Marie Antoinette's

Versailles is hosting a new exhibition: Le XVII au Gout du Jour/ A Taste of the 18th Century.  The exhibition is curated by Olivier Saillard and is on view at Versailles through October 9, 2011.

Saillard shows us how our current fashions are not so far removed from the past, if not by functionally then at least by inspiration.  Contemporary pieces are paired with historic ones, creating a unique flow through the show.  You may find that you will not be comparing old to new. Instead the pieces seem to work together rather than pronounce differences.

This is no new concept here, as we often make comparisons between today's fashion and that of the 18th century.  You will remember the recent post on Christian Louboutin's amazing new campaign and the historical inspired fashion that turned heads at the Royal Ascot.  To view more items from this show (contemporary and historical), visit the exhibition website.

Maison Christian Dior Left : Haute couture, Autumn/Winter 2004/2005. Red moire and velours dress decorated with blue and white embroidery. Collection archives of the Maison Dior. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin. Right : Haute couture, Autumn/Winter 2007/2008. Pink shot silk taffeta dress, veiled with candy pink tulle. “Doutzen Kroes” dress inspired by Fragonard. Collection archives of the Maison Dior. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin.

Yohji Yamamoto Left : Ready-to-wear, Spring/Summer 2011. Waistcoat, shirt, breeches. Collection archives Yohji Yamamoto. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin. Right : Ready-to-wear, Spring/Summer 2011. Black and blue outfit: shirt, jacket, breeches. Collection archives Yohji Yamamoto. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin.

Vivienne Westwood Left : Ready-to-wear evening dress, Autumn/Winter 1995/96. Pink and pale blue duchesse satin. Model inspired by the portrait of Madame de Pompadour by Boucher. Collection: “Vive la Cocotte”. Collection Vivienne Westwood Ltd. Right : Ready-to-wear evening dress, Spring/Summer 1996. Duchesse satin with black, blue, pink and yellow print, trimmed with lace, silk tulle apron. Collection “Les Femmes”. Collection Vivienne Westwood Ltd. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin

Jean Paul Gaultier Right: Collection: “Les Marquis touaregs” Haute couture, Spring/Summer 1998. Leather jacket with faded organza leaves. Leather trousers. Collection archives of the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin.  Left: © Château de Versailles / Jean-Marc Manaï / Christian Milet

Balenciaga par Nicolas Ghesquière Ready-to-wear dress, Spring/Summer 2006. Flesh-coloured satin organza, embroidered medallion, undergarments in ecru lace. Collection archives of the Maison Balenciaga. © Marcio MADEIRA / Zeppelin.

The peasantry of France, in a despair ridden world, had been described as so famished they would risk life for life.  What risks were they taking?  In one instance it was noted attacks were made on private grounds; the slaughter of game for food. Risky business but fair enough.

Other types of 'attacks' on property included an assault on the Abbey of Saint Denis.  The great abbey, final home of France's late kings and queens, sat among many acres of woodland.

Those who lived near the abbey took to cutting down the trees around it, without any permission, of course.  Cart after cart were filled with the trunks of aged trees and hauled off the property quite illegally.  The horse drawn carts made no secret of their cargo, and the wood was transported to villages such as Tremblay and Vert Galant.  The wood was sold there on the public market while wood rangers (those who supplied wood) were threatened with physical harm.

An estimate on the damages caused by the attack on the woodlands of Saint Denis was 60,000 livres! Similar property 'attacks' occurred elsewhere; no attention paid to whose property was being meddled with.

The second half of the eighteenth century had its share in price spikes but the sharpest occurred between 1788 and 1789.  The cost of a 4lb loaf rose from about 4 sous to 14 sous*.  To many this was just not manageable, especially when rents were rising at the same time.  Why was everything rising so quickly?

Poor harvest, sure, but not poor enough to create famine.  The cost of bread rose when the harvest was less than stellar but more effective to this spike were the past harvest and anticipated fears of the future harvest.  With the earlier harvest producing so low, there was less corn to buy for seed and subsequently less available to sell.  The fear of another poor year was enough to create a paranoia about food supply. This had an impact on prices.  Prices were this high in most city centers, not only Paris.

"The crowd, besieging every baker's shop, received a parsimonious distribution of bread, always with warnings about possible shortages next day."

There was a general feeling of anxiety with France's political environment. With the rising cost of corn, the cost of a loaf rose.  With the increased price of bread came a decrease in 'pleasure spending'.  That decrease led to less jobs, and now we have poorer populations without steady work and not enough sous for the pricey bread.

On top of that, there had been a disastrous silk harvest previously, and a significant drop in wine prices.  These merchants were left in an unfortunate financial state.  To further the misery of the French, livestock populations had taken a dive after epidemics that killed the animals off.  Could it be worse?

*in Paris

Beating the game of life was tough in 18th century France, with all the obstacles: birth, growing up, marriage, children and making money to survive- your time was limited. Of course the infant mortality rate was higher 200 years ago, but even if a baby survived their first trip into the world, there was only a 45% chance the child would make it to age 10!

The struggle to live didn't stop there, next came marriage. Marriage was a happy time of joining new families and maybe gaining a sweet dowry! But after the knot was tied french couples only had about 15 years of happiness to look forward to. Where marriages today last an average of 30 years, in the 18th century they only lasted about 15 years, and this was not due to divorce!

There were, of course, added risks to women, who gave birth most likely more than once. This lead to many widowers, which in turn led to many stepmothers! What about the stepfathers? Well there weren't many! Only 1 in 10 widows were like 'Lady Susan' the rest remained single.

So was it good for the men to remarry? Not for wife #1's children! When a father remarried, and the new wife had more children of his, the divisions between the parents' assets (think land) was greater, making it harder, or at least a bit more challenging, for the children to continue their adult lives. Times were tough enough as it was! All the stepmothers floating around made the game of life more difficult for the heirs.