Look at this fucking two-hundred-year-old hipster
November 29, 2010 12:56 PM Subscribe
The Incroyables and the Merveilleuses were the height of rebellious (or, depending on how you look at it, reactionary) aristocratic fashion in France in the late eighteenth century, following the revolutionary reign of terror. Blastmilk has a gallery depicting some of these achingly hip young dandies and dandettes, showing off their preposterous bonnets, preposterous hats and preposterous lapels.
Merveilleuses as hipsters comic.
posted by joost de vries at 1:01 PM on November 29, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by joost de vries at 1:01 PM on November 29, 2010 [6 favorites]
The anthropomorpic-representation-of-an-abstract-concept look is coming back, just wait.
posted by theodolite at 1:01 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by theodolite at 1:01 PM on November 29, 2010
I love the red ribbons they put around their necks to announce they lost relatives in the Revolution.
Seriously, this was like the most insane moment in fashion aside form the French Empire look, which was basically a wet t-shirt contest all the time. Reen Wigs! Sparkles! Plaid And Lines And Polka Dots! It's like they got infected with the Glam Virus a few hundred years early. I LOVE THEM.
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seriously, this was like the most insane moment in fashion aside form the French Empire look, which was basically a wet t-shirt contest all the time. Reen Wigs! Sparkles! Plaid And Lines And Polka Dots! It's like they got infected with the Glam Virus a few hundred years early. I LOVE THEM.
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fuck it, you know what? I'm going to start wearing imitation Polo shits tucked in to pleated khakis with white New Balances, and I'm going to get all my Brooklyn friends to do the same.
Then who are you going to make fun of?
posted by Threeway Handshake at 1:07 PM on November 29, 2010
Then who are you going to make fun of?
posted by Threeway Handshake at 1:07 PM on November 29, 2010
So, are the 2010 ascot hats really a sign of rebellion?
Also, what the heck explains those Elizabethan ruffs?
posted by bearwife at 1:08 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, what the heck explains those Elizabethan ruffs?
posted by bearwife at 1:08 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Wearing sweats in public is preposterous. These folks are simply fabulous. I wish I could dress to this level of excess without it being notable.
posted by Babblesort at 1:10 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Babblesort at 1:10 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
I love the swinging of the pendulum in fashion. Bustlines, hemlines, etc. all swing back and forth. The Incroyables are an interesting riff on the somber and austere fashions leading up to the Revolution. It is as if the aristocrats found another way to jab at the underclass.
posted by Jodio at 1:14 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by Jodio at 1:14 PM on November 29, 2010
Those incroyables and merveilleuses are just poseurs. The really cool people hang out in bathtubs, make populist political speeches and get stabbed to death by Charlotte Corday.
posted by infinitewindow at 1:24 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by infinitewindow at 1:24 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
So, are the 2010 ascot hats really a sign of rebellion?
They are a sign that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
(Why yes, I do want to walk around with a diorama on my head, wearing yards and yards of outrageous fabric, why do you ask?)
posted by kalimac at 1:24 PM on November 29, 2010
They are a sign that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
(Why yes, I do want to walk around with a diorama on my head, wearing yards and yards of outrageous fabric, why do you ask?)
posted by kalimac at 1:24 PM on November 29, 2010
lapels on the ground
lapels on the ground
lookin' like a fool with your lapels on the ground
posted by leetheflea at 1:30 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
lapels on the ground
lookin' like a fool with your lapels on the ground
posted by leetheflea at 1:30 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Young people with money have always been horrible.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:32 PM on November 29, 2010 [9 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:32 PM on November 29, 2010 [9 favorites]
roving bands of angry dandies
But did they have scooters?
posted by Curious Artificer at 1:34 PM on November 29, 2010
But did they have scooters?
posted by Curious Artificer at 1:34 PM on November 29, 2010
roving bands of angry dandies
Running around committing drive-by groomings.
posted by The Whelk at 1:36 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Running around committing drive-by groomings.
posted by The Whelk at 1:36 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
The British caricatures are great, but this sassy Greek number is so fierce I can't even.
posted by oinopaponton at 1:43 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by oinopaponton at 1:43 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Au cours de ma présentation ("Sémiotique Intérieur") je mets les pâtes dans mon vagin.
robot french, sorry
posted by benzenedream at 1:47 PM on November 29, 2010
robot french, sorry
posted by benzenedream at 1:47 PM on November 29, 2010
preposterous bonnets, preposterous hats and preposterous lapels.
