Louis XIV on French Fashion

http://www.mulberrybagsale.com/ In the late 1670s, Louis XIV invented the tradition of fashion seasons, wherein fashion styles and trends would change with each season. The fashion season is a marketing tool for fashion that still exists today. The modern shop and experience of shopping was invented in Paris during the last two decades of the 17th century. French shops, the precursors to today's boutiques, started to emerge. Prior to these formal shops, merchants either visited clients in their homes or customers viewed merchandise on vendors' tables, covered with protective awnings, on the streets. Louis XIV also marketed French fashion abroad with what is considered the first fashion magazine. In the magazine, fashion articles were accompanied by engravings of men's and women's dress as a way to promote new styles.

Rich textiles woven with expensive gold and silver threads became popular during Louis XIV's reign. Lace became so commonly used in garments that an industry of lace manufacturing was born in France. Under Louis XIV, there were no longer any laws as there had been during the medieval period that dictated who could wear expensive clothing. However, not everyone could afford high fashion. Men in King Louis XIV's court wore a long elaborate waistcoat along with a fitted coat underneath, and breeches a look that has trickled down to influence fashion ever since. This look is commonly considered to be the precursor to the threepiece suit.