Fall Fashion Inspiration: Renaissance Portrait Edition

Why turn to TikTok when you can turn to the (mostly-Renaissance era) pictures of yore for wardrobe inspiration?


Above: Catherine and Eugène de Béthisy (c. unknown) by Alexis-Simon Belle 

With the lace apron/gauzy overlay on the screen left dress (on Catherine de Béthisy?), this dress looks like a master class in mixing prints with the almost light blue floral print and cobalt blue floral print . 

What I guess I'm saying is that Renaissance children who were probably-doomed royalty were better dressed then I can ever hope to be.


Above: Virgin and Child with Sts Catherine and Barbara (c. 1530-1532) by Ambrosius Benson 

The woman on screen right (St. Barbara?) is wearing the most luxurious crimson velvet AND animal print and therefore probably a Scorpio.


Above: Profile Portrait of a Young Woman (c. 1550s) by Sofonisba Anguissola

Remember that ALL of the embroidery on this brocade capelet would have been DONE BY HAND!!

Also note to self - on bad hair days, I'm just going to start pinning like half a dozen necklaces and earrings into my hair.


Above: Madame d'Aguesseau de Fresnes (c. 1789) by Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

Yes, Madame d'Aguesseau de Fresnes is wearing a wedding cake atop her head (could we say a gâteux chapeau?) HOWEVER, please take note of a few things: first, note how very large pearl earrings (as seen in the portrait above this and you know, Girl with a Pearl Earring) were extremely common loooong before the Chanel made them A Thing. Second, note that she is wearing a beautiful chocolate-brown velvet, not black, and with the gold it looks so luxe and warm. Lastly, the portrait-belt adds a charming, somehow swashbuckling-femme feel to the whole thing, yet somehow ALL THIS comes together nicely.



Above: Portrait of Rebecca Boylston (c.1767) by John Singleton-Copley

Okay so Boylston was clearly experiencing a pandemic-era styling situation herself. Note she is literally wearing a silk nightgown (no corset!!) and light scarlet velvet robe. The three rows of pearls in her hair is interesting, adds a touch of detail and light. I also greatly enjoy her lace choker with the surprising periwinkle bow in the back.


Above: Portrait of a Woman (c.1590s) by GHEERAERTS, Marcus the Younger

I'm including this one mostly to marvel because it is so bizarre. When I was looking through paintings for this post, this one stood out as a truly unusual outfit. No corset, no defined bust or waist - was this a maternity dress? It's more like a robe really, and she is wearing almost no jewellery, only a rosary on her screen left wrist. The print on the dress is so rich and detailed - a light blue with salmon and autumn greens/browns, but the strange cobalt shoes/stockings and pattens visible!

Popular posts from this blog

9 Reasons Why Zack on Gilmore Girls is the Worst

Image
Of all the men in the Gilmore Girls world, I think Zack was the worst. Here's nine reasons why. I'm currently re-watching Gilmore girls for the umpteenth time, and once more I find myself loathing Zack in particular. Normally we all get caught up in Luke vs. Christopher, Dean vs. Jess vs. Logan, etc, but I think these debates distract viewers from realizing that Zack is the worst Significant Other of all the women in the show. I think the actor Todd Lowe does a great job portraying Zack, so my critique is def not his performance , my issue is the  character of Zack   who is sooo contemptible. In a way, Lowe's performance of Zack is all the more remarkable - when it comes to the Bad Men of Gilmore Girls, Zack rarely tops the list. I think it's because his many flaws are so *shrug* boys will be boys. As viewers I think we're meant to be distracted by the explosive incidents related to Logan's elitism, Mitchum's tyranny, Dean's cheating, Marty's obvio...
Read more

Omg She's Racist: A Closer Look at L.M. Montgomery's Work & Life

Image
They say to be critical of the media you love. I put this to the test with my undying love for L.M. Montgomery. In the past five-ish years, I have read and re-read many, many books by beloved Canadian author L.M. Montgomery (aka the woman who wrote the Anne of Green Gables series) including: Anne of Windy Poplars*  Anne’s House of Dreams*  Emily of New Moon  Emily Climbs Emily’s Quest  The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery 1889-1900 A Tangled Web  Pat of Silver Bush  Mistress Pat   Jane of Lantern Hill  Kilmeny of the Orchard  The Blue Castle I read/re-read the first three Anne books as a teen*. There are many things about Montgomery's (1874-1942) work that are significant and ground-breaking considering the era they were written in. Not to mention Montgomery herself being such a highly-successful author worldwide given she was both a woman and Canadian! Her work is unique and noteworthy for the followin...
Read more

Best of Helen Oyeyemi's "Peaces"

Image
Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi. Painting above: The Lovers by Leonora Carrington (c.1987) You run the romantic gauntlet for decades without knowing who exactly it is you're giving and taking such a battering in order to reach. You run the gauntlet without knowing whether the person whose favour you seek will even be there once you somehow put that path strewn with sensory confetti and emotional gore behind you. And then, by some stroke of fortune the gauntlet concludes, the person does exist after all, and you become that perpetually astonished lover from so many of the songs you used to find endlessly disingenuous. p.5 If you stuck out your tongue it would dance there, right at the top: the fizz of conditionality. p.7 I'm sure almost no one deludes themselves that all their ancestors were decent. Pick a vein, any vein: mud mixed with lightning that flows through, an unruly fusion of bad blood and good. p.16 And then there's the...
Read more