Page "Marie Antoinette" Paragraph 45

Meanwhile, the queen began to institute changes in the customs practised at court, with the approval of the king.

Some changes, such as the abolition of segregated dining spaces, had already been instituted for some time and had been met with disapproval from the older generation.

More importantly was the abandonment of heavy make-up and the popular wide-hooped panniers for a more simple feminine look, typified first by the rustic robe à la polonaise and later by the ' gaulle ,' a simple muslin dress that she wore in a 1783 Vigée-Le Brun portrait.

She also began to participate in amateur plays and musicals, starting in 1780, in a theatre built for her and other courtiers who wished to indulge in the delights of acting and singing.