Oh là là! French Glitz and Glamour Quiz

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV (1638-1715), was the epitome of elegance in everything he did.
He wanted to make Paris the cultural center of Europe, overtaking the other capitals, but especially London. He found his perfect counterpart in Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683), his minister of finance. Louis had the vision and Colbert the marketing know-how to make it happen in the late 1660s.

Answer: Candles

In 1667, Paris became the "Ville Lumière", City of Light, after Louis decreed that it should be lit at night. Until then, public activities ended after dark, while now night life became possible. Lanterns were posted at strategic crossing points, and the candles inside were lit every night after the lamps were lowered with pulleys.

The roads were also paved with cobblestones to keep the king (and others) from muddying their shoes.

Answer: Diamonds

All through the Renaissance, pearls had been the most desirable gems, but Louis changed all that. LouisXIV loved the sparkle of diamonds, and literally covered himself with them: buttons, garters, shoe buckles. He bought his diamonds from the French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who had traveked to India and brought back and sold to Louis among many others the famous Blue Diamond, which later was recut as the Hope Diamond, now at the Smithsonian.

At that time, the brilliant cut became (and still is) the most popular because it produces the most sparkle.

Answer: They lured the master craftsmen away from Venice

The sparkle of diamonds was not enough for Louis, it needed to be reflected and multiplied by mirrors. At that time, only the Venetians knew how to make large mirrors and they guarded the secret jealously. The story of how these master Venetian craftsmen were lured away to France in 1665 reads like a soap opera.
But Louis succeeded in his intent and soon the large mirrors like those at Versailles were manufactured in France.

Colbert spared no effort to attract experienced foreign workers to France: Germans and Swedes for the metal industry, Dutchmen for textiles and Italians for the silk manufacture in Lyon.

Answer: Red

In the late 1600s celebrity designers started to appear, instead of the earlier unknown little seamstresses and tailors: haute couture, the fashion industry was born.

To advertise the new trends, fashion plates (engravings) were created and fashion dolls. Fashion plates were sent around the world to show women everywhere the new styles.

Louis's addiction to shoes could rival that of Imelda Marcos.
In a famous portrait by Rigaud, the king shows off his shapely legs and his favorite shoes with red heels and red bows. High red heels were worn only by aristocrats and the king wore the highest of them all.

Answer: The folding umbrella

Until then, umbrellas had been heavy, unwieldy contraptions which had to be held up by another person. In 1709, Marius invented a very modern-looking umbrella that could be easily folded and carried. Now it was possible to go out in any kind of weather, without fear of getting drenched.

Answer: Grasse

At this time most people did not bathe frequently, so perfume and fragrances were used to cover the fact. All through the Renaissance, most perfumes came from Italy, but the ever resourceful Colbert, intent on bringing the luxury industry to France, in the mid-1660s, designated the town of Grasse in Provence the center of the fragrance trade, which it has remained to this day.

Answer: He committed suicide

Rather than losing his honor and reputation, chef Vatel stabbed himself. Sadly, later on, the fish arrived. Similarly, in 2003, chef Bernard Loiseau shot himself, fearful of losing one of his Michelin stars. Here too, he should have waited, because he did not lose his star after all.

In the late 1600s, the first cookbooks and famous chefs appeared, and French gastronomy was born.

Answer: Café Procope

In 1675, a Sicilian, Francesco Procopio, opened his café near Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was not an ordinary drab coffee house, but a chic establishment with chandeliers and mirrors, where coffee was served in silver pots and the waiters were dressed in exotic Armenian costumes. His success spread, and soon there were hundreds of cafés all over town, setting up the scene that lasts to this day.
Café Procope can still be found, now at 13, rue de l'Ancienne Comédie.

Answer: Dom Perignon

Dom Perignon was a Benedictine monk who in 1673 invented the sparkling wine, without which no festive celebration seems complete. He loved to work in the vineyard and was not seeking fame and fortune.

The secret for a bubbly wine was a second fermentation, and his genius was to add a mixture of sugar and alcohol to achieve it. But the bubbles, adding pressure to the bottles, caused them to explode, with the loss of a lot of wine, which made it even more expensive. To prevent this, eventually thicker bottles were made in the familiar green color and shape. New cork stoppers were also used to keep the bottles tightly sealed.