Widows, in particular, wore mourning dress, called widow's weeds, complete with a veil when out in public for a long period of time. Mourning dress was limited to people of the highest social strata. Sumptuary laws established rules for dress, and the practice of wearing black during bereavement was not followed by the lower classes until much later. Constraints against the wearing of black mourning attire was thought to prevent people from aping their betters.
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