Modern Marie

I supposed I should begin by blogging to you about the namesake of this site. If you’ve gotten this far, you must understand by now that I love anything to do with Marie Antoinette. I’ve been blessed with the privilege of vesting France a handful of times. Those visits have inspired my passion for its language, culture, cities, countryside, food, fashion, literature, architecture and art. Quand je sais petite (since I was little), I have been taught to love that country and every thing about it. France is engrained in my spirit, and always will be.

I’ve always been the girly-girl. I’ve had a life-long love affair with fashion since flipping through my mother’s Vogues and Harpers Bazaars when they arrived at our house monthly. From a young age, I’ve known what I’ve wanted and had an eye for how people look, and how they adorn themselves.

My love for France and fashion collided in October 2006, when I saw Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette for the first time. That film changed my life and my eye.

I understand why it was not the most popular with the critics; many examined it as what should have been a historical biopic and a reflection on her legacy.

But that would have vacuumed all of the fun out of it! In the confection of a film, Coppola literally shows Marie Antoinette and her ladies in waiting gorging on candy and cakes from the famous Paris patisserie Laduree, and drinking champagne and fresh raspberries. The women are adorned with pastel skirts as light as whipped cream, and strutting around in Manolo Blahnik shoes (custom made for the film, of course).

I became so interested that I set out the summer afterward to become a Marie Antoinette expert. I read various biographies to gain perspective on who this woman really was and why history hates her so much.

To be continued…