The opening of lace factories in eight towns, including Alençon, of the kingdom of France under Louis XIV made it possible to reduce the imports of Venetian lace and the flight of French currency at a time when lace was very successful. This ornamentation, all in refinement, transparency, and lightness, was indeed a luxury product that courtiers liked to exhibit in the same way as jewelry. They displayed it on the collar and sleeves of their clothes to show the extent of their wealth and their social rank. Omnipresent at the court of France and foreign countries, Alençon lace enjoyed a period of splendor and prestige throughout the 18th century.