Impeccable style is n't something you 'd necessarily associate with someone who crunches numbers for a living - let alone a man living in 16th century northern Europe . However , long before Kim Kardashian turned selfie taking into an art form , German accountant Matthaeus Schwarz was busy piecing together the world 's first fashion book . In an incredible project that appears to be unique , style-obsessed Matthaeus - who was born in Augsburg , Germany , in 1497 - commissioned 137 watercolour paintings of himself over a 40 year period . Scroll down for video . Matthaeus Schwartz commissioned pictures of his flamboyant outfits over a 40 year period from the 1520s . The German accountant kept a note of when he wore each look - just as today 's bloggers do . Fascinated by clothes , the flamboyant dresser began recording his appearance on parchment paper in 1520 , during a time when strict laws governed the kinds of fabrics each social rank and station could wear . He initially commissioned 35 images to document his sartorial choices from childhood up to his early 20s but ended up with 101 more pictures . The extraordinary undertaking ended up spanning over 40 years and only ceased when Matthaeus reached the age of 63 . As no other pictorial record like this exists , historians believe Matthaeus created the first ever fashion tome - similar to 21st century online blogs . Unlike today 's fashion bloggers , Matthaeus , who spent a large part of his income on clothing , did n't have Instagram filters and Photoshop to rely on . He opted for surprisingly elaborate outfits which were an example of cutting-edge fashion of the time and used his clothes to make a political statement . He bound all his outfit paintings into a volume called the Book Of Clothes . He boldly combined patterns , colours and decoration in a variety outfits in a unique lifetime project . Matthaeus , who was born in 1497 , is now regarded as the first fashion blogger . Matthaeus donned a red and yellow outfit ( echoing the colours of the Holy Roman Emperor ’ s flag ) when Charles V returned to Germany , as a show of his allegiance to Catholicism . After amassing an extensive collection of paintings , the fashion innovator had the pages bound and made into the ultimate vanity project , a volume titled Book of Clothes . Among the portraits are pictures of him in festive clothing for the Emperor Maximilian I 's visit to Augsburg in 1518 , dressed up for a rich banker 's wedding in 1527 , and in mourning garb for his father 's death in 1519 . He added comments to each of the images explaining when the outfit was worn along with his Latin motto omne quare suum quiam - every because has a why . Now the tome has inspired a new set of photographs of fictional male dandies by artist and photographer Maisie Broadhead . Maisie , alongside her fashion designer sister Bella Newell and Professor Ulinka Rublack , has created five modern photographic recreations - printed to large scale - telling the fictional story of Matthew Smith , a young man from north London , who is obsessed with clothes . The modern photographs are based upon images commissioned between 1520 and 1560 by Matthaeus . A Young Man 's Progress is a free exhibition held at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge . It runs from Tuesday 24 March until Sunday 6 September . Artist Maisie Broadhead was inspired by Matthaeus Schwarz 's life work to create a series of pictures portraying a modern dandy for an exhibition called A Young Man 's Progress . Some of the illustrations captured Matthaeus in everyday activities , like opening a door . Matthaeus combined different-coloured stripes , yellow stockings and a voluminous coat in this look .
Style-obsessed Bella Newell was born in Germany in 1497 . He commissioned 137 watercolour paintings of his outfits over 40 years . His Book of Clothes is believed to be the first ever fashion tome . The images have provided inspiration for a new exhibition in Cambridge .