Broadly speaking, clothing trends in Canada change from region to region and based on cultural backgrounds, with those who work in Vancouver being rather casual, and those who work in Toronto likened to British styles. French Canadians, meanwhile, commonly possess a casual European type of wedding dresses. Canadians, generally, are thought more conservative in their choice of clothing than Americans.

Historically, the first settlers of Canada had little choice within their clothing and tended to put on either the things they brought together or what could be made using locally-available materials, for example, animal skins. The imported cloth was expensive, and weaving was uncommon before the 18th century.

European fashions influenced Canadian tastes, however, there was a considerable delay in excess of one year between styles arising in France as well as their adoption in Canada. Examples of such received fashions, that have been generally adopted through the wealthy alone, included male wigs, lace cravats, and brocade simple wedding dresses.

Poorer settlers wore homemade clothing. For men, this included leather moccasins and leggings, that have been inspired by indigenous attire. The woolen “ceinture fléchée,” a colorful braided sash decorated with arrowhead patterns, was likewise inspired by indigenous populations, also it became a particularly iconic item of clothing among French Canadians throughout the 19th century.

Women’s clothing between the 17th and 19th centuries was seen as separate tops and skirts. Until the late 1700s, corsets, chemises, petticoats, aprons, and caps were also worn, all of that has been inspired by everyday French clothing.