If you've ever seen a portrait of Shakespeare or pretty much any other man from the Elizabethan era you probably wondered something like, what's with a ruff collar? Well, the truth is there was a lot more to it than you'd think. So today we're going to take a look at why those big collars were such a fashion statement in the Elizabethan era. But before we get started, be sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel, and let us know in the comments below what other fashion related topics you would like to hear about. OK, settle in now because this one is going to get rough. The Elizabethan ruff is easily identified. It's a large stiff, upright, usually laced collar that looks phenomenally uncomfortable to wear. But ruffs weren't really about comfort. The Elizabethan collar was an indicator of wealth, prestige, and social status. And they would have to be since maintaining them wasn't cheap or easy. Over time, embroidery, jewels, and precious metals were added to heighten the glamor. And by the late 16th century, the color had morphed into the ultimate display of excess. Ruffs were also not designed for ease of movement. Even the wealthiest men and women had difficulty eating while wearing them. And to compensate they often had to use extra long utensils with an extended neck piece. That should make it pretty obvious that performing manual labor while wearing ruffs wasn't remotely possible. The limited movement wasn't a design flaw, though. In fact, it was something of a feature, and ruffs grew increasingly more elaborate in part to highlight this impracticality. Wearing large ruffs made out of the finest material adorned with lace and decorated with gold announced to the world that you didn't have to perform tasks for yourself like a commoner. Rather ruff wearers had servants to do those kinds of things for them, things like laundering, preparing, and maintaining the ruffs, and ironing and stretching them when needed. Over time, ruffs acquired such social prestige that not wearing one became something of a taboo. Eventually, upper class men and women wore ruffs whenever they went out, even dressed their children in them for a simple trip to the market. There were other benefits too. For example, improved posture. While wearing a rough, men and women had no choice but to keep their heads up, a look associated with confidence and pride. The practice of adding starch to a ruff began in the low countries during the mid 1560s and came to England in 1564. The English received the gift of starch from one mistress, Dinghen van der Plasse, who began teaching garment makers, Englishwomen, and pretty much any other interested party how to starch clothes. It was quickly discovered that adding starch paste to a freshly washed roof caused it to stand tall, and things really took off from there. With the help of starch, the ruffs got bigger and more elaborate. Wires and other supports were used to add to the effect, including boards that were hidden behind large folds. When goffering irons were introduced soon after starch, the shapes of ruffs became even more structured. By 1580, ruffs were so large they could extend the width of a gentleman's shoulders. At first goffered frills or ruffs were merely an extension of a man's shirt, but as the advent of starch allowed the frilly add-ons to grow larger and extend further, the ruffs evolved into a separate accessory. Crafted using pleats and figure 8 shapes, ruffs were also adopted by women in the early 1560s and were often made out of a mixture of linen and lace. However, by the 1570s, standards dictated that ruffs could only be made from lace and must be held together with only pieces of wood, bone, steel, or ivory. The ruffs were then also usually pinned to one's clothing to hold them in place. In fact, Queen Elizabeth was said to have ordered pins by the thousands to accommodate all of her ruffs. Not all ruffs were the same. In fact, they could vary widely based on where they were made. For example, ruff colors in Spain were made with a lot of fabric. One surviving Spanish collar actually incorporates a full 42 yards of linen. In England, however, they used a lot less. The earliest cartwheel or fan shaped ruffs used only about six yards of fabric, although this did change over time. When Lady Cobham wrote to Bess of Hardwick in 1564, she remarked on a garment she was making, indicating how fashion had changed and that 10 yards is enough for the ruffs of the neck and hands. As the 16th century progressed, more and more lace and linen became necessary to make the larger ruffs that had become fashionable. By the 1580s, a ruff required about eight yards of material and had to be supported with wire, decorative edging, and elaborate ornamentation. Imagine being rich enough that you could buy fancy, expensive clothing that you only ever plan to wear once. Well, with some kinds of ruffs, that was exactly what was expected. Ruffs were fragile and the materials used to construct them could fall apart due to hot weather, rain, or body heat. As a result, many of them were only worn once. And because ruffs were increasingly made using the most delicate materials and weighed down by adornments, they had a habit of easily losing their shape. Quite often stiff wire frames known as supportasses were used to keep the ruff in