#3: Peter the Great’s Western Coat (1698)
In 1698, Peter I of Russia traveled through Europe and came home determined to modernize his empire. He ordered Russian nobles to abandon long traditional robes and wear Western-style coats, breeches, and waistcoats. Beards were taxed. Tailors in Moscow began cutting garments in the Dutch and English style. Dress became a political tool. To look European signaled progress and loyalty to the tsar’s new direction.
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