Modern Anne Boleyn

I really enjoyed creating my own 'Dress like a Modern Marie Antoinette' post last year, so I thought I'd create another on another of my favourite royal women, Anne Boleyn. They do take a lot of effort to create, however I'm considering making it a monthly feature. What do you lovelies think?

You either love or hate Anne Boleyn. It seems it's always been that way. Hated for stealing King Henry VIII away from the beloved Catherine of Aragon. Hated for poisoning the mind of Henry and the consequential Reformation.

Personally, I love her. She seems to have real pizazz! I especially love Natalie Dormer's portrayal of her in The Tudors series. Beyond that, I find her easily the most complex and fascinating of Henry's six wives.

Have a calling to seduce Johnathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII? I know I do. So let's follow Anne's guide...

What made Anne stand out from all the other beauties at Henry's extravagant and entertaining court?

Hair

Majority of the ladies of the English court had blonde hair and blue eyes. Unlikes these, Anne had luscious dark hair and deep dark eyes to match. Even those that hated her had to admit that these were her most beautiful traits. She either wore this trademark hair out and flowing or carefully pulled off her face in a tight bun to reveal her stunning dark eyes. If you're fully committed to 'Going Anne', consider dying your hair a dark raven colour.

Another of Anne's trademarks was her French hood (as seen below on Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl). It distanced herself from Catherine of Aragon who mostly wore the English hood (as seen in the first portrait of Anne Boleyn). Anne probably also saw the French hood as a connection with the fancy and fashionable French court, where she had spent time as a young girl. As a Modern Anne, try wearing a thick headband or scarf around your head instead.

Jewelery

Unlike Catherine of Aragon, Anne loved to splurge on beautiful things. Including jewelery. Anne was easily identifiable at court with her string of white pearls which held onto a golden "B" with three pearls dangling below. Have a go at making your own - there's plenty of guides if you search on Google. Or, stick to a lovely string of pearls.

Big golden broaches can add to any outfit. You might also like to invest in a locket to keep an image of Henry close to your heart, always.

Clothing

Colours: It's difficult to determine what Anne's colour palette was when it came to fashion. Due to her perceived calculating, manipulating and evil character, she is often portrayed in dark, rich colours. Think royal reds, amethyst purples (the colour purple being reserved for royalty in the past), poison apple greens. You may even like to play up the fact that she was later called a 'witch' and stick to blacks.

Style: There are two ways you could go about this. Either stick to the modesty (*cough cough*) of the era and cover up with long flowing skirts. Or you could insert Anne's coy character into your clothes with shorter skirts and tights. Ensure that your delicate bosom is on show with low, square cut tops.

Behaviour

Anne was reportedly a furious flirt. She loved to be loved, and to do so she would flirt with all those around her.

It's not easy to flirt and maintain the amusement of a horny king however. Especially when you're courting a man for seven years and holding off the thing he wants most: sex. So how did she entertain the king? She was a fabulous and graceful dancer. She also had wit and humour and was reportedly very skilled in musical instruments. And didn't mind throwing a tantrum in front of the king. Don't know how that'd go down today!

Trash and Treasure Stall Tips

As mentioned earlier, the other day my sister and I held a stall at a trash and treasure market.. It was a first for both of us, and we learnt a lot along the way. Here are my tips:

1. Know the market and the market audience. I have a feeling we didn't sell much stuff because market stalls were dominated by garage goods and men interested in these garage gadgets.

2. Prepare for all kinds of weather (especially in Melbourne). It drizzled in the morning and the sun was sending serious cancer-bites by the end of the day. So pack umbrellas (great for sun and shade), sunscreen, hat and cardigan. Even better? A tarp or tent if you're planning on going long term.

3. Figuring out pricing is a b*tch. I've volunteered in an op shop for a while, and I priced them as we had priced items in the op shop. Walking around the trash and treasure stalls, most clothes were priced from $1 - $5. Combine your knowledge of the market, the market audience and your items on sale to come up with the appropriate price. Remember, your aim is to sell.

4. Create big signs for prices. I went through everything and stapled individual prices on the tags of each item. The amount of times I had to tell someone to check there nearly drove me bonkers. People don't want to hunt for tags at these places. So your best bet is to do some big groupings of clothes at certain prices. Either make a $2 pile, or make all dresses $4, shirts $3 etc. It'll make your life easier, and the customers.

5. Prepare for hagglers. Me? I'm not a haggler and I find it terribly rude. I hate that first block of super rude haggling early birds. Either mark your clothes at a higher price and prepare to drop it. Or stand your ground (which will lead to people walking away with nothing in their hand).

