A tall, ornamental headdress or hood worn by women in the 17th and 18th centuries, often made of lace and ribbons.
Named after the Marquise de Fontanges, a French noblewoman at the court of Louis XIV who supposedly invented or popularized this style. The fashion took her name and became a widespread trend across Europe.
The Marquise de Fontanges may have only worn this hairstyle once as a quick fix (she pinned up her hair during a hunt), but it became so fashionable that women across Europe wore towering versions of it for decades.
Named after Angélique-Renée de Scorailles, Duchesse de Fontanges (17th century), after whom the tall, ornate headdress was named. The word persists as a historical artifact of women's fashion identity linked to an individual woman's name.
Use descriptively when discussing historical fashion contexts. Note the historical woman behind the term when relevant, contextualizing it as named after Fontanges rather than treating it as a generic noun.
["tall headdress (17th century style)","ornate lace headdress"]
Angélique-Renée de Scorailles, Duchesse de Fontanges, was a noted figure in Louis XIV's court whose fashion influence was significant enough to name a major headdress style after her.
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