I think Magpie has got it right. In the past, ordinary people were extremely poor and any kind of 'bought' decoration on their clothing was out of the question.

If someone, somehow managed to saved some money and spend it on ribbons at the fair it would have been a rare occasion, and the ribbons would have made a treasured gift.

It's hard to imagine this when we have such a high standard of living nowadays.

Bert.