NOTORIOUS EXCESSES OF FASHION.

IN THE COURT of Louis XIV, Mme de la Tourelle wore a wig so high that all the door lintels in Versailles had to be removed and replaced with arches.

During the reign of Caracalla, young wastrels who aspired to fashion frequently had themselves bronzed.

No beauty in 19th-century Prussia was considered worthy of the name unless she had a dueling scar on her cheek.

Henry VIII weighed ninety-seven pounds for most of his adult life, but his preference for padded Flemish waistcoats made him look much bulkier.

The notorious Comte de Bauché would never wear the same glove for more than five minutes at a time, and employed a valet to accompany him with a bag of gloves in the Comte’s favorite shade of puce.

Postmodernist fashion designer Antoine once dressed his favorite model as a 1957 Packard Clipper for a charity ball, but was disappointed when she lost a fan belt and had to spend the evening in the garage.