The Confluence of Clothing and Culture Through the Years

While clothes make a man, the evolution of fashion showcases changes with society’s norms.

Clothing through history, showing (from top) Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Romans; Byzantines, Franks; and 13th-century through 15th-century Europeans. Public Domain

Clothes make the man. Or if you prefer, “vestis feminam facit”: Clothes make the woman.

Throughout recorded history, attire and its accoutrements have signaled to others one’s wealth, power, and station in life; added allure and glamour to the wearer; and reflected the culture of a particular time and place.