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The Crusaders, including women, brought back new styles and fabrics, damasks, satins, velvets and brocades to Europe in this period. The invention of the spinning wheel in 1250 allowed for new fabrics as well as making existing materials easier to produce, towards the end of the period the Black Death resulted in the emergence of a class of merchants who created new mass production industries for clothing. Advances in the dying process and the revival of fur as an acceptable fabric transformed fashions of the period from the rather drab outfits of preceding centuries. The sideless sweeping gown became very popular for women during the period, and advances in tailoring techniques saw the introduction of increasingly fitted coats and jackets for men. Heraldry patterns too, became fashionable for the wealthier classes. See Apollonia's Projects for more information on clothing in this era.
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