JP
A friend of mine was getting married 20 years ago, and wished to purchse a tish bekeshe for Shabbos use. He isn’t one bit Chasidish, but wanted a nice silk-alike garment to enhance his Shabbos table. The bekeshe store in BP absolutely refused to sell him any but the black ones. When asked as to why he cannot buy a blue or a golden one, he was told, as if it was some Halacha L’Moshe miSinai, that ONLY rebbes are allowed to wear those. When he asked as to who exactly can be called a rebbe, he was answered that you have to either have a chasidus or at least be a rebbeshe einikel. This made no sense then, and makes even less sense now. And yes, the story is true; I went to the store with him to help him choose something that would NOT make him look like a chusid to his wife.