Puritan Clothing in the 1600s

       During the seventeenth century, life revolved around clothing was vastly atypical compared to present day. Puritan clothing rules coincided with the strict regulations of their religion. In Boston, Massachusetts, the colonist’s dress code was uniform. Men, women and children’s dress was mainly restricted to a small amount of colors. Black and white was the most common dyed colors. Vibrant or flamboyant colors were disregarded in order to avoid unwanted attention. Due to the expensive cost to dye cloth black, many clothes would adjust to a “bruised-blue” hue. Most evidence of clothing in the 1600s is collected through painting and portraits, which can be deceiving at times. Women would be depicted in plain and informal dresses called Brunswicks or Jesuits. Their wardrobe also included caps, capes and cloaks which were usually warn for protection against harsh weather. The wardrobe of seventeenth century men and children were much simpler. Grown men constantly wore coats and breeches, along with a cravat, or neck cloth. Men’s clothing was designed for compatibility for both labor and extensive fashion. Children, on the other hand, remained usually in either gowns, if female, or skeleton suits, if male. Both genders wore undergarments called shifts. Clothes in general for all people, were usually made out of wool and any cloth available. Therefore, during the 1600s, wardrobe was extremely strict and remained quite similar to all Bostonians.

http://thepragmaticcostumer.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/through-the-keyhole-a-peek-into-a-17th-century-ladys-wardrobe/

http://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/wglossary.cfm