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Why did clothing become boring?
An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't
But it’s a striking fact that even portraits of immigrants to Ellis Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — people from humble backgrounds, without much material wealth — reveal costumes that are almost as elaborate. Prior to the twentieth century, the vast majority of people lived in legal and social regimes which controlled not just the clothes they were allowed to wear but the choice of whether they would have children, who they would marry, and what jobs they would perform. And although certain aspects of dress have typically been strictly regulated (such as the right to wear lace or silk or carry a sword) each peasant costume or regional fashion of the premodern world also allowed for considerable individual expression.
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