the cost of living in Louis's day

[tzigone]

I guess this goes here.

How affordable was clothing? How many outfits would a given person have? I know there was a time when clothing was tremendously expensive, and even the rich couldn't afford to "waste" dresses (by discarding them when they were out of fashion, instead of having them remade) and the like, but I can't remember when exactly that changed.

In any event, Jacqueline isn't rich. I don't know what a musketeer would be paid, but it seems unlikely to me that she'd be buying lots of dresses. I mean, she bought at least four during the series' brief run, didn't she? Of course, I don't expect the series to reflect reality at all, and we do shop for new clothes all the time, and I'm sure fans like seeing her in different dresses. Still would have been nice to see her re-wear a dress instead of buying a new one, IMO.

Also, at the time, how likely was it to get a pre-made dress v. a dress made for you. It seems unlikely that Jacqueline would just happen to have two fancy dresses tucked away in case an exiled King wanted to ask her out on a date, but there wasn't time to have dresses made. Nor does it seem like she'd take that risk (of course, she did seemingly walk through the barracks in her dress in "Chameleon", so maybe she would take that risk).

[vigilanti]

Likely more than you want to know about clothing and fashion: still looking flr information on cost....too many 'costuming webpages for efficint search terms...but I'll keep looking.

The reign of Louis XIV is a synonym for everything which is gorgeous and elaborate in architecture, furniture, and costume. Through the strong personality of the man we find the influence of a woman, as his various mistresses, from La Vallier to staid and strict Mme. de Maintenon made their various impressions on the life and modes of the day. Mme. de Montespan might well have said: "La mode c'est moi !" as Louis said : " L'etat c'est moi ! "'

He was rightly called "La Grand Monarch'" or the "Sun King." No other personality, with the exception of Napoleon, ever dominated French history to the extent that he did. He commanded a court of luxury, splendor, and pleasure, even though he was continually passing edicts forbid-ding extravagance. The court followed his lead, the people of the town followed the court, and extravagance ran riot. Fashions followed each other in rapid succession; this was especially true of the dress of the men, which seems to have been even more elaborate than that of the women.

The artisans and shopkeepers reaped the benefit of this extravagance, and the peasants paid the penalty, many of them being in the direst poverty and distress. The nobility ran up enormous debts to keep up the pace, the Duke of Conde owing over 300,000 francs. The king was most exacting and punctilious in the matter of dress, and a certain amount of etiquette and dress had to be observed; he often presented his courtiers with materials and even the finished costume. When the pavilion at Marley was completed, each lady found a costume and a quantity of lace in her wardrobe.'

During the minority of Louis XIV fashions were dominated by the Duchesses of Chevereux, Montbason, de Bouillon, de Longueville, and de Montpensier; their influence was also felt in the politics of the time. As members of the Fronde they did not hesitate to join in the fighting, and often harangued the troops from the steps of the Hotel de Ville, and helped in turning the guns of the Bastille on the royalists.'

Materials.—The materials used in the costumes were magnificent in both color and texture. Gros de Naples, a heavy silk, was brocaded in gold leaves, and red, violet, and gold and silver flowers. Gold cloth was reserved for the monarch and his favorites at the court, and this was regulated by edicts which prohibited those of lower station to wear it.

Lace being in great demand, Colbert, the prime minister, established in 1665 lace industries at Alencon, Valenciennes, Arras, Quesnoy, Sedan, Chateau-Thierry, Loudon, and Aurillac, by bringing lace-makers from Venice to France, and making conditions so attractive for them that they preferred to remain rather than return to their own country. Edicts were passed to forbid the buying of lace in other countries, in order to protect and support the industry in France, which was under the protection of the crown and furnished some of the revenues.

Mme. de Sevigne describes a dress worn by Mme. de Montespan at one of the court functions as "a gown of gold on gold, embroidered in gold, bordered with gold, and over that gold frieze stitched with a gold mixed with a certain gold which makes the most divine stuff that has ever been imagined." ' It is difficult to imagine such a resplendent gown, even in the day of gorgeous materials.

Painted linens, embroidered India muslins, transparent black materials, glace satins, and velvets were also used, and elaborate brocades and ribbons of all kinds added to the decoration, not only of the gowns of the women, but on the periwigs, waists, sleeves, knees, and even the boots of the men.

