Why White?

Hello Dear Friends and Readers. I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week.

My mom asked me an interesting question last night about my dress. She asked "Why do you make most of your dresses in white?" I'm sure many of you probably are wondering the same thing. So here is the answer du jour, why I make many of my gowns in white muslin.

First of all, muslin became fashionable in the 1780's when Marie Antoinette made the Chemise a la Reine fashionable. She defied the convention of the french court and donned a peasants garment. Shockwaves were sent throughout the civilized world when a painting by Elizabeth Vigee le Brun was displayed showing the Queen in this most shocking gown. However, this style soon took hold and what was once considered a imodest became the latest rage throughout Europe. Marie Antoinette even sent a copy of her gown to her dear friend, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire. Georgiana then popularized the gown in England and the rest is, as the say, history.

During the Regency, the wearing of white muslin became a symbol of class as well as part of the Greco-Roman revival. White, as many people know, stains very easily and is hard to keep clean. If you were part of the working class, white would have been completely impractical. However, if you were of the wealthier class, you had servants to do your hard labor for you and get dirty for you. So, there was no fear of staining your beautiful Indian muslin gown.

Finally, I sew white garments because they give me many different ensembles. I can easily make an over dress, tie a sash around it, or add a splash of color to change the look. So my reasons are many... history, pracitcality, and funds :-) I hope you all have a great rest of you week and here are some paintings of white gowns. Enjoy.

The famous painting that started the fashion and shocked the world.