What were the sumptuary laws in France?

(a) The sumptuary laws were the dress codes in France at the time of French Revolution. From about 1294, the people were expected to strictly follow these laws. The laws tried to control the behaviour of social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages and hunting game in certain arese.
(b) Restrictions as mentioned below were imposed on certain classes:
(i) Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine and fur, or silk, velvet and brocade Other classes were debarred from clothing themselves with materials that were associated with the aristocracy.
(ii) The inferiors were debarred from hunting in certain areas. The French Revolution ended these restrictions Thus, in short, sumptuary laws were used to maintain social hierarchy.