In great contrast to Josephine who preceded her, Empress Marie of France’s clothes, including her wedding gown, were often chosen by others. (Portrait: Dripping with pearls, ermine, & gold, Marie was dressed by others to look like royalty)
Author: Silhouettes
Marie Louise, the “Womb”
Napoleon had divorced Josephine claiming she could give him no heirs, yet of his 2nd wife, Marie Louise, he said “I have married a womb.” (portrait: Marie Louise with their son in about 1812. Below the wedding of Marie Louise of Austria & Napoleon I in 1810)
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Marie was a “Quiet & Obedient Wife”
Napoleon I loved Marie Louise; she was known as being a quiet & obedient wife, unlike his first wife Josephine who was political & got angry when he took mistresses. (portrait: “Sweet” Marie Louise in about 1810)
After Napoleon dumped Josephine, he found our 8th key player, Marie Louise…
.. in 1810. Marie gave him an heir right away who was the King of Rome at birth, & briefly succeeded as Napoleon II at a time when boundaries & countries were changing. (portrait: Marie Louise in her Coronation Ensemble of complete French design & construction in 1810)
The simple Regency gown took on new meaning under Josephine
Respecting the dictates of her husband to “wear more”, under Josephine’s inspiration, came the same “Empire” waistline (named for her), but now made from luxurious fabrics with real gold threads, ermine capes, & elaborate ornamentation that would lead into the next more complex fashion eras of the late Regency. (portrait: …
Josephine made the “Little White Empire Dress” into something fabulous
Josephine came from the “Marveilleuse et Incroyables” movement of “Le Directoire”, & came to the throne already a fashion icon with strong influence on nobility & commoners alike. She wanted to continue the simple, classical Greek & Roman inspired “Regency” fashion, as she loved its sensuality, freedom, & comfort. (portrait: …
Our 7th French fashion key was Josephine…
… Napoleon married Josephine with specific intent to get an heir. Josephine was the widow of a French General, & came to the marriage with 2 children. She never gave Napoleon his own heir, so he divorced her. Her daughter, Hortense, would carry on the Bonaparte line. Reigning houses of …
Napoleon I (1st) considered himself very fashionable…
As you can see from Napoleon’s coronation ensemble which included gold & ermine, he thought highly of himself. He was also trying to boost the economy of a country that was war-weary, by making nobility follow his lead of fashion extravagance wearing costly court apparel. (Painting: Napoleon I on coronation …
Napoleon crowned himself in 1804…
… with Josephine as Empress (painting: the Coronation)