Velvet as a Luxury

For a long time velvet was considered to be the ultimate luxury fabric. King Richard II of England requested upon his death that he should be covered in only velveto. Here is an example of velvet with the Medici coat of arms

Now with this notion in our minds let's take a look at the use of velvet in contemporary society

If the European royalty from the Renaissance knew what connotations velvet would acquire in the future they would've stuck to wearing ermine fur furever.