The Influence Of Fashion During The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time of art and learning that flourished in the 1300s. One type of art that is noticed throughout the Renaissance is clothing and personal style. Although this flourished, fashion choice during the Renaissance was limited due to wealth and social class. This began with rediscovery of the classical world and was a flowering of art and learning. According to Wendy Frey, who wrote History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond, “...[the classical world] inspired the art of the time…” (Frey 321), and this is what relates the Renaissance to the Greek and Roman classical world. Fashion choice was very limited due to cost of fabric and people’s wealth. As for cost of fabric, there was usually an “...exorbitant cost [to] handwoven

According to Cheryl Perkins, who wrote the article “Fashion and Clothing of the Renaissance”, “Renaissance fashion… reflected a person’s economic and social status…” It is clear that social class had an impact on what an individual could or could not wear during the Renaissance. This statement can be proved by the fact that “Renaissance clothing was a public display and would validate your status… [and] even if you did not have much money, you would be accepted into society if you wore the right clothes” (Mahabel). This is true, however sometimes when one had to wear something specific, it did not always have to do with how much money they had but rather what they did for a job. For example, “...peasants were dressed in the practical clothes worn by working people” (Roweland-Warne 16). This was agreed upon, for Paige L. Hanson said in an article titled “The Renaissance Outfit” that “Lower classes, such as laborers and apprentices would wear linen, a light, cool fabric.” This was typically because peasants spent most of their time working and would not be able to move easily in a large gown with embellishments and several layers. Because of this, it is clear that one was limited to what they could wear due to their social status and what their job was. In contrast, the wealthy did not have any tasks so it did not matter is they wore embellishments on their clothing. Speaking of which, wearing embellishments “often… indicated their owner’s status” (Roweland-Warne 18). It is clear that during the Renaissance one was limited to what they could wear due to their social status and what their job was. Occupation highly impacted people, especially the common people and peasants. For example, “...the dress of the ordinary people was practical and sturdy, with very little decoration” (Elgin 34). Additional to that, common people also “...followed