In this Homeschooling History episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, investigate the flamboyant history of BLING. From the history of opulence, luxury and ostentation via subjects as wide-ranging as HIP HOP and the Palace of Versailles, Sam and James rampage around history of bling before settling on the fascinating history of Stuart clothing. It starts by looking at Samuel Pepys’s diary and his attitudes to clothing, before considering Tudor Sumptuary laws in the sixteenth century, the attitudes of Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans towards dress, and the impact of the Restoration on costume. The episode also looks at how the Tudors and Stuarts would have washing their clothing. As always, at the end there is a quiz and a task to compile a timeline of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century costumes!