David Cotner
18th-century French undergarments; Credit: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Is beauty pain? Find out when costume historian Maxwell Barr reveals unto you just how involved it was for the haute and the haughty to dress up in 18th-century France. Inspired by a recently closed exhibition of Marie Antoinette’s fancy lacquer collection — and perhaps in part by the current exhibition “The Renaissance Nude” — Artist-at-Work: French Fashion is Barr's salon, in which he'll dress a live model and unveil the daily undertaking required to assemble ensembles the coordination of which rivals any NASA rocket launch.
Portrait of Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at 7 Years of Age, Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1755–56, pastel on vellum; Credit: The J. Paul Getty Museum
After that, take a deep breath, go see the exhibition “18th-Century Pastel Portraits” (which is on view through Oct. 13) — and thank your lucky stars that your concept of couture isn't something bordering on the suicidal
The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood; Sat., Jan. 19, 1-3 p.m.; free.