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French costume 1653


Jill<br><br>Jill (99)
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I'm trying to establish what men (and women) were wearing in 1653 in France.  I have a number of costume books, but they are English.  Unfortunately, particularly for Charles I, it was the time of the Commonwealth, so the book I have which is more specific to years shows only Cromwellian/Puritanical clothing.  I would like to know more about what French men were wearing at that time.  Does anyone have any costume books relating to the period in France?

I've looked on the internet, but only find the same 17th century costumes that I find on historical sites relating to Louis XIV which is the whole point of my research.  You see I'm choreographing a representation of Ballet de La Nuit which was the ballet which Louis performed in at the age of 14 which gave him the name the Sun King.  The reason for this is that I teach ballet and dancers are always moaning about why ballet terminology is in French.  Also, the older girls who are working towards Vocational dance exams have to do some research into the history and culture of ballet, so as I find it all particularly interesting myself, I'm doing research and producing this as a ballet in our forthcoming show, to try to stimulate interest. 

Anyway, looking at my costume books, it would seem logical to use costume from prior to 1649 - but that all looks rather Guy Fawkes and Cavalier, whereas when I research on either characters in French history in Louis XIV's reign, there still seems to be more in the way of doublet and hose, which seems to be more Elizabethan by English standards - although it is said that Louis' wife was still wearing the Spanish fashion of big skirts, implying that Spain was behind the times.  As I thought we got our fashions more from Italy and France in the Rennaissance period, you would have thought that the Elizabethan fashions would have gone in France at that time.  Actually, the clothes pre 1649 in my book do look like what you see in the film of the Three Musketeers, but paintings of people around during that time on the internet don't look like that.

Costumes in my book from 1660 to 1685 are not like any I have ever seen in portraits in any era!  Except that later on the men are beginning to wear coats which clearly led onto the Georgian fashion in England and certainly in the latter part of the 17th Century, this type of coat is shown in French paintings. 

There is a painting of Louis XIV as the Sun King, but that is definitely a cross between Tudor and Gladiator!  I have no idea whether that picture is authentic.  That comes up when you google Louis XIV or Sun King or Roi Soleil and ask for images on the internet. 

Another of my sources is Antonia Fraser's book about Louis XIV.  Also, I have the film - Le Roi Danse - but I don't like to go too much on French cinema authenticity - if you have seen Les Rois Maudits, you will know what I mean, with Jeanne Moreau looking like something from a 1960's magazine.  Whilst the theme of the ballets of that period was Classical, Le Roi Danse shows the performers wearing normal clothes with head dresses, masks and other things representing Classical figures, as perhaps it wasn't acceptable to wear toga's at the time, and let's face it they would have been a bit dodgy to dance in!  Also, women were beginning to perform and as at the time Moliere's Tartuffe was banned, they could hardly have gone around dressed as Venus!  So, I think Le Roi danse is probably correct here.

I know I'm going over the top with this research, but another reason for choosing this is so that a boy in the class who has long hair can dance with his hair down, as we do have a bit of a battle over his hair and I thought this was an ideal role for him.  Anyway, I want to avoid a costume which makes him feel he is dressed as a girl. Some of the things men seem to have been wearing looked more like skirts, so I want to avoid those.

People say it doesn't matter whether or not I get this right as I would be the only one who knows, but it does matter to me!

Sorry this post is a bit lengthy, but I thought I should mention the sources I have already used, to save anyone mentioning them.  If anyone has any costume books and could just scan a picture and e.mail it to me, that would help me greatly, please - thanks.  But I know my enquiry is a bit odd!

The reasearch is really fascinating incidentally - there is even the book of the original ballet in pdf form on the internet.  It's great once you get to realise that u means v!  I knew about f being s, but not u being v.  Hence deuife took a bit of getting but it was divise - divided!  Also spellings are interesting - nopces for noces, nuict for nuit, and of course s everywhere we now get a circumflex.

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  • 2 years later...
Jill

Would the V&A web site have anything - I've got a postcard  of a man of 1630 from there, which I can easily scan and send a jpg,if you want to pm me.  Only found one costume book so far (moved house so not all available) and as you say,  being English it gives only the commonwealth for that period - which I rather think is a bit limited as the Royalists would not wear that sombre a costume even in the commonwealth.

Let me know, and later, if needed, I'll see if I can find any more books .....

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You could try looking at the works of Sir Peter Lely or John Michael Wright who were painting in England at that time. Someone might know their French contemporaries. Is there a French equivalent of the National Portrait Gallery I wonder ?

Hoddy
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I also wonder if the Wallace might have some useful portraits as well.  Thanks Hoddy, I was also going to suggest the NPG - always along withthe Wallace my favorite(s) in London ......  so far not had time to hunt for the other costume books I have ...

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