Abstract
The idea of fashion as we know it started from the industrial revolution of the 19th century. During the renaissance, fashion was used to differentiate the different social classes: the king was the only one who could wear certain colors or materials such as purple, fur, silk, lace etc. After the middle-ages, fashion was used to differentiate men and women as both wore only dresses. During the renaissance the cleavage was not shown. Showing the legs was also forbidden; these fashions appeared after the French revolution. The men were already showing their legs in 1700 and they were greatly concerned with fashion and its details. The nobility was always interested in showing themselves in the best way and they always spent a lot of money on clothes. This also helped confirm their social status and the power of the money they had.
