0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hello and welcome to Inside Versailles.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Well, Greg, I'm reeling from that finale.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12So we've got Montcourt is dead,
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Fabien is stabbed,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and Rohan has run off with the Dauphin.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Exactly. It rhymes! Yeah.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19And, surprisingly, actually, kind of true.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21There is elements of truth there.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- I'm not going to give away plot spoilers for series two...- No.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26..so I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but there is truth there.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And what about poor Henriette?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Yeah, sadly, that one - also true.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32She died in 1670...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35In a lot of pain, a pretty horrible death and...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- Poison?- Well, at the time, that's the theory.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40There's great accusations going round the court that she
0:00:40 > 0:00:42has been poisoned by the Chevalier de Lorraine,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45the lover of Philippe, who is in exile in Rome,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and has allegedly sent poison through the post.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Now, I think, historians think it's actually natural causes.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Probably a burst ulcer, which is not a nice way to go.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The tragic thing, of course, it's a very sad end to a very lovely woman,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01but also for Louis, it puts him in a bit of a pickle.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03She is the sister of the King of England
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- and she has apparently maybe died from poison.- Oops.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09So, suddenly, finger-pointing and everyone's a bit upset,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11so a bit awkward.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Well, it's been an amazing journey through the magnificent court,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16the intrigue, the power politics,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18but I think it would be a bit remiss of us
0:01:18 > 0:01:20not to talk about the incredible fashion
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and joining us to do that is Amber Butchart,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27who's going to talk all about the glamour of Louis himself.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Here he is, a bit older than we've seen him so far.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34He is. This is Louis about 30 years after we last saw him,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39but we can really see here how he's totally used fashion
0:01:39 > 0:01:41to create this absolute spectacle of power.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And this is something that he does throughout his reign.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47He's created this amazing palace in Versailles
0:01:47 > 0:01:49and he wants all of his courtiers,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51everyone who's in this palace,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53to look as spectacular as the palace itself.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54So, it's pretty expensive.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56We've got ermine, we've got lace,
0:01:56 > 0:01:57he's got silks,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02- he really is millions of pounds just walking around.- Exactly.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05All of these things are hugely expensive, down to the red dye.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06The red-heeled shoes
0:02:06 > 0:02:09because that's the most expensive dye you can get, isn't it, the red?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Yes, and the whole portrait is him really showing that off.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14He's showing off his wealth,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17showing off his virility with his silk stockings.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20- Great legs.- Dancer's legs. - It's not a subtle message.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22It is not a subtle message, no.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I like that he looks a bit like a showgirl -
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- that's what I especially like about it.- Can-can girl.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29- There's a slight Cher wig, isn't there, as well?- Yes.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Do you know he had 1,000 wigs?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33That's probably too many, but, you know, each to their own.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Presumably, if you're going to look that good all the time,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and his nobles have to look that good all the time,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40is it going to cost them a bit?
0:02:40 > 0:02:42It is going to cost them an awful lot of money.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45In fact, this bankrupted many of his courtiers, many of his nobles.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- And what he would do... - Fashion victims, then.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49Fashion victims, exactly.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52What Louis would do was lend them the money,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54so they were constantly in debt to him,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58which also is quite a shrewd move because not only has he then created
0:02:58 > 0:03:01this absolutely spectacular court, where everyone looks amazing
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and dazzling all of the time,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06but he has also got his nobles involved in this
0:03:06 > 0:03:10kind of power system with him, where they're constantly in debt to him.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13So, Greg and I, what kind of look should we adopt
0:03:13 > 0:03:14if we need to be in with Louis?
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Well, you may well wear a dress that became known as the "grand habit",
0:03:18 > 0:03:24which is an incredibly structured gown with wide shoulders.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Louis himself was a very big fan of the sort of decollete.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Off-the-shoulder look.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- Off-the-shoulder look.- So I need to have a dress somewhere around here,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35so it is not just that I have forgotten to pull it up, that's the look.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37That's the look, whether it's cold,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39whether, you know, you're in bright sunlight,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Louis favours this area on a women.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- It has to be exposed. - It has to be exposed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- And what kind of colours? - If you want to be in with Louis,
0:03:46 > 0:03:47then the red heels are a definite.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- The red heels. They'd look good on you, Greg.- Yep, definitely.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52He also...if you were really in with Louis,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56then what you could wear is an item called the justaucorps,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59which he created as almost a court uniform,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01which was this very lavish blue coat
0:04:01 > 0:04:04with sort of gold and silver embroidery on it as well.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- That's boys only, isn't it?- That's boys only. He only created...
