim run up the back as a detail?

    1. Yes, the riding habit seems to open at the front and the golden line is just a trim, but the other dress in the picture is the one with the back lacing.

  6. I just saw this film, which was a stately procession through a period of history about which I knew nothing; I confess to being a bit confused by some of the in-fighting in the early scenes (you get a lot of names thrown at you in rapid succession), and more than a bit exasperated by little King Louis XV’s “feather blown with all winds” approach to decision-making. Especially where it concerned his completely adorable fiancee, who looked about six–she effortlessly steals every scene she’s in without doing anything at all cutesy, and she looks wonderful in the mini-adult formal gowns. I love the way she curtsies, sticking out her little bottom and looking down as if she’s dropped something on the floor. There’s a line in Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, where the doll’s dressmaker remarks on the difficulty of finding dolls’ waists–sort of the same situation when you’re dressing six-year-olds to look as if they are corseted–but that scene when she was having her portrait painted looked amazing. She also has little dabs of powder in her spiffy hairdo!
    Not a great film–very slow-moving–but the frock coats (and the dress Mariana wears as Infanta of Spain) and the frothy lace pieces were lovely.

    1. I just saw the film.
      The costumes are OK, but not very good. What I didn’t like at all was that coat of the king he is wearing very often with the red cuffs, which are too long, you even can not see the shirt or ruffles. I think that they simply used the material they had because it’s obvious that most men’s clothes are not fit for 1720s but for 1740s.
      What surprised me completely was the regent, who has his own hair instead of a formal wig and is portrayed as a cautious old men, although the historical duke is famous for his orgies and sexual appetite. Philippe Noiret did a better Job in the 1970s although the costumes in Taveriniers film were even worse then here.

      I think that the film is not about correct costumes. The costumes are just to reflect the character of the figures.
      The infamous Condé never has a proper hair style and the king has to have only a simple ribbon in his hair to show that he doesn’t care about his appearance.

      Nevertheless I loved the film and recommend to watch it in the Cinema. Unfortunately it was too short in the cinema here (2 weeks only). Great style of camera and great Pictures. I think that the film earns more credit and is not weaker than “The Favourite”.

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