On 19 January 1363, King Edward III introduced a sumptuary law. It laid down which types of cloth and fur each class could wear. The laws applied to the middle ranks of society, knights, merchants, and craftsmen. The king didn't want them to get ideas above their station and dress like nobles.
The law didn't mention the poor - since they couldn't afford expensive cloth anyway. Many more sumptuary laws were passed until the time of Elizabeth I in the late 16th century. Most people ignored them.
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