What inspired the outfits in "The Handmaid's Tale"

Book Overview - "The Handmaid's Tale," published in 1985, depicts a near-future America under religious dictatorship, impacting fertile women [1] - The book sold over 10 million copies and inspired an Emmy-winning Hulu series [2] - The author Margaret Atwood gathered hundreds of news clippings to substantiate the plots in the book [2] Inspiration and Influences - The inciting event was in 1981 after Reagan's election, when the religious right was organizing as a political force [3][4] - Atwood was influenced by the vision of women being back in the home and her reading of 1984 [4] - Totalitarianism and how it develops were of great interest to Atwood during the Cold War [7] Symbolism and Setting - The outfits in the book, including the scarlet cloaks and bonnets, were inspired by cults and totalitarian regimes [5] - The colors for the wives (blue) and handmaids (red) were inspired by the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene/Scarlet Letter, respectively [6] - Harvard University was chosen as a central location to represent the antithesis of the USSR [6][7] Historical Context - The details in "The Handmaid's Tale" are based on real events from other countries and times [8] - The Puritans of New England were not democrats, and power was held by church leaders [9] - The book is dedicated to Mary Webster, a 17th-century New England woman accused of witchcraft [9][10]