btain the much
admired pale complexion, women had themselves bled; their dress
corresponded to their complexion, light materials and pure white being
much affected.

In these three stages of the development of beauty, fashion changed
to harmonize with the popular style in beauty. In general, styles
were influenced by an important event of the day: thus, when Marie
Leczinska, introduced the fad of quadrilles, there were invented
ribbons called "quadrille of the queen"; and many other fads
originated in the same way. French taste and fashions travelled over
entire Europe; all Europe was _a la francaise_, yoked and laced in
French styles, French in art, taste, industry. The domination of the
French _Galerie des Modes_ was due to the inventive minds of French
women in relation to everything pertaining to headdress, to detailed
and delicate arrangements of every phase of ornamentation.

Every country had, in Paris, its agents who eagerly waited for the
appearance of the famous doll of the Rue Saint-Honore; this figure
was an exponent of the latest fashions and inventions, and, changing
continually, was watched and copied by all Europe. Alterations in
style frequently originated at the supper of a mistress, in the box
of a dancer or in the atelier of a fine modiste; therefore, in that
respect, that century differed little from the present one. Trade
depended largely upon foreign patronage. Fortunes were made by the
modistes, who were the great artists of the day and who set the
fashion; but the hairdresser and shoemaker, also, were artists, as was
seen, at least in name, and were as impertinent as prosperous.

An interesting illustration of the change of fashion is the following
anecdote: In 1714, at a supper of the king, at Versailles, two English
women wore low headdress, causing a scandal which came near costing
them their dismissal. The king happened to mention that if French
women were reasonable, they would not dress otherwise. The word was
spread, and the next day, at the king's mass the ladies all wore their
hair like the English women, regardless of the laughter of the women
who, being absent the previous evening, had their hair dressed high.
The compliment of the king as he was leaving mass, to the ladies with
the low headdress, caused a complete change in the mode.

It now remains but to illustrate these various classes by types--by
women who have become famous. The Duchesse de Boufflers, Marechale de
Luxembou