A Simple Question...

[ReineD]

Largely throughout the history men have worn fairly tight breeches or pants (cloth is expensive, difficult to make). Kings wore breeches, silk stockings, corsets, wigs, makeup and all sorts of things that are now reserved for women ONLY.

I know you're just making a side point, but I'd like to comment because your point has been made many times in this forum.

It's important to remember that even though in past centuries rich men (not the peasants) wore brocade, ruffles, heels, feathers, wigs, etc, their dress style was masculine for their time and still very different from feminine styles. And men's motives for wearing wigs, ruffles, heels, etc were different than they are today.

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A man wearing a gown such as Madame Sophie's here would have been looked at with raised eyebrows. The comparison shouldn't be between female styles now and male styles then, but how the styles differentiate male from female within the same time period.