From July 31-October 31,2010
Castle Paretz
www.spsg.despsg
Before the summer ends one should take a short train trip outside of Berlin to the Royal Summer Residence Paretz , which was the summer residence of the King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia and his wife the well loved and renowned Queen Luise (1776- 1810) .The beautiful residence Paretz built in 1797 by David Gilly,located just 40 kilometers away from Berlin.
Paretz a small and quaint town with a beautiful landscape is truly worth the short train ride from Berlin’s Central train station to Paretz which is easily accessible with the German Railway system the deutsche bahn
Deutschebahn.
Queen Luise of Prussia was in her day well known for her great beauty and also one of the first fashion icons of her day,dressed in the period clothing of the time the” empire silhouette”.
Queen Luise was a woman that was able to command attention and admiration through her style and presence which helped her win persuasion on both the political and social stage.
In this exhibition one enters a fairy tale life which starts with her wardrobe for her wedding which includes a fairy tale carriage something that was truly magnificent to see.
Later one enters the life and wardrobe of a woman of wealth and prestige with the fashion strongly influenced by the Empire style.
Luxurious fabrics such as silk,velvet,and satin with some exquisite embroidery that all lent to some very exquisite clothing for both day and evening.
There are a few pieces that one must note about the exhibition and that is that the she wore often cashmere shawls think of todays Pashmina!,Jewelry,and other accessories such as fans, fabulous gloves which I loved! true drama ! with fashion influences coming from as far as the Orient.
I was greatly fascinated that during this period Luise was not only an avid fan of fashion magazines from France, but received on a regular basis diverse fashion journals.Through these journals she was able to keep herself informed about the trends and kept herself updated.
Louise was no blushing violet.
Overall if you want a break from Berlin and would like to see a very well executed costume exhibition that gives a good history of clothing during the late 18th century , then take a short train ride and walk back into time at the exhibition of “ Luise .The Dresses,The Queen”
