We can attribute a lot to Catherine de' Medici of Italy. At a mere 4'10" tall, Catherine commissioned a cobbler to fashion a pair of high heel shoes to increase her stature (this is said to be the first written record of the high-heeled shoe). She is also known to have created lip gloss by combining beeswax with food coloring to produce a handsome reddish lip salve. The Medicis were great patrons of the arts, architecture and sciences whose recipients read as a who's who of Renaissance art and architecture. Catherine invested in wearable art commissioning the finest and most elaborate of gowns that she wore at portrait sittings. In fact her views left a vast influence on fashions for the next 350 years. Wearable art today can be found in the Rebecca Taylor line. Instead of commissioning fine gowns at exorbitant rates Rebecca Taylor has created collections equal in beauty for much less a price. This season the Rebecca Taylor Florencia Dress has captured the attention of many including Rachel Leigh Cook seen wearing the dress at the Cannes' Film Festival promoting her movie My First Wedding. Marisa Ramirez wore Rebecca's Florencia Dress to the Social Hollywood Opening to Benefit the Charlize Africa Program. And it's featured in Seventeen magazine. Honestly, can't you imagine Rebecca Taylor's Florencia Dress being worn by Botticelli's Venus?