Yesterday’s blog post was on the subject of “Boots”. Yesterday’s Boot Post
One of my blogger friends, Bun Karyudo, made a great comment:
“It’s funny, there was a time when wearing boots was a man’s thing, but nowadays they only men who get the chance are ones appearing in historical dramas.”
Dingo Bingo! I had an epiphany!
Some men need to be thanked for their contributions to women’s fashions.
I’m writing a thankful post today to some of the men who have made women more beautiful by foreseeing fashion trends.
Louis Quatorze. The great King of France, Louis XIV. Now there was a man who truly loved women! Louis was a man way ahead of his time and he wasn’t afraid to show his feminine side.
Look how regal Louis Quatorze stands. Note the huge ribbon to tie his hair back with. Note the boots. I think Tory Burch copied his boot look! Note the flow of the scarves. It’s so Boho.
I want you to take a good look at the bigness of his hair. This man has been a huge inspiration to the hair of Texan women and Long Island woman and this former Long Island woman fondly thanks him.
He danced the ballet—in the female roles no less!!
Oh. Let me tell you something. Not only did Louis XIV inspire fashion for everyday life, but take a look at today’s Irish Dance Champs……
..that’s right. Look at Oona’s wig. Look at Oona’s crown. Look at Oona’s incredibly expensive dance dress I bought that she only wore twice. Even the Jig shoes were inspired by French royalty. Forget Michael Flatley. The Irish Dancers should be indebted to Louis XIV for their “look”! Am I right???
He and the men of his court influenced women of all centuries with his dress and hair and makeup!
Check out the flushed cheeks, pale faces and that beauty mark on the guy on the right. We know where Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford got the ideas for their beauty marks now, don’t we??? ( I only HOPE that is a beauty mark and not something else…..)
If it weren’t for ol’ Louis, we would not be wearing heels.
This is Louis XIV’s ballet slipper. Need I say more? Who do you think inspired Christian Louboutin?
He also invested in great real estate for his woman! He even got her a fashionable home!
I died. Died when I went to visit the chateau that Madame Maintenon received from Louis. It’s soooooooooooo much more intimate than Versailles.
Napoleon Bonaparte holds a special place in my heart too!
I took this pic of my man Napoleon some years ago when we were at Les Invalides. Napoleon’s sense of style overwhelms me with happiness.
If it weren’t for the fashion sense of Napoleon Bonaparte, we women would never have the cool military-inspired clothing that we can wear today!
I almost broke the glass to try this military jacket on. It spoke to me. I want a Bicorn hat just like Napoleon’s. I want that jacket.
The boots. The military uniforms. The pants tucked into the boots. The hats, which, in my opinion were to-die-for! I tell you, Napoleon Bonaparte is my fashion icon.
Be still my heart! Is that a CHAMBRAY military jacket to the left? And the Winter White uniform on the right? Who says you can’t wear white after Labor Day?
I could not resist taking pics of these cute little military dolls when we were at Invalides in Paris. It’s the coolest place. Plus, it’s chock full of fashion inspiration. What would Barbie do? (Hint. She’d have a field day with THESE guys!)
Napoleon inspired all the money spent on my blazers and boots!
My Napoleon-inspired weekend look makes me want to give orders to MY Bonaparte!
I’ll definitely have fun Napoleonizing these blazers when the weather cools off!
Lest we forget, I dig his taste in outerwear….
Napoleon–don’t look so sad. Waterloo was just a loss. Look at the winning way you’ve inspired so many women with your taste in clothes. I would kill for that coat..and the boots too. I do so think today’s fashion models were also inspired by your miserable pout, though. They always look so pissed off–thanks to this guy!
Napoleon also had a touch of whimsy! Where do you think Hippies got the idea for leafy and floral wreaths in their hair? Where do you think “Ladies-who-lunch” got the idea for little fur stoles and coverlets?
What a whimsical fashion multi-tasker. A pleasant mix of hippie and ladies-who-lunch. A leafy crown and an ermine coverlet. A true trendsetter ahead of his time!
He also invested in excellent real estate too! I”m not crazy about the home he purchased for Josephine after their divorce, but I do love Fontainebleu just outside of Paris. It’s my HGTV dream home!
Hey. Napoleon needed someplace to store all that military clothing! I impressed myself with the quality of this photo I snapped!
For modern day dresses, I would love to thank Andre Courreges.
To me, Andre Courreges personifies simplistic and chic fashion.
Andre brought a simplistic and comfortable style to the way we women dress today. Chic. A nice fit that isn’t tight yet not matronly. A flattering way of dressing for women of all sizes. He, along with Mary Quant were the parents of “Mod” fashion!
The only label I own that is this impressive….
It’s a hand-me-down from Bonaparte’s aunt, Daniele. I’m not proud! I think Chippy wants to eat the hanger.
Merci Monsieur Courreges!
Also, thanks to my very own Bonaparte.
The OTHER Bonaparte. Emperor of our home!
Thank you (sometimes) for being brutally honest with me when my fashion sense is just a bit “off”. Sort of thank you for telling me that I’m past the micro-mini stage of my life too.
Thank you man, I feel like a woman!
Now can you get me a coat like the other Bonaparte’s?
Did you really think I would post any song other than Shania’s “Man. I Feel Like A Woman!” XOXOXOXOXOXO!! Sing it Sista!
