Marie Antoinette Research Paper

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Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) is perhaps one of the most famous French Monarchs. Born an Austrian princess she married into the House of Bourbon. She alongside her husband, King Louis XVI, were the last monarchs to rule the French. Marie Antoinette had a very big impact on French History but most importantly, the French fashion. At the tender age of 14, Marie Antoinette was sent to France by her mother, Maria Theresa of Holy Roman Empress , to be the wife of the future king of France. On her way to France, just after she set foot on the foreign soil of Bourbon, she was asked to get rid of all of her things from Austria. The young Austrian princess burst into tears in front of many noble people’s staring as she was stripped bare and…show more content…
She showed great interests in everything except for state affairs. Extreme extravagance was the Queen’s trademark. Towards the end of the Enlightenment period, Marie Antoinette became the leader of French fashion, as well as her dressmaker Rose Bertin. During the Enlightenment period, a new silhouette for women was developing. Wide hoops were worn under the skirts and it extended sideways. This became a staple. Extremely wide hoops or panniers were worn to formal events, while smaller ones were worn on an everyday basis. Skirts opened at the front of the dress. This displayed the underskirt or petticoat that they wore underneath . Waists were tightly cinched in by corsets. The corsets provided a contrast to the wide skirts that they wore. Plunging necklines also became common during this period. The ladies of the French court had already worn tight corsets and wide skirts before her arrival but Marie Antoinette took it one step further. She favored dresses that gave emphasize her breasts and wore wider and wider dresses as she spent more time in French court. Sometimes women of the aristocracy class would have to enter and exit rooms sideways because their skirts were too wide for

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