Clothing In The Elizabethan Era

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The people in the Elizabethan Era had a very unique style of clothing. The Elizabethan Era had laws about what the commons and nobility had to wear. The commons had very strict rules about what they had to wear, and the upper class had a lot of privilege.
In the Elizabethan Era, a clothing law was passed in the year 1571 (Prasad). If a person was 6 years and older, they would have to enforce this law. The clothing law was passed to control behaviors and to ensure that a specific class structure was maintained. If a person wasn’t wearing the certain clothing item, they would have a penalty by having a fine, the loss of their property, their title, or even their life. This law was nearly impossible to enforce in society. After a while, people started wearing clothes that they liked, or that they could afford. The upper class was only allowed to spend 100 pounds, (141 U.S. Dollars) and they lower class was only allowed to spend 40 pounds, (56 U.S. Dollars) a year (Prasad).
In the Elizabethan Era, lower class men and …show more content…

Cloth of gold or gold tissue could be worn, only by Queen Elizabeth, her mom, her sisters, her aunts, also with duchesses, marquises, and countesses. The upper class Elizabethans got to wear a lot of velvets, satins, furs, silks, lace, cotton, and taffeta. By wearing these types of clothing, it was known that they were upper class. Upper class women wore: gowns, hats, corsets, underwear, collars, ruffs, and shoes. The upper class men wore: doublets, breeches, underwear, collars, ruffs, hats, and shoes. Their clothes would be decorated in jewels, spangles, and pearls, But however, they were tight, hot, and uncomfortable. They were not allowed to wear what they wanted to wear, or what they liked to wear. The clothing and items were dictated by the laws which governed the style and materials worn. Because they were such a high rank with a high title, they always had to wear fancy

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