This fascinating tale follows the story of printed fabrics in French fashion. Madame de Pompadour was crazy for Chintz imported from India and Queen Marie Antoinette permitted the Royal Painters of Versailles to design prints for the nearby Toile de Jouy studio. In this Textile Tale we’ll explore luxury French fabrics like Pierre Frey and Braquinné and then take a trip to visit the Museum of Printed Textiles in Mulhouse (I’m so, so excited to show you!) and the Museum of Toile de Juoy near Versailles.

With the flick of a magic wand, fashions at Versailles could change and so too did the ideals of beauty, a tiny waist, a full bosom, a curvaceous derrière. The craftspeople who made the stays, corsets, crinolines and paniers were kept busy, right up until Christian Dior’s New Look in the 1950’s.

This tale promises to be delightful! Joleen Emory returns to enthral us with the story of Mademoiselle Montansier, a wildly successful woman who dazzled audiences in the 18th century theatres of Paris. We'll wander through Palais Royal, following the delicate footsteps of the Duchess du Barry, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Rose Bertin, to discover the beautiful cafes, restaurants and theatres that still exist today. Along the way we'll visit the sensuous surrounds of Oriza, where you can still purchase Marie Antoinette's favourite perfume!

In this Textile Tale we begin to unravel the intriguing history of tapestries, one of the biggest expenses at the Château de Versailles. We continue to weave the story with visits to The Lady and the Unicorn at the Musée de Cluny, the Royal Manufactory at Aubusson, Malhia Kent at Viaduct des Arts and Madame Bouquet, the queen of needlepoint in France!