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THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS
Clothing falls into 4 classifications;national, social, religious,
military. Each of these can be separated into subclasses and
those in turn can be placed in other subclassifications. The
subdividing depends on the structuring of the society ; ie. its
complexity. But even the oldest of our nations or the smallest
native tribe has these 3 classifications in clothing.
Every tribe or country has an army or fighting group. And every
army has its ranking structure. There is a leader who sets
himself apart, usually by his headress, as that is the easiest seen
on the battlefield. The foot soldier is separated from others by
either color or placement of cloth or skins. In modern militaries
today there are insignia patches or differences in style of uniform
to denote rank,job,and branch of the armed forces.
Every tribe or country has a religious priesthood dating back as far as
the mists of time extend and up to the present day who set themselves
apart by their dress. Every tribe has its Shaman or holy man or
woman who is distinguished from the rest by some article of
wearing apparel. In the present modern day society the priesthood
has devided itself into groups; traditional and modern. The
traditionalists around the world retain the religious clothing
worn in the past. While the modern group have created a new
‘uniform’ so to speak. That of the business suit. They have taken
on this look as representing normality, sensibility and
stability. I feel that by taking a good look at the basic
thinking behind our clothing we will get a better understanding
of what we have become as human beings. What makes us tick is not
always what it seems to be.
1. functional
2. party clothes
3. religious clothing
4. military
5. royal
6. work clothes
7. theatrical
8. baby
9. youth
10. gender
1. Functional: This is what the masses wear who have no status in
a community. It will reflect the basic style of a nation or time
period but be unadorned and very functional for working in. The
fabric will be cheap and readily available to all.
2. Party clothes: Or special occasion clothing will be more
costly and of finer fabric and more colorful. It will be adorned
with beads or embroidery where called for and be non functional
in cut or style.
3. Religious clothing: It will be cut in such a way as to make it
simple to identify the wearer as belonging to a special group. In
the beginning of religious groups it was to set them apart. Later
it was to reflect the current thought on what a particular group
was representing. Poverty and humbleness was a favourite with the
Christians and Moslems, and so cheap fabrics, simple cuts, hiding
as much of the wearer (self effacing?) as possible. Color and
adornments are added as the person rises in power or position in
order that the masses can distinguish them from the rest of
society. Also an additional identifying shape or cut will be
added. Rank will be shown within the group by other means such as
further adornments or marks or things to carry. These will be
forbidden to any except those that have earned the special mark.
4.Military . Clothing for armies must be distinct enough to
distinguish one army from another so that you don’t kill your own
side. It must allow for freedom of movement, identification and
functional cut. It usually develops a national look. But within
modern nations it will have divisions of function consisting of
difference of cut or color. Rank and identification are created
by badges or hats. Or by excess accoutrements such as a swagger
stick
5. Royal: The cut, quality and fabric have been used in the past
to distinguish those of Royal Rank as well as headgear and
insignia carried. An additional factor is used by the placement
of the Royal personage. They are usually at the head of or
surrounded by specially dressed aides to make sure there is no
mistake about their identity as well as protection. They will
travel in a restricted sphere and manner. During special royal
ceremonies Royal regalia will be worn which has come down through
the years in styles that are accepted as denoting royal status
used by former rulers.
6. Work clothes: Special jobs develop special cuts of clothing
as well as using special fabrics or colors. Over the centuries a
class distinction has been built up around certain jobs either by
the cut or colour of the clothing.
7. Theatrical: Traditional distinguishing features abound in the
theatrical world. Costumes can be used to denote the time span of
a play or a specific style of play or a specific field in the
theatrical world. Examples are circuses, greek dramas, magic
shows, puppetry. Also ethnical dances and plays.
8. Babies: Special clothing has developed for babies over the
centuries because of their specific needs that are different from
an adults. Cleanliness, safety, and size are the deciding factors
here. Cuteness and parental conciet have been added in the
civilized world.
9. Youth: After the baby stage and before the adult stage is a
form of clothing called childrens or youths. Some societies have
no distinguishing clothing for this group and as soon as they are
into clothing it is the same as their parents wear. But those
societies that have built up a language of distinction with
clothing set this group apart in order to control their actions
and functions. It becomes an adjunct to the ‘rites of passage’
indulged in by some societies. At an arbitrary age they are
allowed into the dress of the adults depending on the country or
religion. That age is usually puberty. Until then dresses are
shorter and pants are shorter or the styles are different. There
has been a great change in that lately with the youth turning the
tables and developing their own distinguishing clothing or having
it developed for them, and excluding the adults from wearing
these styles.
