Clothing and early modern Venetian society

Much can be learnt about early modern society by studying its clothing. Thi s article considers the place of clothing in Venice in the sixteenth and ea rly seventeenth societies. In so doing it questions the assumption that the lower social orders would, if they were given the opportunity, copy the co nsumption patterns of privileged groups within society. A discussion of the clothing supply in Venice affords insights into the various uses of dress in the city. It indicates that early modern Venetians, like modern consumer s, appear to have derived a variety of benefits from their stock of clothes .