Mackenzie Dikdan
Webster
P.3 History
10/7/15
Fashion of the Enlightenment Period
During the chapters we read about the Enlightenment period, we did not read much about the fashion of that time. Although everyone had to wear clothes and it was a basic necessity, there is no correlation between the outfits and the events that took place. This is most likely the reason why it is not mentioned in our textbooks. The clothes people wore can reflect the views of that time period just as much as the events that took place. During this time period fashion designers became more popular as people wanted to be dressed in the latest trends. Most high-class people could afford the latest and greatest styles, but lower class people could only look. Women had to wear super tight corsets that …show more content…
Men wore breeches, a waistcoat, and a coat. Breeches were worn just to the knee on top of stockings that went to the foot. Waistcoats were the more stylish part of the outfit as it was decorated with embroidery and pretty fabric. The coat went over everything and was open in the front to display the fancy waistcoat. Men also wore black, heeled shoes that had a big buckle on the front of it. Fashion was said to be very important to many people especially higher-class people who felt the need to show their dominance and social status. It was also expected that people attending important events were dressed like they belonged there. Fashion influenced this time period because it shows the social rank of people. Most of the people mentioned in these chapters were of a higher class such as Catherine the Great or Charles II. These people would have worn these garments and looked like this. As previously stated, the reason these details were not focused on in the book is because the outfits didn’t match up with the events only the people who were