2011 11 Real Weddings Julie Pete Versailles Ky

There was a wider choice of garments and accessories and a greater range of fabrics; colors were brighter and closures more varied. With a certain novelty and more choice, fashion can be said to have been born, styles changed more quickly, and the idea of change for change’s sake arrived. Improved production of textiles meant wastage, and innovation was possible. Garment shapes began to be curved, and edges could be snipped or dragged.

Place in society. Despite these changes, some things remained rigid. Women were expected to keep their heads covered, and clothes dictated an individual’s place in society—they revealed who you were and what you did. It was frowned upon, and there were even laws against, non-nobility attempting to dress as nobility. At the same time differences between social classes increased—the rich looked a lot richer than the poor.

FASHION ICON Eleanor of Aquitaine (c.1124–1204) is one of the most important and well-known figures of the Middle Ages, due to her huge influence on the cultural life of the time. Born into the ruling family of the Duchy of Aquitaine, a large province that covered most of southwest France, this cultured, sophisticated, and most eligible heiress in Europe had an extraordinary zest for life. At 15 she married the future King Louis VII of France and moved to Paris. Used to luxury and splendor, Eleanor found the city bleak and gray. She immediately set about transforming Paris into a center of art and beauty. With her strong sense of style, she introduced new fashions, fabrics, and etiquette from the more sophisticated south.