To supply the silk for these materials, white silkworms were brought into France from northern Italy, and an extensive silk industry was established at Lyons. Colbert, wishing to increase the revenues of the crown in every way possible, established many factories, among them that of the Gobelin for the manufacture of furniture and tapestries. The making of fans had become such an extensive business that the fan-makers formed themselves into a guild, and asked for a charter with statutes and privileges, and by the eighteenth century there were 500 fan manufacturers in Paris.

Women's Dress.—During the early days of the regency of Louis XIV dress was dominated by the "Frondeuse," and there was a gradual transition from the broad shoulders of the reign of Louis XIII to the narrow, tight sleeve, which was one of the distinguishing features of the latter half of the seventeenth century. The dress showed some masculine influence, the loose waist, or "justacorps," being similar to the "pour point," or vest, worn by the men. The squares below the waistline had disappeared and had been replaced by a long point.

The upper skirt was divided in the centre and drawn back over a petticoat of brocade, watered silk, or glace satin, which reached to the floor; it was bunched at the side and back, and terminated in a long train. The upper skirt gradually developed into the "pannier," which was so popular during the reign of Louis XV. The bodice was cut low and round in the neck, and was finished with a turn-down collar, bands of gimp, or jewelled embroidery. The sleeves set into a low-cut armhole were a series of small puffs, graduually increasing in size as they reached the lower arm, where they finished in a ruffle of lace. They were often banded between the puffs with ribbon or gimp, and ornamented with rosettes. The front of the waist was embroidered or jewelled to form the stomacher.

There seems to be no mention of outer garments, but without doubt the long, full, cape-like cloak of the early part of the century was still in use. Hats with wide brims, ornamented with drooping plumes, were worn, except for travelling, when the hood attached to the cape was drawn over the head.

Head-dresses.—The hair was arranged in a simple fashion, curled at the sides and on the forehead, and generally tied at the back with a bunch of ribbons, or braided and fastened with a bow of ribbon; the latter fashion was known as "cadenettes" or "gallants," having been originated by M. de Cadanet, a brother of the Constable de Luynes in the time of Louis XIII.'

Men's Dress.—With the return of the Stuarts to the throne of England, the dress of the men took on a decidedly frivolous character, reflecting the influence of France. The greatest change came about in the style of the breeches and coat; the former, called petticoat, were very full and plaited at the waist, and reached nearly to the knees; they were ruffled and elaborately trimmed with embroidery and were made of silk, satin, or velvet. The coat was cut short to show the full linen shirt at the waistline and in front, and the full linen sleeves below the elbow. The neck of the shirt was finished with a collar, and a cravat of lace, which hung down the front of the shirt, and the sleeves had deep ruffles of lace at the hand. Rosettes of ribbon ornamented the shoulders, elbows, and sides of the breeches, and sometimes the front; some portraits show a knee-trouser below this skirt.

Foot-gear.—With this costume were worn long white or colored hose. A low shoe with a high heel and a flap or tongue in front had replaced the huge boots quite generally. The ribbon bows or rosettes were repeated on the shoe.

Head-gear and Accessories.—The most noticeable feature of the men's costume was the immense wigs of curled hair. It is said these originated from the fact that "Louis XIV had, when a child, remarkably beautiful hair, which . fell in curls onto his shoulders, and to imitate this his courtiers put on false hair." ' The wearing of wigs lasted for over a century; they went through many changes, but they were never quite so exaggerated as during this period. Velvet or felt hats, with a brim two inches wide, ornamented with long, sweeping plumes, in colors to match the costume, were worn, or more often carried in the hand. Gloves were similar to those of the earlier part of the century, but had deeper gantlets.

Women's Dress.—About 1680 a very decided change is noticeable in fashion. The under-petticoat of watered or glace satin was elaborately trimmed with horizontal bands of gold or silk embroidery of different widths, the upper one narrower than that at the bottom. The upper skirt was gathered very full at the waist, and was divided in front and looped up at the sides and back, where it terminated in a long train. The bodice was tight-fitting, with a point in front, a square neck, and elbow sleeves which fitted close to the arm. The decorations on this bodice took the form of elaborately embroidered bands which outlined the neck and formed a V-vest or stomacher; this was decorated in various ways, a favorite one being small bows of ribbon, called "echelles," or ladders; the square neck had a tucker of lace across the front, and the sleeves were finished with deep ruffles of lace.