Love the post! And yes, I think we can thank these men for contributing to Fashion! I just love wearing boots, I wait for the winters so that I can wear them! Knee high as well as ankle boots, my favorites! 😀
Oh…I’m LONGING to wear my boots. It’s so hot now though, that I’m barefoot, in shorts and a t shirt..and I’m comando. I’m eagerly awaiting that boots weather! XOXOXO!
ohh my days of shorts t-shirts and barefoot are coming to an end….its almost fall here! 🙁
Yes, the boys did like to dress up. Funny how we have switched places and they wear the drab suits and we get the fussy stuff. Their loss.
Definitely their loss! I’m still fantasizing about the beautiful navy with red cuffs and collar and gold trim military jacket that belonged to Napoleon. I want that jacket so badly! Oh well, I’m glad they decided to let us in on their fashion sense! XOXOXO!!
LOL, loved it!
Thanks Spear!!!! XOXOXO!!
Hahaha, what a post!!! Loved it..
But arrrgghh.. you had to post a pic of the other Bonaparte.. now I will always feel an inferiority complex for life 🙁
You goof… see what you have done now 😀
And hey, wear all the micro-minis, boots, jeans, skirts or whatever you wish, I would still love anything you wore or chose to wear… 🙂
Awwww..thanks. I’m wondering if my Bonaparte will change his thoughts on my wearing micro-minis after he sees your comment. LOL!!! Thanks man–I feel like a woman! XOXOXO
Grr… not just man, total caveman !!! 😀
And nah, Bonaparte will not mind either 🙂
and what is with this “Thanks man”??… makes you sound like a hippie.. and with that boot post previously, almost truly so..
and like I dropped by and saw you coming down the street, wearing one boot and I says… to ya, quite kindly… “Lost a boot, dear child??”
And you go “Nah, man, found one!!”
Thanks man… 😀 hehehe
Loved all the pictures and research you did. Great post!
–Joan 🙂
Thanks Joan! LOL. The pictures are giving me a jones to hop on the 6:30 PM flight to Paris–but that’ll have to wait. I’m wondering what my daughter’s reaction is going to be when she sees that I”ve compared her Irish Dance photo to Louis XIV! Oh my! Thanks–glad you enjoyed the post! XOXOXO!!
It seems that beauty marks (“mouches”) had a code all their own, depending on where they were located on the face! They came in various shapes, too. You can buy your own even today:
https://www.bellocchio.com/catalogue/beaute/mouchespourbal/
(No affiliation, bien sûr.)
Susan. I am so tempted. Just so tempted to order some of those mouches. Then I will have a “mouche-stash” *wink-wink* At least it’ll be one that I won’t have to wax! LOL. XOXOXOXO!!!
Absolutely Fabulous! Thanks for the romp througn fashion history or histrionics! Whichever!
Hi Jackie. You are quite welcome. Isn’t it amazing the fashionable items that the men have passed down to us through the ages?? XOXOXO!!!
This post made me smile. Great combination of fashion, history, and humor!!
Thank you Amelia! I’m glad that you enjoyed this fun combo! XOXOXO!!
Wow. I am in awe of the effort that you exerted just to write this post. Nice!
Thanks Rose, I”m glad you liked the post–but I’m also glad that I took a bunch of pics on my trips to France too! Every moment is a Kodak moment…especially when it comes to clothing! LOL! XOXOXOXO!!!
Oh I love that Kodak moment! 😀 Brings back good old memories. 😀
Great post! I’m so glad I made my comment the other day. I’m slightly stunned by the amount of wig Louis XIV had on his head. I didn’t know there was that much wig on the planet at any one time. He definitely deserved to be king just for being able to keep it all balanced on his head. (I do see the resemblance to the Irish dancing outfit, but I think Oona would really have needed several tons more hair to perfect the Louis look.)
By the way, I think there might have been some mix-up with the photograph labeled “Louis XIV’s ballet slipper.” I had a look but all I could see was a barnacle encrusted piece of driftwood. The Napoleon-inspired blazer outfit is very stylish, and I think I might be right in saying it incorporates those nice black and brown boots that appeared in your post the other day. I’ll have to go off and think carefully now about something I can say to inspire another post.
Oh Bun…that photo of Oona–she’s only wearing ONE wig in that pic. When she competed, she sometimes wore TWO wigs–its like Irish Dance meets Toddlers and Tiara’s…but that’s another post!! XOXOXO!!!
Two wigs! Oh, my goodness, that poor girl. She must have been a real trooper. 🙂
I donated a black vinyl Correges miniskirt a few years ago and it still haunts me! I know my days of mini skirt wearing are long past, but still…
Fashion and trends are all about time and place.
Oh gk. I would still be haunted by throwing anything Couregges away. OMG. would have mustered up the “couregges” to get it back. LOL! XOXOXOXO!!!
Love your sense of style and LOVE that red dress!
Thank you so much. I LOVE red! Red and black. One of my favorite combos! XOXOXOXO!!!
Spoiler Alert: A bummer downer after such a great historical post: Q: (to gynecologist): “What is the worst body odor?” A: “Women’s long boots.” So, keep that Dr Scholl’s close by when putting on those boots that are made for walkin’. Better yet, wear no boots when having a “female” exam. (I am certain men are not excepted from this either: smelly feet make for poor bedFELLOWS.)
Very interesting post. Perhaps instead of a book you need to do a fashio magazine?
LOL. Mover Anna Wintour. MY “Vogue” magazine would have NO celebrities in it at all. Just real women of all AGES. Yeah. I need to do that. XOXOXO!!
You could call it REAL WOMEN or something,
This article is so on point! I was talking about this just the other day with ha family friend, explaining the historical origin of heels.
Great article.
Thanks Asta! Glad you enjoyed the post! I’m glad that these men were kind enough to give us their fashion ideas! XOXOXO!
I know right? We wear them ten times better. 🙂