10. Gender: Almost all countries and peoples have made a
distinction between gender. Two reasons for this can be made; 1.
Physical build. 2. Proving the sex. The physical build creates a
need based on function and a great many styles were designed
around these problems. In some ages and countries these problems
were totally ignored at great discomfort to the wearer. Proving
sex can sometimes mean life or death. Since both men and women
can have similar builds, haircuts, features, movements, voices,
walks from a distance and even close up, it became necessary to
distinguish them in some way. However, our present idea that men
are distinguished by pants and women by dresses is a modern
fallacy brought on by ignorance. And clung to desperatly by the
illiterate, American, macho, male. In some ages and societies
women wore pants and males dresses or skirts. In some both wore
skirts, in some both wore pants. There has never been a universal
rule for who wore what.
NECESSITY THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
b. In any country at the early days of mankind what you wore was
dictated in the beginning by necessity. How much and what kind of
protection and what was available to serve the need and how
clever were you in using what was available.
Since our world has every kind of climate from terribly hot to
very cold you will find some wore no clothing and some wore a
lot, for man lives everywhere on this globe. And as there is
every climate between these two extremes so is there every mode
of dress. I have a theory I have developed over the years on
evolution that claims that irritation is the key to evolution.
When applied to clothing you can see how it works.
In a country that enjoys a fairly stable climate whether it is
hot, warm, or cold the need for changes in clothing styles,
therefore its accompanying technologies, don’t shift much. They
don’t grow and develope as fast as those people who live in
area’s where the four seasons keep arriving on time with constant
change in temperature. This creates a constant search for comfort
and cover. For fabrics or methods to make life more comfortable.
Maybe this was what led those countries to develope faster.
The Eskimo is a wonderful example of this. What facinates me in
examining the Eskimo is how it proves that mental ability
progresses only as far is it takes to stop irratation and
overcome it. The modern Eskimo has been found to be a unique
brain in the ability to grasp electronics, engineering, sciences,
etc. I can only wonder at the limits to his world before.
In the far north the land is covered by ice and snow for most of
the year. At that time the sun is in the sky for very short
periods. During the short summer when the snow goes and the ice
melts on the surface the ground is still frozen underneath and
the Sun is in the sky for most of the day. Plant life is non
-existant in the winter and very small or short in the summer.
Animals are scarce in the winter but plentiful in the summer when
the herds of Elk and Reindeer migrate northward and birds summer
in the tundra. We have now set the stage for our humans. Both in
the type of clothing they will need and also the kind of housing
to shelter them. We have also given an idea of what is available
for them to use in order to shelter and cloth themselves. Summer
is the time when they can use the daylight to see what is
available and prepare for winter. No plant or shrub of the North
has any use to them as far as clothing goes or for building with.
The few poles they need for their tents in summer would be gotten
by expeditions to the closest forest or by trading for them. Or
by those washed ashore by the tides. They would be saved
carefully for the next summer in caches. Hunting for food will
give them the skins of elk, bear, seal and walrus, as well as
rabbit, squirrel, mole. These will be made into tents, rugs for
beds and the winter clothing. Since winter will be a time when
new supplies cannot be counted on all the time they will have to
be aware of what they need for the year. How many shoes they will
need through the winter, extra clothes for growing children and
baby clothes. If they miscalculate there is a real tragedy ahead.
I don’t know if the women worked up the skins in the summer or
stockpiled for sewing in the winter or both. What they do now is
a reflection of contact with our civilization.
The North American Eskimo is unique in all the world for his
winter dwelling, the igloo. To form a house from the frozed snow
is one thing but to curve it into the perfect shape to withstand
wind and storms is another. But how well it goes with the only
available clothing material is a miracle of simplicity or as I
see it; the simplest possible expenditure of effort to overcome
irritation. For the two work so well together. The fur skins are
about the only possible clothing material that would insulate
against the blocks of snow inside the iglo and be available for
tent material when the snow is gone.