The nobility and gentry have a new current style every couple of years, but there are a few constants. Purple is only allowed to be worn by the nobility, anyone else will be tried as a pretender. Both classes wear their hair long, often braiding them into intricate ponytails. The care required to keep the long style kept looking neat and presentable are often too difficult and costly for the lesser classes to afford.
Soldiers have a much easier time of fashion. Armor, especially polished chain or plate, is always in fashion. Officers in the Imperial armies wear a bright red sash to distinguish them from the common soldiery. When in "dress uniform" the sash is decorated with medals, ribbons, and other awards. Many officers have a dress sash and a normal sash. Generals in the Imperial army wear purple sashes with enough medals to purchase a small village. Grunt soldiers have a bright blue sash for dress ceremonies. Soldiers without any medals or honors do not receive a sash.