The Importance of Variations in Clothes

It's astonishing when you read household accounts of very wealthy people. Just how many interchangeable items they have. Huge numbers. And we only have to think about Henry VIII's inventory. Queen Elizabeth I's account books. The extraordinary number of garments like gowns, curtles, petticoats, loose gowns, fitted gowns, Dutch gowns and round gowns. All kinds of different styles of gown. Inspired by what were thought to be the quintessential styles of other countries. So these were not necessarily fashions that would help you pinpoint a person as being from that country. It was simply a way of describing a style that was worn all over Europe. But for