A THOUSAND BILLION RIBBONS: THE TRUE STORY OF FASHION

After the great successes of his collections of "chirps", such as Passe-moi le champagne, j'ai un chat dans la gorge (Grasset), here's the book by Loïc Prigent that everyone's been waiting for: his history of fashion. In several volumes, of which this is the first, he unveils French and international couture, from the 19th century to the opening of Gabrielle Chanel's first boutique in 1913. From the first great couturiers (Worth) and the first star-buyers (Empress Eugenie) to the industry that got involved (Singer sewing machines) and the beginnings of mass marketing (department stores), we discover the ins and outs of this French craze.
In this essay-narrative, Loïc Prigent tells his own story in a book in which, false naive and true Tintin, he reveals how what is considered superfluous fits into the overall story. Wasn't luxury founded on the Manchester factories where cotton harvested by American slaves was processed? Technology has a lot to do with creation: paper money is never far from the rag.
"How did fashion become fashion? How did the system come into being? Who developed the machines, the leaflets, the shop windows, the frivolity as a business model? Who decided on the rhythm of the collections? Who came up with the label? The catwalk and the models? With his usual ardor and twirling language, Loïc Prigent teaches us, makes us smile and delights us.