Thank you all for your thoughts: it's a lot more complicated, isn't it?

Just to throw something else in (which I should have thought of earlier), some men of very high status were dressing plainly before the French Revolution, as the famous painting by David of Lavoisier and his wife shows (see link below). We know that this was done at the end of 1788 / beginning of 1789: ie several months before the Revolution started. Lavoisier may have some rather expensive lace at his wrist and neck, but his clothing is plain black.