immediately after reading that, all I could think of was Mike Berbiglia saying "That's preposterous!" from one of his bits.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:36 PM on November 29, 2010
immediately after reading that, all I could think of was Mike Berbiglia saying "That's preposterous!" from one of his bits.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:36 PM on November 29, 2010
I get the feeling that there is a centuries long Parisian in-joke at the expense of gullible rich people worldwide.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:37 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:37 PM on November 29, 2010
I am ready for Elizabethian ruff
Oh, The Whelk, must it always be about the ruff trade?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:50 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
Oh, The Whelk, must it always be about the ruff trade?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:50 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
I wish that I were a musically gifted 20 something because The Incroyables and the Merveilleuses would be an awesome name for a band.
posted by kaybdc at 3:54 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by kaybdc at 3:54 PM on November 29, 2010
Hatchets in the corner ears to the ground
Improve to the groove get down to the sound
Buttons and bows and bleu blanc rouge
All things lively must be used
Liberté, Egalité, au jourd'hui c'est très très très
Voici l'opportunité nous Incroyables
posted by oncogenesis at 4:12 PM on November 29, 2010
Improve to the groove get down to the sound
Buttons and bows and bleu blanc rouge
All things lively must be used
Liberté, Egalité, au jourd'hui c'est très très très
Voici l'opportunité nous Incroyables
posted by oncogenesis at 4:12 PM on November 29, 2010
If these were from American sitcoms, every clip would have that record sccccccccccratch sound and half would have a black guy saying "you ready for dis?!"
posted by DU at 5:20 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 5:20 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Wrong thread, but I stand by my comment.
posted by DU at 5:21 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]
posted by DU at 5:21 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]
"hip young dandies"
Interesting fact: Turn of the 19th Century Dandies were a reaction to the elaborate styles in fashion at the time, emphasizing clean lines ("the silhouette") and fairly muted clothes, all told. Oh, and skintight pants worn over bare skin, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination (though that last bit went out of fashion with Beau Brummell).
posted by Kattullus at 5:45 PM on November 29, 2010
Interesting fact: Turn of the 19th Century Dandies were a reaction to the elaborate styles in fashion at the time, emphasizing clean lines ("the silhouette") and fairly muted clothes, all told. Oh, and skintight pants worn over bare skin, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination (though that last bit went out of fashion with Beau Brummell).
posted by Kattullus at 5:45 PM on November 29, 2010
Thanks for the nice post! I always dig seeing new posts of historical fashion.
Here's a few comics set during the French Revolution that I personally love-- the first is "The Light Eater" by Laura Neubert. It's a Gothic paranormal fantasy with lovely, atmospheric artwork. The other is "Bite Me" by Dylan Meconis. It's a light-hearted romp about foppish vampires in the Reign of Terror.
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 7:06 PM on November 29, 2010
Here's a few comics set during the French Revolution that I personally love-- the first is "The Light Eater" by Laura Neubert. It's a Gothic paranormal fantasy with lovely, atmospheric artwork. The other is "Bite Me" by Dylan Meconis. It's a light-hearted romp about foppish vampires in the Reign of Terror.
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 7:06 PM on November 29, 2010
Brummell is always why men's formal clothes are largely black and white.
Beau started an Anglo fad in France which led to a vogue for "english" spellings. Random Hs kept popping up all over.
Wilde lamented the fashion of his day and wished men would go back to those skin-tight leggings to show off a finey made calf.
This has been The Whelk, your guide to the world of facts.
posted by The Whelk at 7:13 PM on November 29, 2010
Beau started an Anglo fad in France which led to a vogue for "english" spellings. Random Hs kept popping up all over.
Wilde lamented the fashion of his day and wished men would go back to those skin-tight leggings to show off a finey made calf.
This has been The Whelk, your guide to the world of facts.
posted by The Whelk at 7:13 PM on November 29, 2010
The politics behind the fashions fascinate me: I knew about Les Incroyables, but I didn't have a clue how it fit into the Revolution.
posted by jrochest at 8:46 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by jrochest at 8:46 PM on November 29, 2010
Thank God we've come to our ever-lovin' sartorial senses in the 20th and 21st Century with the ever-present business suit. Wouldn't want to stand out from The Crowd, don't cha know?
posted by cenoxo at 11:53 PM on November 29, 2010
posted by cenoxo at 11:53 PM on November 29, 2010
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posted by Cranberry at 1:00 PM on November 29, 2010