Title: Colonial Clothing ***
Headings: Colonial Clothing
Colonial Clothing
Colonial Clothing

Content: The Colonial Clothing worn by children over the age of seven were similar in style to those worn by adults. The items of Colonial Clothing worn by children therefore consisted of smaller versions of the clothes worn by Puritan men and women. Colonial Clothing for Servants
The colonial clothing of servants clung on to the old traditional color of blue clothing as it had been for many years in England. The dye to produce the color blue in England (woad) was cheap and the color blue was always associated with servitude. Colonial Clothing - Sumptuary Laws
English Sumptuary Laws had long dictated what colors and type of clothing individuals were allowed to own and wear - an easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege. The Sumptuary Laws maintained class distinctions but also repressed luxury and discouraged extravagance, especially among the lower classes. The laws regulated ostentatious expenditure on dress and ornaments. Many of the Sumptuary laws that governed much of the dress worn in England were repealed in 1603 by King James I. The repeal of the Sumptuary Laws in England was a bad decision from the Puritan point of view and led to excess in apparel - the complete opposite of their view on Puritan Colonial clothing. Colonial Clothing - Sumptuary Laws introduced in America
When the New England colonies were becoming established the Puritans introduced Sumptuary Laws specifying rules for colonial clothing in America. In 1651, both the magistrates and deputies of Massachusetts agreed on the following piece of legislation which included the following: