Index Card #14

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/287011_marie30.html

Summary: Marie Antoinette knew that what she wore was about more than being fashionable it was a tool for survival. She quickly intuited that clothing was a means of looking like she had more power than she did. More than 200 years after her death, the queen of fashion continues to fascinate. She is the subject of a highly anticipated movie, the protagonist in a spate of books and the inspiration for designer collections. She has never exactly disappeared from the public's consciousness. Her trademark was the "pouf" hairstyle. Though she wore clothing from the "pouf" hairstyle to peasan-style chemise dress. She was the woman who inspired the world's first fashion magazines. Marie Antoinette is not just in vogue, she's in Vogue. Quest International commissioned a fragrance, "M.A. Sillage de la Reine," inspired by scents the queen may have worn. Design houses Dolce & Gabbana and Lanvin unveiled collections featuring brocade, velvet and neck-high ruffles popularized during Marie's time. She used clothing as a weapon. She's one of the earliest fashion icons. Maybe she didn't do a whole lot, but people were interested in her. She appeared so disconnected from the outside world, Collins said, that she became a figure people loved to hate. At her husband's coronation her hair came up to 3 feet in height. She was certainly a slave to fashion, at times spending twice her yearly allowance on new clothing. As those financial revelations surfaced, the queen's outfits were scrutinized, not as innovative fashion statements, but as the work of an enemy of the state. When she wore a simple chemise and bonnets at her country retreat, it was held up as evidence of her attempts to bankrupt the French economy.