A key way in which the richer members of society liked to show off their status was through fashion.

Elizabeth didn't want money wasted on clothes and she was keen to preserve the hierarchy of society so that members of different classes could easily be recognised. She passed laws setting out what clothes members of each social class were allowed to wear, for example the Sumptuary Statute of 1574.

She also passed laws to boost the economy, for example, a 1571 law compelled all men and boys over 6 (apart from the nobility) wear a woollen cap on Sundays. This was designed to stimulate the wool trade.

The poor: mostly wore simple, woollen clothes with dark colours.
Rich men: wore silk shirts with a tight-fitting jacket (doublet) over hose (tight trousers). They often wore large ruffles on their cuffs and collars.
Rich women wore corsets and wide skirts to make their waists look thin. They then wore long colourful gowns on top.

Clothing laws were also passed for a whole host of reasons: clip.

GCSE Elizabethan England 1568-1603 AQA

Fashion