Why Louis XIV Would Approve of Fashion at the Oscars

If Louis XIV has taught us anything, it is that lavish amounts of luscious silks, big dresses and red-soled shoes equal wealth and power.
Why Louis XIV Would Approve of Fashion at the Oscars
Jennifer Lopez at the 87th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 22, 2015. Jason Merritt/Getty Images
|Updated:

If Louis XIV has taught us anything, it is that lavish amounts of luscious silks, big dresses and red-soled shoes equal wealth and power. This is as true today as it was in the 17th-century French court: all three will be much in evidence on the red carpet at the forthcoming Oscars – and they will indeed represent wealth and power. But power structures have changed somewhat in the past 400 years: what they will not represent are the wardrobes of the actors wearing them.

Louis XIV sporting his signature red heels.
Louis XIV sporting his signature red heels.
Marie McLoughlin
Marie McLoughlin
Author