Marie Antoinette VII
from the shoe collection inspired by the esteemed fashion and costume plate series Galerie des Modes et Costumes Français, which first emerged during the reign of Marie Antoinette. This collection has been hailed as "the most beautiful assortment depicting eighteenth-century fashion." Capturing the essence of French elegance, these plates showcased real-life ensembles worn by the stylish women of Paris and the Royal Palace at Versailles, highlighting France's leading position in the world of fashion.
The shoes have a shape prevalent throughout the 1700s, featuring an exaggerated toe point and a high heel gracefully tucked under the arch, crafted to enhance the illusion of dainty and delicate feet.
The translation from the fashion plate states that this is a Lévite dress enriched with tassels, epaulettes and cords. This style was inspired by costumes worn in a staging of Racine’s play ‘Athalie’. The Lévite mimicked the lines of Middle Eastern caftans. The shoes reflect the pale blue and pale yellows that contrast on the dress with the white bows and garlands from the front of the dress picked out along the sides. Impressed flowers cover the toe. The overall effect is not dissimilar to that of Wedgewood jasperware. Beads along the top line are in platinum.
