Charles Lepeintre paints Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon in her Easter Bonnet with all the frills upon it. Yay or Nay?[Versailles]
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Yay or Nay? Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon
This crowd is definitely on a generous streak. The costume-y aspects of Giovanna Baccelli's ballet ensemble did not repel and she was awarded with a Yay. Since today is a holiday with a history of fabulous headgear I knew I needed to put an outfit with a corresponding hat before the panel. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Duchess of Chartres:
Charles Lepeintre paints Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon in her Easter Bonnet with all the frills upon it. Yay or Nay?
Charles Lepeintre paints Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon in her Easter Bonnet with all the frills upon it. Yay or Nay?
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Yay! The colors are nice and simple and there is little enough trimming to balance the statement of the hat, while the draping fabric of her dress and accountrements balances the size of it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a nicely scaled outfit in that each part is in proportion to the next. I also think the luxuriant draping of the lower sleeves is nice, but there is something about the droopy, washer-womanly weight of the over-skirt and the general drabness of the coloring that fails to really inspire a hearty reaction. I give it a 'meh'.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the bodice of her gown, and I love her hat! The neutral creme of her skirt and sleeves keeps the draping from getting too exuberant, and I like the way it catches the light. Another yay from me!
ReplyDeleteYay Yay Yay! Love the whole outfit and hat :) The gold trim on the bodice is just enough to set off the skirt.
ReplyDeleteYay! Love it. I haz chapeau jealousy.
ReplyDeleteI have long been yaying and naying in silence, only once pipping in only once in defense of a Scotsman's plaid stockings, but today I must enthusiastically shout YAY!!! This is my favorite ensemble I have seen yet. The colors are classic, as are the military details, the bodice magnificent, and the heavy folds of the skirts, with the very becoming color-blocked border, luxuriant. The hat, too, is very becoming, but the gown is what grabs my eye!
ReplyDeleteYAY! Absolutely fabulous!
ReplyDeleteYaY! I love it! Absolutely awesome hat and the jacket is to die for!
ReplyDeletehmmm...an overall yay here because she does look very nice if a little worse the wear for drink, perhaps the portrait should have been painted before the tippling began?
ReplyDeleteis that mantlepiece propping her up, i wonder?
Yay Yay Yay!!!!!!!! I love this!!!! Everything is perfect. I love the Navy and the White. The Hat goes marvelous. Everything has a lovely flow which i adore. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yay. The whole ensemble is awesome. Best hat in a long time. It is helped by her attitude as well. Is that a smirk? Ten more minutes and it looks like she'll be sprawling on the floor.
ReplyDeleteAn absolute yeah! I love the colors and the bonnet.
ReplyDeleteCan I give it a 'nyay'? A mixture of the two? I love the bodice (it's SUBLIME) but hate the skirting. The wine must've skewed her judgement.
ReplyDeleteWe've lost our critical edge, people. Every week I see a succession of cheery, get-along 'yays' with not one shred of critical analysis. Can all of these portraits be equally wonderful? Why am I skeptical? This outfit is plainly ho-hum, but gets the plaudits of being a much more unique and stylish frock.
ReplyDeleteThe image makes it difficult to properly see the image and all of it's details...I wish I knew what was going on with the sleeves. But I really enjoy the snappy jacket with complementary petticoat and I adore adore adore the hat and how she has it cocked to one side. I am hoping that the fabric around her arms is a shawl..and I'm guessing it is due to the lack of equal coverage on her arms. I love the tie in of the color on her petticoat.
ReplyDeleteThis is a Yay, though I do wish I could see it more, however it is very much a look I enjoy.
Paul, in regards to your critique both of the dress and of other readers opinions... Many of us would most likely wear anything that is posted on here any day of the week other than the complete and total garbage our society has deemed "fashionable". For most of us, it is always a little bit of a Yay. It's escapism from the T-shirt and Jeans society we live in today, a chance for us to say 'Would I wear this?' For it being a portrait of a French Royal I find it very pleasant that it is more 'undressed' instead of 'dressed' and I find her color choices to be appropriate. More than likely in real life they would have been a very lovely navy and cream or ivory. However, due to either varnishing in the Victorian period, poor conservation, or poor image transferal the colors and vibrancy have been lost in translation.
