Order and Fashion in Clothes: The King, His Household, and the City of London at the End of the Fifteenth Century

Abstract

The general attitude toward excess in apparel in 15th-century England was one of disapproval. The king, however, was expected to adorn himself, which inspired respect for the government. Subjects in the lower ranks wore apparel that defined their social position. Sumptuary legislation was even passed to reinforce this behavior. Documents of the Great Wardrobe, the Corporation of London, and the Mercers' and Merchant Taylors' Companies, as well as wills, inventories, and letters, have been used to examine dress in this ordered society. The Great Wardrobe was the storehouse and manufactory of the royal household. Apparel supplied to the kings (Henry VI, Edward IV, Henry VII) and their households and to groups who wore social or professional dress during the 15th century is detailed.

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