Les Incroyables et Merveilleuses ( the unbelievables, and the marvelous ones) were the fabulous young men, known for their royalist sympathies, and the marvelous women the jeunesse dorée (young people of wealth and fashion) who roamed the streets of Paris drinking, toasting the monarchy and lashing out at patriots with sticks. After the Robespierre Terror, which came after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1789, their was a monarchist or anti-Republican backlash, or the White Terror.
- Les Incroyables et Merveilleuses cultivated an exagerrated and outlandish look to deliberately flout the social conventions of the time. They were loyalists, literally roving bands of angry young dandies, looking fabulous, and mocking the new Bourgeoisie. They hated the new regime, the Jacobin's who came to power after the overthrow of the monarchy. They saw the Republic and Democracy as a tyranny of the mediocre out to push their conformist Republican/Democratic ideology on society.
Democracy is so boring. Les incroyables(the unbelievables) were typified at the time by their admiration of the ancien regime. They wore knee-breeches and exaggerated English style frock coats with impossibly large collars, and powdered hair dressed outlandishly in either multiple braids or "dog-eared" style, cut short in the back à la victime and long beside the face.They wore large, two-cornered hats, carried oversized eyeglasses, and often wore two watches. Haircut la victime, was the style du jour. It was based on the haircut that was given to someone before they were brought to the guillotine for execution, during the Robespierre reign of Terror instituted by the revolutionaries who overthrew the monarchy. Political Fashion.
- Les Merveilleuses, or Marvelous Women, ruled the live fast, die young social whirlwind that took over the salons of Paris after the Terror. At the forefront of the movement reigned Thérésa Cabarrus Fontenay Tallien and Joséphine de Beauharnais (later Empress) both of whom just barely survived the Jacobin regime/guillotine. The à la Grecque style or naked look , consisted of clinging, flowing classical Greek and Roman styles in white silks and muslin's, draped with brightly colored shawls and ribbons edged with classical motifs.
Les Merveilleuses displayed their dainty feet shod in golden sandals, and dresses dampened to enhance their cling (though wearing knitted flesh colored stays and stockings to preserve a vestige of modesty). (It was also called the naked look, because the clothes were so sheer). Madame Tallien though was the real deal, and famously appeared at the Paris Opera wearing a white silk sheer( read completely see through) dress without sleeves and sans petticoats. Succes de Scandale (success from scandal). Charles Maurice de Talleyrand commented: "Il n'est pas possible de s'exposer plus somptueusement!" ("It is not possible to exhibit oneself more sumptuously!"). Hair was worn curled and dressed with ribbons à la grecque or clipped short à la victime. This short and sexy style lasted til the early 1800s, but never caught on in England or other countries, unlike the empire waisted dress, which proved the fashion must for nearly thirty years.
See previous article and John Galliano's 1984 collection based on Les Incroyables.
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