Queen Elizabeth Of The Elizabethan Era - 1369 Words

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, bounteous, layered skirts we re all the rage, so much so, laws were made to keep clothing in line. These laws were made to clearly divide the social classes of the time (Alchin). Knowing these laws was very important, because punishments for breaking the laws were harsh. Queen Elizabeth I saw the significance in the clothes people wear and how appearance alters the way people see others. This is why the Elizabethan people would sacrifice anything, even their health, to be beautiful. Queen Elizabeth definitely influenced the clothing of her Era and some of the clothing today by creating Sumptuary Laws, clearly dividing the social classes, and by raising the importance of body image. Unlike today, in†¦show more content†¦Back then, the upper class children would dress almost exactly the same as their parents. Their outfits were identical to each other (Tomecek). Of course, children s clothing was slightly simpler, but not by much. According to Alchin, young boys would wear skirts, making them almost indistinguishable from the young girls. When boys reached the age six, they would begin to dress more like their father. There was a variety of colors in clothing that could be worn, but only high-ranked citizens were allowed to wear colors like purple or gold, which symbolized royalty (Alchin). Crimson, a dark red color, was the color of the church. It symbolized the presence of God and the blood of martyrs (Alchin). The Cardinal at the time wore bright robes that were Crimson colored. Blue was mainly worn by servants and maids, and gray was a color normally seen on the poor. Gray clothing symbolized humility and poverty, it was a color that would never be seen on Queen Elizabeth I (Alchin). Due to Queen Elizabeth s strict laws, much of the lower class did not have as much of a variety of clothing as the upper class did. Gold, silver, purple, and many more colors could only be worn by royalty and nobility (Alchin). By looking at what somebody was wearing, you could tell which social class they came from. There was a time during the Elizabethan Era where men s clothing was fancier and more decorative looking than the women s clothing (Leed). The Elizabethan Era was sometimes