The fashion of transparent gowns made of black tissue, or English lace, called "transparents," was in vogue for a few years, according to Mme. de Sevigne. These were worn over resplendent brocades of gold and silver. They seem to have been a sort of overdress, that could be added or left off, as she speaks of a person being able to have a black gown, or a gown of gold, silver, or color, as they wished.'

Head-dresses.—One of the distinguishing characteristics of the costume was the peculiar style of head-dress named for the Duchesse de Fontanges, who was the king's favorite at the time. One day in the year 1680, while she was attending a royal hunting-party, her hat was blown off, and to keep her hair in order she bound it around her head with. her ribbon garter, which was decorated with a large rosette. The king was charmed with her disordered locks, and so, of course, were all of the courtiers, and the next day all the ladies of the court appeared with their hair arranged in this manner. A high plaiting of lace or muslin soon took the place of the rosette of ribbon, and a veil of lace hung down behind; the hair itself was curled and arranged rather high from the forehead, and curls hung at the sides of the face; the cap was decorated with ribbons. This edifice of lace increased in size until Saint Simon describes it as being two feet high. It was constructed on a framework of brass wire and was divided into several tiers. These were covered with flowers, aigrettes, ribbons, and lace, and each had its appropriate name, such as duchess, the capuchin, the cabbage, the asparagus, the cat, the organ-pipe, the first and second sky, and the mouse, a little bow of nonpareil fixed in a mass of frizzed hair that was arranged below the curled fontanges.

Foot-gear and Accessories.—Slippers had heels often measuring six inches; they were made of colored satin to match the costume, and many good examples may be found in the Musee Cluny, in Paris; with these were worn stockings of one color, with clocks of another. Small feet were considered the thing, and many women bound theirs with bands of their hair to make them smaller; this, in connection with high heels and the very tight lacing, made the women so uncomfortable that they often fainted. Patches had been discarded almost entirely by the Englishwomen, but they were still used in France; they were named according to their position on the face: at the corner of the eye "passionee," in the centre of the forehead "majesteuse," at the corner of the mouth "baiseuse," on the nose "effronter," and on the lips "coquette." '

The wearing of masks was governed by a decided etiquette: they must be removed when courtesying to any one, especially royalty, and where persons of rank were present, except when riding in a coach. Fans were much in demand on account of the extreme discomfort of tight lacing and high heels.

While Louis XIV was under the influence of Mme. de Maintenon, "the eminent refrigerator," as she is called by Robida, fashions became much more simple and austere, colors were sombre, flowered stuffs and gold and silver brocades disappeared, dress still held its former pomp and formality, but had a sumptuous severity.' With the passing of Mme. de Maintenon this again changed, and the close of the reign of the Sun King was one of great pomp and splendor.

Men's Dress.—About i660 the dress of the men underwent a change also, and the forerunner of the modern frock coat made its appearance. This change "separates the old world of dress from the new; it is the advent of the frocked coats, the ancestor of our frock coat." It seems to have been borrowed from the Persians and to have originated in England, where it took the form of a long coat, with skirts slightly flared and reaching to the knee . It buttoned up the front to the neck, where it finished with a stock and cravat of lace ; the sleeves were long with flaring cuffs, which sometimes turned back, and were buttoned to the sleeve itself with two or three buttons; the full ruffled sleeve of the shirt showed below and fell over the hand. When this coat was left unbuttoned it showed the long, straight vest, which was elaborately embroidered, or set with precious stones and often fastened with diamond buttons.

Petticoat breeches were still worn with this costume, and they finished just above the knee, where they were decorated with ribbon rosettes. Much elaboration and decoration was used on the coat, especially in France, where the skirt was fuller and shorter, and heavily embroidered. The first fashion-books that were printed were brought out at this time by the king, for the benefit of the men of his court.

Head-gear.—Huge wigs remained in fashion; they took many forms, the most popular being the one with long curls which hung over the shoulders and often to the waist in the back, the front being made with shorter curls. During the reign of Charles II they were often ornamented with clusters of ribbons. They were expensive, costing as much as one hundred pounds. Pepys, in his diary of October 30, 1663, mentions paying three pounds for one wig and forty shillings for another, and says: "I have worn neither yet, but will begin next week, God willing."

