<\/p>
The Great drawing room, crammed full of courtiers, lies at the heart of the Georgian royal palace. Here the king mingles most evenings with his guests, signalling welcome with a nod, and displeasure with a turned back. The winners and losers of the Georgian era \u2013 which runs from 1714\u20131830 with the reigns of Kings George I, through George II<\/a> and George III<\/a>, to George IV<\/a> \u2013 can calculate precisely how high they have climbed (or fallen) by the warmth of their reception at court.<\/p>\n Although parliament\u2019s power is rapidly growing, ambitious and talented people still flock to court in search of perks and prestige. High-heeled and elegant shoes crush into the palace floorboards the reputations of those who have fallen from favour, while those whose status is on the rise stand firmly in possession of their few square inches of space.<\/p>\n So the elegant state apartments of a royal palace are also a battlefield. This is a world of politicking and skulduggery, wigs and beauty-spots, where fans whistle open like flick-knives. Intrigue hisses through the crowd, and court factions are also known as \u2018fuctions\u2019.<\/p>\n Successful courtiers have level heads and cold hearts. They understand all the nuances of court etiquette, and know how to manipulate them to their advantage.It\u2019s vital, therefore, to learn the rules of the game. Ladies have to wear the court uniform: the \u2018mantua\u2019. A coat-like dress spread out sideways over immensely wide hoops, this formal court dress has become trapped in a fashion time warp.<\/p>\n Tightly-laced, uncomfortable, and immensely heavy because of the silver in the weave, its skirts will get wider and wider as the 18th century progresses. Your arms descend from a requisite three rows of frills. (\u201cI am so incommoded with these nasty ruffles!\u201d says novelist Fanny Burney.)<\/p>\n You should wear your best jewels, and carry a fan. Gentlemen should wear a wig, an embroidered suit and a sword, and under their elbows they carry a flat, unwearable version of a hat. Because you have to bare your head in front of the king, no one wears real hats at court. However, you can gate-crash a court party quite easily if you borrow the right clothes and slip a shilling to the footman on the door.<\/p>\n You can even hire a sword from a booth at the entrance. \u201cDress is a very foolish thing,\u201d declares the arch-courtier Lord Chesterfield, and yet, all the same, \u201cit is a very foolish thing for a man not to be well dressed\u201d.<\/p>\n Tip: you can\u2019t be overdressed<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s quite hard to walk in a mantua, and only grand palace doorways have the width to accommodate the hooped skirts without the lady turning sideways.<\/p>\n The whalebone hoops force you to take tiny steps, so court ladies are described as looking like they roll along on wheels. Ladies-in-waiting aren\u2019t allowed to sit down, or to fold their arms.<\/p>\n Before exiting the royal presence they have to curtsey three times, then back out of the room. But don\u2019t worry: your dancing master will train you in how to do all this.<\/p>\n Tip: take tiny, elegant steps, and practise beforehand It\u2019s easier than it looks, as you won\u2019t be wearing knickers (not invented yet). You may squat over a chamber pot, or else you use a \u2018bourdaloue\u2019. This is a little jug like a gravy boat that you clench between your thighs.<\/p>\n Privacy is not essential, and the French ambassador\u2019s wife annoys everyone with the \u201cfrequency and quantity of her pissing which she does not fail to do at least ten times a day amongst a cloud of witnesses\u201d.<\/p>\nWhat should you wear at court?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
How do you walk in a dress like that?<\/h3>\n<\/div>
How on earth does one relieve oneself in such a dress?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n