Dressing for the Ball

Focus on the Right Century

We want to remind everyone that Fete Minuet is an 18th Century Ball. We are focusing roughly on the years 1750-1790. Our theme this year is Marie Antoinette (and she died in 1793 - during the French Revolution).

Men, If you want to come as King Louis XIV that would also be amazing! He falls earlier in the 1700s, but he built the Palace of Versailles, and we absolutely adore his iconic look!!! And his contribution to French rococo style!!! We will put a picture of him below.

For some reason...Amazon has marketed the Victorian Era and Marie Antoinette as synonyms, THIS MAKES US CRINGE because it is confusing and well....not accurate. These eras occurred roughly 100 years apart historically.

Sometimes Amazon has these two drastically different styles of dresses in the same listing like they are just color choices.... meanwhile that is 100 years of fashion history.... This can be very confusing to people who are just getting started. And if you find yourself stressing about this... please ask in our Facebook events page for help.

Victorian bustle skirts were in fashion almost 100 years later than the theme of Fete Minuet.

This being said... if you are wearing a Victorian gown at Fete Minuet , you will not be turned away. We want you to have fun and make this Ball your own.

1750- 1790

But we also want to be clear about the theme of the party. 1750-1790 Some words to look up are : rococo dress, Georgian costume, robe a la francaise, robe a la Reine, chemise a la Reine, English gown, robe a la anglaise, Marie Antoinette dress. This page has many posts about where to find these costumes reasonably priced.

You could also be visiting France as an American and could therefore be wearing 18th century American clothes during this time period (Colonial Williamsburg clothing). All of this is completely fine and will add to the splendor of our event. Each person has their own story.

Inspiration

Some shows that will help you see the fashion plates in action:

Queen Charlotte on Netflix

Chevalier on Hulu

Harlots on Hulu

Versailles on Netflix