Many people would not believe that there are so many similarities between modern fashion and the fashion of the Renaissance period. You can see many differences between the two, but the similarities are notable. Throughout time, clothing has been the main representation of social classes. What people wear has always been the distinguishing factor between the rich and poor classes of both the Renaissance period and the present. The evolution from one time period to the next has been vast, but the fact that what people wear represents the class they reside in is still very prevalent. From the textiles, jewelry and accessories many similarities can still be seen from the Renaissance period to the current period. “…much of what we know about historical dress comes from the clothing of elites.” (Sauro) Although a lot of time has passed, the fashion of the Renaissance period has had a strong influence on fashion in today's society. The Renaissance period could be considered one of the most artistic eras of all time. Both men and women were encouraged to make a transition from the medieval period to the Renaissance period. This was largely due to their style of dress and the way they expressed themselves. Some fashionable trends for women of the Renaissance period include corsets, layers, ruffled collars, and tight-fitting dresses called cotes. “Corsets like the Merry Widow were necessary for parties, balls, and other formal occasions” (Hoobler 98). Unmarried girls, brides, and queens of the time were allowed to wear their hair down, while most other women were required to wear tall, cone-shaped hats called hennin. Renaissance-era men typically wore their...... middle of paper......d: Twenty-First Century Books, 2000.Lawson, David "History of Renaissance Clothing: How Fashion Is Influenced today". July 6, 2011 EzineArticles.com. November 16, 2011 Netzley, Patricia. Life during the Renaissance. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1998. Rublack, Ulinka. "The Birth of Power Dressing." EBSCOhost.com January 2011. November 21, 2011. < http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.az.us:2048/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=106&sid=2e5fc03e-4910-41ee-93c8- a5812b3c7f88 %40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=58087890>Sauro, Chiara. "Fashion." Worldbookonline.com 2011. 21 November 2011. http://educators.fidm.edu/educators/classroom-resources/fashion-qoutes.html