Fashion is always deeply cultural, and an excellent example of this can be seen in the evolution of European clothing. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, clothing tended to be simple and was ① frequently made of rough wool or animal furs. With advances in cloth making, however, fashion began moving toward styles ② what were more elaborate and form-fitting. In the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, styles became even more refined. The clothes that wealthy people were wearing became increasingly fancier, with a particular emphasis being placed on smaller waists. The connection between clothing and social status was so pronounced that laws were enacted ③ to limit the wearing of certain luxury items. ④ Allowed only for higher social classes, luxurious styles and decorations such as feathers, silk, or velvet were used as a means of demonstrating one’s standing in society. This was further reinforced as upperclass styles came to be explicitly incorporated into cultural ceremonies so that ⑤ their wearers’ roles could be identified clearly.