Gah! I’ve been having bad luck with my Rate the Dress selections lately. I saw a great one, bookmarked it to go back later and get the picture, went to write my post, and the site is down and I can’t find the picture. To fill in the gap, I’ve gone with the theme of ‘bad luck’, as it suits both last week’s dress and the subject of this week’s dress.
Last week’s very colourful Rate the Dress‘s bad luck was that you did not approve of it, either because of the colour or because of the ruffles of the lower skirt. It rated a 5.9 out of 10
For our bad luck lady, I present Maria Josepha of Saxony. Nope, it’s not Marie Antoinette’s mother in law (the one she never met), this is a different Maria Josepha of Saxony, two generations later.
Maria Josepha’s bad life began early in life – she lost her mother as an infant. She herself died, young, and without any children, at 26. Her other bad luck was sartorial: the poor thing had to live her whole adult life in Spain (which, as we all know, is where historical fashion goes to die). At least she had an adoring, if older, husband to dote on her.
Francesco Lacoma y Fontanet (1778-1849), Maria Josepha of Saxony, 1820s
Maria Josepha was apparently notably pretty, and her state portrait captures her delicate features and elaborate garb: a gold embroidered satin gown with elaborate red train, lace trim, ostrich feather headpiece and lashings of emeralds. Just the thing for a green eyed brunette of tender years and royal status, or overdone and fussy? Or just boring for the timeperiod?
What do you think? Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10
