Sumptuary laws

As far as I know, most sumptuary laws had gone out by the game period we're in, at least in Europe. (I think some of the far eastern countries still had them, I'm pretty sure that Japan did).

Anybody know any different?

Deacon wrote:
As far as I know, most sumptuary laws had gone out by the game period we're in, at least in Europe.  (I think some of the far eastern countries still had them, I'm pretty sure that Japan did).

Anybody know any different?

I think that in 1700 many European area's still required Jews to wear a identifying mark or badge and live in special areas.

The Ottomans had laws which banned non muslims and members of non military classes from riding horses and owning firearms but these seem to have fallen out of use in Christain Majority Rumalia by our period. They may however have still been inforced in Muslim majority area's of the Empire.

The Ottomans also seem to have had a thing about people wearing the correct hats/head gear so that all classes and religions could be identified and had quarters in towns for everyone not only Jews. This however had less to do with stopping people dressing like Nobles and more to do with Ottoman Civil Servants wanting everything to be nice, tidy and uniformed. Your hat/turban and your house could be as rich as you wanted provided your headgear was the right colour and shape and your house was in the correct quarter.

Ref the Far East in Japan in 1700 and for long after anyone who was not of the Samuri class who carried a Sword(s) was in deep, deep trouble. Perhaps this was so the Military Elite stood out from the rest......perhaps to keep dangerous weapons out of lower class hands.

In China the Manchu forced their Chinese subjects to wear their heir in distinct styles. Partly as a mark of subjection partly so they could identify who was who.

I know in Japan of the period, that the merchant classes weren't permitted to wear the very fine brocades, so they developed a whole alternate style of wearing the brocades under more simple fabrics, so that you could only see the edges of the brocade.

Only the nobility was allowed to wear silk, the Merchant class often had a lot of Money ad wanted something to set them apart from the peasants.

Enter the Dutch, they asked the Japanese goverment if they could trade in Cotton from India please, The Japanese nobility was indifferent. It is not silk so we do not care, but they allowed it. The merchants loved this new fabric of course. It was expensive, colourful, and comfortable. Perfect.

The only other example I can think of is the Dress Act of 1746, banning those naughty highlanders from wearing kilts