Each class of society had an especial shaped wig, and in England the judges and barristers still wear them when attending court. Various names were given to them, such as the comet, the cauliflower, the ladder, the she-dragon, the chancellor, the cut bob and the long bob. Hats had wide brims and were often turned up to form the tricorne; they were loaded with plumes of all colors and had a jewel on the front of the hat or on the turned-up brim.

Foot-gear—Little change seems to have been made in the shoes and hose; the former had square toes and high heels; the bow at the front of the long tongue had become smaller. They were occasionally made of colored leather and cut low at the side to show the stockings; rose color seems to have been popular for hose. Robida describes a pair of shoes in the Musee Cluny as having black ornaments on tan leather.

[tzigone]

still looking flr information on cost....too many 'costuming webpages for efficint search terms

Tell me about it. I'm not really interested in what they wore at the moment (though my sister loves that stuff) - I just want to know how many outfits the average woman had, the rich woman, average man, rich man, etc. and the degree of distinction between daily wear and fancier wear for the non-rich segment. But all I can find are costuming sites (many, many costuming sites) and histories of what the rich people wore.

And, reading these descriptions of clothes - I wonder how weird they'll find our clothes and hair in two or three hundred years.

[jeantre16]

And, reading these descriptions of clothes - I wonder how weird they'll find our clothes and hair in two or three hundred years.

LOL, how true. I cringe at the 60s styles ... especially those beehive hair-dos. But they got those "do" ideas from the earlier days too. Nothing new under the sun!

[sue]

Most people couldn't afford more than one outfit, which, for someone of Jacqueline's means, would have probably been made from scratch, by herself, at home...homespun fabric, which she probably pieced together herself. The odds of her having the incredible wardrobe of four or five dresses that she wore in the Exile were completely astronomical. A musketeer wouldn't have earned enough money to buy a new dress once a year. Even servants didn't own many clothes, though Isabelle and Solange (who, btw, DID wear the same dresses throughout the series) would likely have been given castoffs from the Queen when she got bored of them, or they were stained.

Incidentally, they also would never have washed their clothes, making all those wonderful, pristine, white shirts kind of unlikely.

[jeantre16]

But then they didn't have to keep up with Hollywood. One dress, homespun, with last month's gravy stains on it just wouldn't do for our TV heroine.

You can give the show credit for having her original farm dress about right.

It would be interesting to see some historical research, specifically on the upkeep of a musketeer's uniform. Military standards tend to be higher than civilian, and the musketeers were said to be gentlemen.

[sue]

True. Of course they wouldn't have shown a heroine in her position dressed in a stained gown, and they DID use the same dress a couple of times. It was the dress she wore when rescuing Charles at the beginning of exile, and also, I'm pretty sure, the same dress she wore in Chameleon.

What amused me was how none of the musketeers EVER are shown, as musketeers, in ANYTHING but their uniforms, even when off duty, as if soldiers didn't even OWN their own clothing.

[jeantre16]

D'Artagnan did wear civilian clothing after his resignation in "Three Musketeers and a Baby."

(Odd that my DVD says 3M&Baby, while it should say 4M&Baby. Does anyone know right off if the DVD has a typo?)

[sue]

Ahh, I worded it that way on purpose. See, D'Artagnan was no longer a musketeer at that point.

[sue]

And mine says Three Musketeers... too. Hmmm.

[queengwen]

That's right...

other than the shirt under the musketter tunic *which I guess could be taken off for a more 'relaxed look' we don't see anything... although.. didn't D'Artagnan have a 'non musketeer' outfit toward the end of 4 musketeers and a baby? I'm sure it was...

[sue]

Go up two to four posts. We just discussed that!

[queengwen]

Yes, I saw that, . when he was leaving w/ the baby at the end, and was saying goodbye..that was civilizan clothes...
And it did look good quality... definately nobility velvet, or silk...

prehaps a gift from somone? Or maybe he saved his allowance?

[sue]

Well, he WAS nobility. He's a viscount, you know...though his father had little money, you have to figure, he might have made some along the way.

The point, however, being that he wasn't a musketeer when he was wearing that costume...he WAS a civilian.

[queengwen]

Yes... I'm thinking maybe it was a rule... like some jobs... even if your off duty, if your on the site... must be in uniform?? Prehaps? I doubt he had time to go out and buy it, must've been in a trunk somewhere...