Some fashion historians say it began with Louis XIV. A monarch, besotted with fashion and possessing a keen awareness of history, decided to give his country a national image—supreme style setter and purveyor of all things elegant. In collaboration with the best craftsmen, couturiers, hairdressers, chefs, shoemakers, furniture makers, interior decorators, jewelry designers—whoever could contribute to Louis’ “New World Vision” of selling the world French elegance, the Sun King turned Paris into the capital of fashion. For instance, Watteau was called in to paint medallions for the toes of Louis’ boots. Venetian mirror makers were bribed to come to Paris and ply their technique, turning this particular art into big business, replete with behind the scene murder dramas involving Louis' Minister of Finance, Jean-Baptiste Colbert. In fact, next to Louis XIV, Colbert was right there every step of the way to mold Paris into a luxury capital.

The original style reporter, Donneau de Visé published Le Mercure, a kind of Women’s Wear Daily of its day. Engravings of the court couture queens showed the bourgeoisie everything from how to hold a hand mirror to how to wear the latest manteau (coats have forever been the ultimate symbol of French chic). The couture queens decided that there would be seasons of fashion. Once the season was over, the clothes must change. If the seasonal temperatures did not cooperate, these ladies bore cold weather in delicate gossamer jackets, or heat in layers of wool.

Americans were quick to acquire the hunger for French fashion. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art have early French examples of the dresses collected and worn by American women. Thomas Jefferson, a great French court favorite, was known to have bought Paris fashion generously for the women in his family. And who else among us remembers President Jimmy Carter’s touching line, when asked he intended to wear his cardigan sweater during meetings with international colleagues? “Well, I wouldn’t wear it if I was meeting the French president,” he said.

I would say the French have got their fashion hooks into the heart of America good and strong. Americans cannot get enough of French luxury, whatever else they may think of the French. Luxury means French luxury, and little else. For better or for worse, Vive la France!