Page 369 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

362 History and Science of Knots

of the cloak, down the sides of breeches, along the seams and round the head
of each sleeve, down the centre back seam, round the basque seam down the
button-front, and round each buttonhole. The corresponding restrictions for
women were the hem of the petticoat, down the fronts of gown and skirt,
round the basque, and on bodices. [It is worth noting how this shows that
lace was applied to cover all seams, so suggesting that tailors may have used
long stitches for seaming.] To encourage his subjects to carry out his wishes,
Louis XIV also imposed the heavy fine of 1500 livres (= 30,000 sols) upon
any merchant caught selling foreign laces. To stimulate interest in the French
textile industry, Colbert also imported skilled craftsmen from all over Europe,
giving them special privileges and tax exemptions to persuade them to settle
in France. Although the experiment failed in some areas-for instance, French
serges lacked the texture of those made by the finer wool from sheep bred in the
English Cotswolds, so that the waiving of loom-taxes for the immigrant Dutch
and Flemish weavers was simply money wasted-the lace-making, silk-hosiery
and tapestry industries were well established by these tactics.
At this time too, court dress was made into something approaching uni-
form. Only those who had warrants signed by the King could wear these
Justaucorps a brevet, and warrants were only issued to those who could pay
for the signature! The wearers of such coats-under-warrant could join in any
royal party without invitation, their status being assured by their coats; the
double advantages to the throne were the swelling of the royal coffers and the
corresponding assurance that the princes of blood were now too poor to raise
private armies. The lady's court dress (grand habit) was the style of 1670,
for the manteau with its uncorseted comfort was thought to be unsuitable.
The rigidly boned court dress left the shoulders bare; however, Louis XIV's
sister-in-law went to mass one morning wearing a lace scarf over her shoulders,
giving rise to the fashion for fichus. (When Louis complained of her casual
appearance, Madame retorted that God would surely be less disturbed by her
wrapped figure than by her chattering teeth!) One further touch was made by
la Duchesse de Fontanges, whose hair caught in a branch while riding; to hide
the disarray, she arranged a lace scarf over the top of her head, so giving rise
to the fontange cap. The fashion for Court dress spread all over Europe, and
Peter the Great brought the idea to Russia in 1698.
In 1667 the request that the French nation should wear French lace was
repeated, this time with expressions against the use of foreign laces; and in
March 1668, an edict was published forbidding the importation of Venetian
point and Genoese laces. A copy of Venetian point plat (in which the outlines
are left unpadded, so producing a flat piece without any relief), was made
at Alencon; this soon developed its own characteristics, and was known as
Point de France. In general, the designs were more fluid, with a crisp ground,
stiff outlines and delicately patterned fillings. Between 12 and 18 workers