0:04:07 > 0:04:09He only let 50 people wear them at any one time.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11So it's like the quarterback jacket then,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- in the high school movie, only the jocks get to wear it.- Exactly.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17So, for Louis, fashion is all about power and control.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Yes, but it had been for quite a long time.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Before Louis, it tended to be the case that
0:04:23 > 0:04:25the country with the most political power
0:04:25 > 0:04:29would also be the country that would set the fashions around Europe.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30- Fashion power!- Exactly.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Fashion equals power. So, before Louis, this was Spain,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36which set fashions for black clothing
0:04:36 > 0:04:38around the courts of Europe.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Now, Louis was really the absolute antithesis to this.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44He ushered in a new style of dressing for men,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46so men stopped wearing the doublet and hose
0:04:46 > 0:04:50and started wearing a much more form-fitting silhouette.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So, you've got breeches,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54you've got the justaucorps, the tight-fitting coat,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- and you've also got this, the waistcoat...- Fabulous.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00..which is introduced. Doesn't look quite like this then,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03but obviously goes on to look like this in later days.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06So he really changed the way that men were dressing.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09He ushered in a sort of style of dress that really evolved
0:05:09 > 0:05:12into the way that men still dress today.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Yeah, I have a lot in common with Louis. Lou and I, we're great buddies.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17And, of course, you are wearing a cravat,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20which is also something that comes in at this time as well.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Is it called a jabot, as well, sometimes, in French?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Yep, jabot. Yes, exactly.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So this is kind of modified from the ruffs
0:05:26 > 0:05:28that were being worn in earlier eras.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32And what's great about the cravat, and also about the sleeves as well,
0:05:32 > 0:05:37is that it can be made of this very intricate, exquisite lace.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40So, again, you're showing your wealth, literally on your sleeves,
0:05:40 > 0:05:45around your neck, because creating these textiles costs so much money.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48In fact, they can grow to huge sizes as well.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We've seen a brilliant array of cravats throughout the whole
0:05:51 > 0:05:52of the Versailles series.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I am a particular fan of the cravats in the show.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But they really did grow to big sizes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01There was actually a play written in England in the 1690s
0:06:01 > 0:06:04that disparagingly called them a slabbering bib...
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- Lovely.- ..which I like.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08So, they're covered in gravy and people are just sort of
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- dipping them into their soup. - Gets in your soup.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Yeah, exactly, tricky stuff.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15He looks fantastic. Does he smell fantastic?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Because from what I know of the 17th century,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19people aren't really washing at the courts.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Doctors are telling them that washing off the dirt allows
0:06:22 > 0:06:25plague into your body, so they're changing their shirt quite often,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27but they're not washing underneath it.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Do these layers stop the smell getting in, or what else is
0:06:30 > 0:06:32happening to stop, you know, the pungency?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Well, Louis was also fostering sort of perfumiers at this time,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38as well, for that very reason.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42But in terms of hygiene, the shirt at this time was very much
0:06:42 > 0:06:44an item of underwear.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's the layer that's worn against the skin.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48If you are a man, it's the shirt.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50If you are a woman, it's the chemise.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52So it's vital that you have this layer
0:06:52 > 0:06:54that can be taken off and washed.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56And that's not to say it couldn't be quite luxurious,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58it could be made of very fine linen, or silk cambric.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Where is it being made?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Is it French-made, is it imports?
0:07:02 > 0:07:03It's being made in France.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05In fact, by this point especially,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08absolutely everything that he's wearing is being made in France.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13This was a huge part of the drive by Louis, and his minister Colbert,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16to make sure that absolutely all of these luxury textiles,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21luxury items, were being made in France to bolster the economy.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25In fact, he even put sumptuary laws on the statue books, saying that
0:07:25 > 0:07:29people could not import fabrics from other places - he made it illegal.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31He also issued an edict saying that
0:07:31 > 0:07:34his courtiers had to dress fashionably.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36So, in doing these two measures, he's really making
0:07:36 > 0:07:38sure that the fashion industry in France
0:07:38 > 0:07:40is becoming a key part of its economic system.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42He creates a massive industry, doesn't he?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45And the idea that a third of people in Paris are working in fashion -
0:07:45 > 0:07:47it's just a massive economy booster.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And you still see remnants of this today.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53In the haute couture system that exists in Paris,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56some of that is still enshrined in the statute books.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59It's still a sort of legalised process of, you know,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02absolutely exquisite luxury handcrafts.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04So Paris is still the centre of fashion.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Paris is still the centre of fashion, thanks to Louis XIV.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- Unfortunately, we've run out of time, so thank you so much, Amber. - Thanks.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14And I'm afraid you can't join us next week because we're done,
0:08:14 > 0:08:15but I hope you enjoyed the series.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16- Bon soir.- Bon soir.