yolande de polastron is more commonly known as the duchesse de polignac. she was born into an impoverished aristocratic family, poor thing. her life took a turn when she was invited to versailles by her sister-in-law. shortly after arriving she became a favorite of marie antoinette. determined to stay close to the duchesse, the queen set up her husband with a royal position and plenty of money to continue on comfortably in the palace. her new fortune drove the duchesse to spend riotously (although most at versailles did) and other courtiers resented her extravagance and royal favor. outside versailles, parisians hated her and considered her a bad influence on an even worse government. when the revolution flared up, she remained a staunch monarchist and was forced to flee the country. i’d equate with one of those party girls today, perhaps not so trashy but you get what i mean.
1: heading to versailles: alexander mcqueen
2: hanging at versailles: dress by balmain, fur by elie saab, shoes by lanvin
3: fleeing versailles: dress by john galliano, shoes and fishnets by bottega veneta
I absolutely adore the second look.
