One area in particular that the Natives of New France
are more reasonable than many of my French compatriots and that is in
the area of fashion. For a practical man such as myself, to visit the
court of Henry IV or Louis XIII at Fontainebleau presents a difficulty
as to attire. This craze for fashion, increasing and changing year after
year, puts people in debt. At court they expect a man to have 20 or
more suits of different types and he must change them every day. Yet
to pursue my interests in settlement and trade in New France at court,
I was left with little choice but to follow the tastes of the day when
admitted into the presence of the King to deliver reports on my explorations
and achievements. Of course, I am not adverse to the new fondness for
colour in our French costumes which most of Europe seems to be adopting.
It is certainly preferable to the austere black that was in fashion
for so long, a habit that resulted from the influence of the Spanish
court. Return to Other Ways of Seeing... |
