Colonial Fashion

After reading “Second Thoughts of Colonial Historians and American Indians” by James H. Merrell, it is important to acknowledge the symbolicism of the language used by so many Colonial Historians as they recount significant instances throughout our Indigenous American History. In many comparisons, word selection used to describe the Native peoples, tend to simplify their existence as merely hunters and gatherers.

Have you ever wondered what people in the Elizabethan Era wore? Fashion was just as important in those days as it is to some people today. What people were wearing mattered to others, and even the government. During the Elizabethan Era clothing, accessories, and cosmetics were all a part of daily life.

In the 18th century, life in the English colonies had begun to calm down a little bit. European territories still continued to expand, but many colonists settled down for a more domestic life. The original towns bloomed into cities, especially around the ports. The colonial civilizations developed into a safer and more comfortable environment. Men got jobs and earned a living, children went to school, and wives cooked and cleaned the house. Much of colonial life was similar to the English lifestyle they left behind. However, there were multiple aspects to the colonial life that set it apart from its English counterpart. The life of the average settler experienced politics, education, and even daily life that could only be found in America.

They weren't as nice as the clothes before, but still had a large quantity of detail in them. Wealthy men, aristocrats and politicians used to mainly wear wigs before this time. They eventually stopped shaving their heads and let their hair grow out to where they were able to take off the wig and started to style their hair to resemble a wig with a poof in the front and a ponytail the back. Womens style varied on where you where. In the more rural or smaller towns , women dressed plainly and used homemade fabrics, to save money for their men out at war.

Colonial city and industrial life was very important to the American Colonies in the 17th and 18th century. Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston, as key trading centers, were very busy before, during and after the war. These were a major part of the colonies.

In colonial America in the late 1700s, the states were not unified under a single form of government. They were under British imperial rule, which proved to be a constant struggle for the colonists In the late 1700s, America was in a state of political, social and economic unrest. For example, certain significant events such as the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act of 1764, and… ??? Eventually, these events contributed to the American Revolution starting in 1765, where the colonists rebelled against British power. This period of time ultimately was the beginning of The United States as an independent country. Finally, in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was drafted, which allowed the United States to officially break away from British rule.

One of the many aspects of colonial times was life in the city. A key part of life in the city life was the variety of jobs that were offered. For instance, in Excerpt B, William Penn listed many of the jobs, including printer, shoemaker, butchers, and carpterners. In addition to being a center for jobs, the city provided other opportunities Visual B, there are many men gathered for a market in Philadelphia. Markets were one of many opportunities the city offered for trading goods. Furthermore, the city  had taverns, shapes, and churches that attracted

During 1607-1753, Colonial America was founded. Starting on 1492, when Christopher Columbus discovered land beyond the England, people were launched into a new life. A group of puritans departed from England to escape the growing stress of the English government. Searching for freedom, in both religion and government, they sailed towards America. Their main goal was not only to start e new life, but also to convert the savages; “Indians.” With this move they experienced many difficulties. Upon starting a new life, they had to learn a new way of political life, social life, educational life, and above all religious lives.

Fashion is a big part of many people's lives, but it is constantly changing and growing. In the Elizabethan time fashion was very different than it is today. For example trends and materials used have changed. The colors people wore told a lot about who they were, unlike today. Some parts of fashion have stayed pretty constant throughout the years. For example today and then there are known designers around the world. Also fashion still impacts lives greatly. So when looking at fashion throughout the years it is evident that materials, trends, color usage, designers, and the impact on society has greatly changed and is still changing.

Whether it had been going to church, urban high schools or for a special occasion teenage boys also wore suits. Their suits were miniature versions of their fathers with minor changes.

The last part of the gown was the sleeves. Some sleeves came attached to the bodice. Most of the time sleeves were made separately in different styles and were then attached to the

The colonial period in the United States all started when people starting immigrating to Boston in the 1630s. With high articulation of Puritan cultural ideas, the New England colonies have been regarded as the center of early American literature. In class we only talked about a few of the writing throughout the period but in this paper, I am going to tell you about the colonial period as a whole.

The people who lived during the Elizabethan Era were not allowed to wear whatever they like or desired. Their Fashion choices had to be followed by a strict law! The English people chose to establish social classes by the colors they wore and this had an affect on costumes used in theatre. Queen Elizabeth I followed the sumptuary laws, which was only certain classes were consent to wear specific fabric and colors. Therefore in plays the actors could only wear certain colors for their costumes that displayed what role and class their character was in. The clothes worn during this era was a result of Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuary laws, which had an affect on costumes used in plays, and each color a person wore had a significant meaning.

It wasn’t until the 1930s that ready to wear clothes became available with multiple fabrics. Fabrics started to become more elaborate. They could now be embroidered or have prints and designs. Many women began to wear scarves with fringed edges. This was when beaded designs, bright colors and fringes became popular on dresses too (Hossell).

Around 1947, after the end of World War II that Christian Dior introduced “Kings” style. This style gave a sense of luxury to Americans and was very classy. The women began to wear formal dresses that had delicate necklines. The women were also introduced to stylish hats and distinctive hairstyles with curls. The men’s style didn’t see many changes expect that the war jackets were now distant, and they followed a narrow shoulder and hip pattern in everything they wore (“Brief History”).