All American Antoinette : 2017

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Bergère Hats Are Back!

If I could, I would wear 18^th century garb everyday. But as a working woman in the year 2017 I feed this urge by incorporating small bits of Georgian glam into my look. Huge hair with a pouf just so? Historically accurate beauty products? Georgian jewelry? Check, check, check. So imagine my surprise when I opened the latest Vogue and discovered that bergère hats are back!

Quick crash course: A bergère hat (Wikipedia tells me this is French for shepherdess) is a flat-brimmed straw hat with a shallow crown. Often trimmed with ribbon or flowers it sits just so on the head, often at a jaunty angle.

The Swing

It can be seen in countless 18^th century paintings, most famously The Swing by Fragonard. Other than looking cute as heck it also helped keep the sun off women seeking creamy pale skin.

The majesty of a well done bergère isn’t lost on many a historical costumer. One need look no further than Demonde Couture’s Kendra or the spectacular Lauren THE American Duchess. Nor has the bergère been ignored by Hollywood- Milena Canonero famously reused one from the 1975 film Barry Lyndon for Sofia Coppola’s 2006 gem Marie Antoinette.

Yaaaas Queen!

It was 18^th century It Girls who set the trends then, so unsurprisingly when Kendall Jenner rocked a bergère in Cannes Vogue noticed. I hadn’t even seen the pictures from The Met Gala where Viceland host Hailey Gates ignored the “look” of the night and turned it up to 11! I’m not really sure who the designer Jacquemus is. A quick Google search reveals a broken website- but if he’s the next big thing and he’s promoting 18^th century glam, then who am I to judge?

Want a bergère of your very own? You can find one at Burnley & Trowbridge or a Fashionable Frolick.

Love,

AAA

#Iwokeuplikethis

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Film Review: Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled"

Hi Everyone! “Why”, you may be asking yourself “is All American Antoinette writing a blog entry after 6 months of absence? And also, why is it about costumes from the Victorian period / American Civil war?”

No good answer about the blog- I mean if someone isn’t paying you and other stuff comes up then a blog is just a blog. But I’m sorry if that helps?

As for the time shift- I feel like this is a place where all historical costuming is welcome (even if I tend to prefer other time periods). Plus, Sofia Coppola is one of the main reasons I fell in love with HA costuming. From “The Virgin Suicides” 1970’s dreamy maxi dresses to the 2006 over the top Rococo fantasy that is “Marie Antoinette”. How could I resist her latest historical romp “The Beguiled”?

My boyfriend and I were able to make it to a preview screening, which was exciting enough- until I realized there were costumes from the film in the theatre! My first assumption was these would be from costume master Milena Canonero. I couldn’t stop shrieking. Took me a hot minute to realize Stacey Battat was the costume designer. But after pouring over the costumes I was pleasantly surprised to see many historically accurate elements: buttons instead of zippers, hand finish on the collars, and no back lacing (thank God). Battat was trying to go for clothing “that was old flowy and mossy with an airiness to the clothes”.

Back to my earlier admission that I’m not a fan of Civil War outfits. The necklines, sleeves, and silhouettes just don’t seem flattering no matter who’s wearing it. But I still appreciate and understand what goes into making a HA 1863 dress.

So did Battat’s vision work?
Well for most modern audiences Yes. But for those of us who twitch when presented with woman from 1863 with their hair down, or bite our tongue when a corset is probably more 1904 than 1863, or almost throw popcorn at the screen when there is not a chemise to be seen (and sooooo many pantaloons)- it’s a bit heart breaking. Honestly most of the costumes were beautiful and spot on except for (spoiler alert) Kirsten Dunst wearing a dress that looked like something out of a Macy’s prom catalog. But enough gabbing- here are some pictures of the dresses: