Page "Thérésa Tallien" Paragraph 7

Thérésa became one of the leaders of Parisian social life.

Her salon was famous and she was one of the originators of the Greek Revival Directoire style women's fashions of the French Directory period.

She was a very colorful figure ; one story is that she was said to bathe in the juice of strawberries for their healing properties.

She once arrived at the Tuileries Palace, the then chief residence of Napoleon Bonaparte, supported by a black page, with eight sapphire rings and six toe rings, a gold bracelet on each ankle and nine bracelets on each arm.

To top the look off Theresa had a head band covered in rubies.

On another occasion she appeared at the Paris Opera wearing a white silk dress without sleeves and not wearing any underwear.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand commented: " Il n ' est pas possible de s ' exposer plus somptueusement!

" (" One could not be more richly unclothed!

").