1. Elisabeth is an Inspiration for Fashion Designers Today
Empress Elisabeth left behind a stunning legacy. She was a deeply troubled and tormented woman who experienced numerous tragedies. Some of them may have been self-inflicted, but some could have been avoided with modern mental healthcare and hygiene. Still, her people adored her for how she championed popular causes, particularly among the Hungarians, often at the expense of the Hapsburg court that she loathed. After her assassination, her husband created the Order of Elisabeth to honor women. Today, she is remembered as a stunningly beautiful yet strong, brave female monarch who loved her people at great personal cost.
Her legacy goes beyond her charitable acts, in any case. In 2014, fashion designer Karl Lagerfield created a line that celebrated the fairy-tale grandeur of Vienna. It was the home of the great composer Mozart, the birthplace of the Rococo art movement, and especially the place from which Elisabeth reigned. He designed some of the pieces in the collection to look as he imagined Sisi’s clothes would look today. They were full of lace, ribbons, elegant sleeves, embroidered cloth, evening capes, and boots. One might say that Sisi is being reinvented for a modern audience. Indeed, her appeal is being reinvigorated as she gains more fans outside of Austria and Hungary.
Where did we get this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Sisi: Empress Elisabeth of Austria.” Vienna/Now (documentary).
“Empress Elisabeth of Austria.” Wikipedia.
“Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria.” Wikipedia.
“Elisabeth and Ludwig, or the Cursed Cousins, Part 1.” Prince Michael’s Chronicles. July 28, 2017.
“Ausgleich.” Encyclopedia Britannica.
“Pre-Fall 2015, Chanel,” by Tim Blanks. Vogue. December 2, 2014.