A prime example is the 17th-century French court, where King Louis XIV began wearing red high heels extensively at Versailles. These shoes were not only extremely expensive to produce, but the red dye itself was also incredibly pricey at the time, making them virtually impossible for commoners to replicate. Soon, red high heels ceased to be just "shoes" and became a clear signal: whether you were allowed access to the center of power. Subsequently, the upper classes throughout France and even Europe began to imitate them, not because high heels were comfortable, but because they had been used first by royalty. Purple, silk, rare spices, specific coats of arms—the logic is exactly the same: they appeared first among royalty and nobility, and only later spread throughout Europe. x.com/yoyo_zyzy/status/2019381...