Shakespearean Style Painting

We visited Shakespeare's Birthplace while in the U.K. checking out colleges for the progeny. In the museum, I was struck by an exhibit about the changing middle class fashions from the late 1500s to the early 1600s. In the late 1500s, the man and woman are dressed as equals. She carries a purse on a wide leather belt and wears utilitarian leather gloves. They wear the same type of undershirt with ruffles at the neck. Both the male and female outfits are constructed of wool, linen, and leather. By the early 1600s, the picture is drastically different. He is dressed like a stereotypical Pilgrim in black with a big collar and shiny silver buttons. She is in an impractical structured silk gown. She is probably wearing a corset or stays underneath. Her leather belt and purse are gone. Why such a radical change? I have a blog post with my hot take! .html