As for the weight of the skirts, I personally enjoy long and heavy skirts. They create a lovely swing, sound, and feel when walking. Being male, I wont fault you for judging that. However, I don't think it's fair to criticize other readers enthusiasm for the blogger's ability to pick out overall pleasing images/outfits for a mass crowd.
@Alexa, Let your voice ring clear, you have a fabulous opinion! :)
ReplyDeleteI am cracking up over the drinking comments! Now I will always love this painting!
The hat is OK, but that jacket - I love it! This pic is getting saved in my pierrot-making-inspiration file - haven't seen it before, so thank you for bringing it to my attention!
ReplyDeleteThe ensemble overall is very nice. Lovely colours, too. I give her a yay!
@Abby: I have had much to yay about on this site, but I've noticed that in the last couple of months everything gets a pass. I don't know how long you've been following the Duchess, but it used to be hit or miss about whether an outfit would get whoops or boos. I don't think Heather picks the outfits to be praised, but more to just get feedback. Otherwise it would be called 'Don't we love this one, too, girls?' instead of 'Yay or Nay?'
ReplyDeleteI have been fascinated with period clothing since I was a small child and my critique has nothing to do with ignorance of historic clothing. Rather, I really just feel that something about the virtuosity of the painter makes the skirt cloth look limp and flat, like a rather dirty and uncomely muslin. It doesn't have the more rounded, fluffy folds of fresh lawn nor the elegant lustre of silk, so it seems to sour the outfit for me. I'm not being argumentative, it's just an observation. I suspected you're right about the varnishing or aging having dimmed the tones of the picture. However, I think if you checked some archived Yay or Nay? from at least a year ago, you would find that we've lost a few of our more critical and, thus, compelling commenters. I hope this general praise hasn't been due to a misapprehension that Heather is picking outfits that she wants us to say we like. I've always thought it was meant to be more conversational.
Now, I really must dash. I've got my own mantle to prop myself against for a while, if you get my meaning.
Very smart looking! An absolute YAY from me.
ReplyDelete@Paul Miller
ReplyDeleteI've nay'ed much more often than yay'ed here so I don't think it's all of us blindly accepting everything posted.
In this case, I yay'ed for the same reasons Alexa and Abby do. And I for one would be thrilled to wear such a well tailored, complimentary ensemble.
There have been many I have thought overdone to the point of garish, but in this case, the combination works perfectly.
See, I kind of got the opposite first impression of the outfit then gentlewoman. I absolutely love the hat! I'm a huge hat person. LOL but the jacket..., of really my style. The dress might not be so bad without the jacket, so 2 out of 3 things I like so Ill give it a yay as well. There is the reason for my answer.
ReplyDeleteI have to say YAY. We are relatives...
ReplyDeleteYAY!
ReplyDeleteThe colours work together very nicely.
And her hat is marvellous!
...not washer-womanly, but: perhaps the fading of time - the colours are tasteful and elegant , the subject - what is theis refernce to drinking? am i missing something? nevertheless, I (we) females would gladly dress up in such an opulent ensemble for the purpose of having our portrait painted...... yada yada I give it a yay.
ReplyDeleteYay! Very pretty and elegant. I love her hat!
ReplyDeleteI am going to give it a Yay too. Her dog seems in awe. It if it is good enough for the young pooch, it is good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteYay! And I agree with "Belle Etoile", the bodice is beautiful!
ReplyDelete@Paul, I love you! Please come over to my blog and comment on my rate the dress posts!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely 'Meh' about this one too. There isn't anything special about it, and the skirt and sleeve draping are very awkward. The *idea* of the outfit is gorgeous, and the style can be sublime, but this is just a second rate version of it.
So Nay, because I rate dresses by the standard of the times rather than by comparing them to modern clothes (in which case they always win!)
@The Dreamstress: I just checked out the site and left a comment. I'll be checking in to pass praise or ridicule often! [It is very 'meh', isn't it?]
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one, Paul. From her waist up it is a lovely outfit but the rest of it is not becoming. So I'm giving it a "meh", as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful zone-front (gorgeous), worn with an apron. Paul's comments get me thinking--was wearing an apron slightly passe by the time the zone front came in style? I don't recall seeing many worn together like this. There's another thing--maybe it's the swaggering pose, maybe it's the snarky smile, maybe it's that the bodice line looks slightly curvy--but the painting doesn't look period to me--it looks more like a later Victorian illustration. So--a reserved Yay with a bit of hesitation.
ReplyDelete