place and to help maintain its shape. Boards were also employed. Although unlike the supportasses, they were never visible beneath the large ruffs. Queen Elizabeth loved wearing ruffs, and for all intents and purposes she single handedly determined ruff trends. In addition to banning blue ruffs, which we'll explain later, the monarch also legislated the general sizes of ruffs worn in her kingdom. She took her responsibilities seriously. For example, when double ruffs appeared on the scene during her reign, Elizabeth forbade them. She also tried to limit the size of ruffs, tasking the Lord Mayor of London with reforming monstrous ruffs and other disorders. Who knew that becoming mayor of London would also make you the head of the fashion police? In 1580, a certain Mr. Hewson was targeted under the ruff order on account of wearing an excess of ruffs in the open street after Easter against Her Majesty's proclamation. Hewson for his part refused to stop wearing his large ruffles and appealed to his father-in-law, the Lord Chief Baron, to intercede on his behalf. However, Mr. Hewson's bad luck aside, the ruff law was generally ignored in the interest of displaying wealth, garnering attention, and currying position within political and social circles. So rich people ignored the law and were able to get away with it. Oh, boy, glad we don't live back then, right? For 16th century Protestants, ruffs represented excess, something that's demonstrated by Philip Stubbes. Stubbes was a devout Puritan who decried Englishmen and women for living non-virtuous lives. And in 1583, he published a pamphlet that mentioned the evils of ruffs and those who wore them. According to Stubbes, the devil as he is in the fullness of his malice first invented these great ruffs. Stubbes also hated starch and took issue with the fact that ruffs were wrought all over with needlework, speckled and sparkled here and there with the sun, the moon, the stars, and many other antiquities. Maybe not the most fun guy to hang out with. Generally seen as white in paintings, ruffs were actually worn in a variety of colors. The fabric itself wasn't colorful but the starch used on ruffs could be dyed yellow, blue, or green. Vegetable dyes were also used to create pink or mauve colors which was then added to starch paste which would be spread on every fold of a ruff. However, by the 1590s, the queen decided blue starch was no longer an option. Did she just hate blue? No, apparently the decision was a political one based on the fact that blue was the color of Scotland's flag. Elizabeth banned blue ruffs indicating that no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of Her Majesty's subjects. Another change to the look and style of ruffs took place during the 1590s women for the first time began wearing ruffs that were open in the front. This modification essentially meant that the ruff would now frame a woman's entire head while still giving her room to bend her neck forward. Some men didn't wear open front ruffs but the style was really intended for the ladies as it afforded them the opportunity to show off their decolletage. In fact, to wear an open ruff with a bodice that enhanced one's cleavage became the ideal presentation of the Tudor woman. Later from about 1625 to 1650, women also started donning large closed ruffs set in formal tubular pleats spreading laterally over the shoulders. These oval ruffs were usually accompanied by a wide brimmed beaver hat, because, well, why not? Preparing a ruff could take hours so making sure it kept its shape was a big deal. Once the pleats were folded, ironed, and pinned a wire or poking stick was then needed to set the curved shape. After that starch was applied and it usually required more than one coat. Waiting for a ruff to dry between layers required patience, and when all was ready any misshapen parts could be smoothed out with wax. Because ruffs were so delicate, expensive, and time consuming to create, men and women kept them in special carrying cases when they traveled. As such, a servant always had to be at the ready to pin the neckwear on their employers at a moment's notice. Ruffs worn by children were also likely carried and cared for in this way. Starting around the 16th century, round bandboxes were used to transport ruffs. Although no one knows exactly when the practice started, the term bandbox is found in print as early as the first decades of the 17th century, making an appearance and William Rowley's play Match at Midnight published in 1633. One of the stage directions as a Maid entering a scene holding a bandbox. She then explained she had just gone to pick up her mistress's ruff at the seamstress'. During the early 17th century, ruffs worn by men and women alike underwent a significant change. With a development of the falling ruff, pleats were attached to the neckline of a garment and allowed to hang over one's shoulders. Originally a fashion development that mostly affected the men, by 1615 women began to wear them as well. Falling ruffs, as opposed to their standing counterparts, could be unstarched, and, depending on their size, also function as small capes. So what do you think? What's the worst fashion trend today? Let us know in the comments below. And while you're at it, check out some of these other videos from our Weird History.