Quote:
Originally posted by ltl/fb
I thought black was way expensive and therefore wearing black was a sign of wealth. Am I mistaken?
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Commonly taught misperception. Black was actually a pretty easy color to produce, and only a middling-expensive dye (though there were "vanity" variants that were mixtures of very expensive dyes). Later middle ages/early renaissance nobility were particularly fond of black, but this was largely a fashion (a "see, I'm so sophisticated and subtle that I will show off my money by wearing all black clothes instead of flashily-dyed fabrics, but they will be expensively woven and cut on the bias so my exquisite taste will only be obvious to the informed observer" sort of a thing).
True reds were quite dear, but it is whites that were nearly unheard of except as overt displays of disposable wealth. White was too hard to keep clean.