6. Placement and presentation can change everything. My sister convinced me that people at this market (which I hadn't been to) would be willing to search for bargains off the ground. Looking at other stalls, we would have had much more success with the stuff on top of a table or on racks. I wish we had rented a table or brought our own.

7. Bring (and drink) lots of water and plenty of food to see you out the day. The market we were at had a crummy food court. Other markets have plenty of stalls with yummy food on offer. If you're not certain about the food and drinks on offer at the market, bring plenty of supplies.

8. Keep a record of sales for yourself. Especially if you're sharing a stall.

9. Be prepared not to sell everything. We thought we'd be overrun with demand (coz our clothes are cool, damnit!). We weren't. And ended up a little disappointed, mostly because we had to cart so much back to the car :P Looking around though, this seemed to be the case for a lot of people, not just us.

10. Enjoy it. Make it fun. Make sure you have some company, if only to cover for you when you need a toilet break. Talk to the people that come to your stall, and those in the stalls around you. It is fun. Especially when you reward yourself with ice cream afterwards :)

Images: WeHeartIt

For information on the locations of Victorian trash and treasure markets (both as a buyer and seller) check out this website.

Good luck to future market stall holders! :)

Dress like Modern Marie Antoinette

And so I've become obsessed with Marie Antoinette. Quite easy to do, with her amazing life story and gorgeous and dazzling fashions. I've been obsessing over her fashions particularly after coming across Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006). Such beautiful colours and dainty decorations. So, how can you imitate Marie's stunning style?

Skin

Marie Antoinette was famous for her beautiful glowing porcelain skin. Queens were often showered with compliments from those at court and this Queen was consistently and constantly complimented on her pale skin, delicate neck and hands. To replicate this you're going to have to moisturise up, baby! Water is also a god to clear and perfect skin. Add in some sunscreen for those sunny days and you should be well on your way :)

Make-up

You can further your pale Marie Antoinette complexion with a pale foundation base.

Add some warm pink candy rouge to the apples of your cheeks - women in the French court would cake on thick pots of red rouge on their cheeks as a symbol of their wealth. Many visitors to Versailles thought it was an awful fashion, so you mightn't feel the need to go all out on the rouge as they did back then!

A modern Marie Antoinette would most definitely play around with whatever make-up was available to her. Think false eyelashes, funky coloured mascara and jeweled eyeliners. Don't go too overboard- we don't want to look like Du Barry!

Use a lip stain instead of lip gloss or lipstick - we can't go losing our lips while we're eating our cake and sipping our champagne, can we dearies?

Hair

To disguise her ghastly high forehead (as it was thought, back in the day!), hairdresses pulled her hair up higher and higher. To get this height, try smashing your hair into a messy up do. Curling your hair beforehand, teasing it and hair spray will give you extra height without the need for a wig.

And/or, decorate your hair. Find pretty clips, fake flowers, head-bands, feathers, ribbons, birds, butterflies... anything that catches your eye and add them to your hair. Don't be afraid to grab these pretties from the Little Girl's section :)

Clothing

Colours: If you're wanting to imitate Sophia Coppola's Marie, stick to pastels. The colour palette of a simple box of macaroons intended to guide the colours used in the film. So stick to pale pinks, lavender, soft sky blues, buttercup yellows, mint green and lacey white. The deep reds, lush purples and blacks were reserved for Du Barry, the lady who 'is said to give pleasure to the King (Louis XV)'.

Style: You may wish to imitate the corsets and structured dresses through more fitted, almost 1950s style dresses that support the bosom and flair at the waist. It's a flattering shape that will suit any lady. Otherwise, find delicate white dresses that allude to the chemise that Marie Antoinette made wildly popular and fashionable.

Decorations: Lace, frills, buttons, sequins, beads, floral patterns, jewels. Anything and everything with that slightly darling almost whimsical girly feeling. If it makes you squeal with delight, it's probably a good find!

If you're after more on Marie Antoinette, check out these blogs:

Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century

Titillating Tidbits About the Life and Times of Marie Antoinette

Website:

PBS Marie Antoinette

Or check out 'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser. My review here.

Marie

How I'd love to adapt a bit of Marie Antoinette flair into my own wardrobe! Who wouldn't love such expensive luxurious tastes and delicacies.



Feathers, flowers, lace, pastels (the pastels inspired by Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette (2006)). These shall be my tributes to the French Queen of Fashion. And if only I could get the hair....


Until then.... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/beauty/3357315/The-body-beautiful-be-a-modern-Marie-Antoinette.html