Sumptuary law

Sumptuary laws were laws that restricted what people could wear, own, or buy depending on their social status. They were around from ancient times up until the late 1700s. For example, in the Middle Ages, only nobility were allowed to wear certain types of expensive fabrics. Sumptuary laws were meant to stop people from showing off their wealth and using it to get ahead in life. They were used to keep people in lower classes from appearing richer than they actually were, and to make sure people in higher classes were respected and seen as important. In other words, sumptuary laws were like rules about what you could and couldn't wear or buy so that people were treated fairly and no one could act like they were better than someone else.