SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

c. They say that wars are great changes of social mores. This also holds true of alterations in clothing. However, many factors go into the alterations and changes that clothing goes through. Wars, new fabrics or trade, contact with other forms, politics, religion, changes in weather, or the work place.

Distinguishing between the sexes has very little point in a society where women are equal or are not at risk. In those countries where the people did not war often, long distance identifacation of females was not important. In lands where men killed in battle women needed to be seen as women in order to save their lives. That this also worked against them was unforseen. If women went to war then the need for separation does not exist.

Trade routes opened up new clothing styles and new fabrics which called for new ways of making it up.

Politics demanded adherents wear identification marks or colors or forms of dress as did various religions

People who traveled picked up new ideas that other people used to combat cold and heat or rain and snow. New work methods or jobs created new clothing needs as did inventions call for new ways of dressing.

Cultural restrictions and change also dictated the form our clothes were to take. Because of these factors we can learn many things about people from the way they were dressed.

d. China is a country that ranges in climate from freezing to semi-tropical or hot. And so this is reflected in the clothing. In the colder climates leather with fur intact has been used for generations to make pants, jackets and hats and a boot very much as the Eskimo’s of Alaska. In the temperate zones where climate can vary the ingenious chinese learnt to combine two products; woven cloth and corded cotton or wools into a padded outerwear that was warm, lightwieght and in some forms fairly water repellent. In the warmer area they were masters of the silk trade. Both men and women wore pants and both wore a form of gown. The style and structure varied with the social class but was basically the same cut.

This style was called the cheongsam. It was a strait cut sheath for women with a neck opening that ran from the waist at one side up to the armpit, slanted from there to the centre of the neck opening with a short stiff collar, sleaved or sleaveless, made of silk or cotton or padded fabric. The mens were cut very loose with full sleaves. All were slit at both sides of the skirt up to the thigh. This could be worn by itself or over a pant for both men and women. It could be short or floor length. This basic style was worn in China until the communist take over. Contact with the west and the war of 1936 - 1946 changed many to western style clothing or the Russian style jacket made popular at the time by stalin.

Russia borders on China in the North of China and the South East of Russia and the basic style of chinese cut has either traveled north or originated from the north. It is hard to say at this date. Winters are long and summers are short and their ancient history is shrouded in the mists of time. However the cut can still be traced, the side slash opening is still used but it has become a tunic top with wide full sleaves generally gathered onto a band at the wrist, sometimes loose sometimes straight. The short standing collar remained the same. The tunic ended at the hip for men and was cut loose and belted. The fabric depended on the class structure. Course cotton or wool for the worker or serf and fine fabrics for the upper classes. Pants were cut wide and loose and worn inside high boot tops. In those area’s that border China and India the women wore the tunic in the long style sometimes with pants, sometimes without. As they moved farther north and west the pants were replaced by skirts of heavier weave, floor length, and full onto a belt or broad band or drawstring.

In all the Eastern countries a garment called a vest was often warn over the blouse or tunic consisting of a short back, sleaveless with open front panels that met but had no closing arrangement. It served the purpose of warmth over the chest and back as well as being decorative.

As Russia made contact in the west with the European nations it was influenced by their clothing styles. Two great wars altered completely the dress of the Russian peoples into two distinct forms. Party members and military often wear the jacket with the front closing up to the neck with short standing collar, while the general public dress in the clothes that are becoming common to the whole world. Only in isolated rural area’s on special occassions can old styles still be seen.

India fascinates! Because of Indias old monuments and carvings we can see into her past. And by the same token so could she! There was no way they could forget or turn their back on their own beginnings when it was all around them in stone. Millions of people frozen forever in stone! Doing everything under the sun that it is possible to do - semi naked -or completely naked.

If clothing inhibits us, stiffles us, creates a division of the sexes, reduces artistic expression, then we should see the opposite in a country that is used to viewing the human body sans clothing.

How do we compare India to the rest of the world? We don’t. For there is no comparison. If we accept the western worlds attempts in the 19th century to denigrate her accomplishments and history and mentality then we will lose an important heritage she has preserved for the human race.

How dammed easy it was for western man to brag about his accomplishments when the rest of the world was hidden from him by remoteness and inaccessability and language barriers, but that he should continue to do so is a sad reflection on his intelligence. I for one refuse to follow that stupidity. I shall accept the History of India as she tells it since she had books when we were still scratching in the dust. She was building cities of light when we were still in huts or caves. She was creating motion in stone when Michaelangelo was painting women that looked like men with breasts stuck on.

If there were no moral or religious or national laws to prevent it,in 50 years time - with the ability man now has to alter and change life forms via the DNA - you would see life forms being created half human half animal. It is not only possible - it is probable given the nature of researchers to take their idea’s and abilities to their ultimate conclusion. If that ever happens then you are going to have to look again at India’s art and Greek art and mythology where half man and half animal are dipicted. And when you do look closely at the clothing.

Throughout the carvings of India are depicted some of the most sophisticated concepts of adornment and clothing I have seen except maybe in South America.

Starting from the head we see helmets and headresses of very complicated designs. On the upper arms and on the wrists we see very complicated armbands. Around the neck we see more elaborate jewelry. The only clothing worn or depicted is a very strange and highly sophisticated form of shorts or pants. They are worn by men and women. The shorts are usually cut high at the upper thigh and in a petal shape or curved leg. The pants are only long on the left leg and short on the right leg. They appear to be a very tight fit. Now I’ve been a tailor for a long time and pants are a marvel of engineering. They must be cut to fit two opposing tubes or circles. One tube is the torso. This then divides into two separate tubes for the legs. That means wrapping around one tube then dividing and wrapping two tubes but also there is another semi tube shape around the crotch from the back waist to the front waist up between the legs that forms the fourth tube shape. Add the fact that all these tubes bend in opposition to each other and that the seat is larger than the front and you can see the problem of making tight pants that fit smooth when standing and yet bend where needed. Most of the worlds people got over this by very wide, full pants or by draping cloth. These Indian shorts are tight and smooth fitting. So is the left long pant leg. Now we can do this today with knits and stretch fabrics, but what kind of fabric were these Indian pants made from?

China, India and Russia all had a form of Kimona cut garment that had wide sleaves and wrapped around the body at front,belted or unbelted but these were late in their history. India had a sarong style that began as a short garment and progressed to a long wrapparound and then evolved to the sari. These are all straight pieces of fabric wrapped or folded. They also had many cuts for the pants depending on area or culture.

Pants began as a loin cloth, then to the famous Ghandi Wrap, evolved to a long loose cut trouser wrapped from waist to waist up under the crotch. Then to the harim pants of sheer fabric and next to the famous jhodpur style.

Arabia adapted the kimono style to the heavy woven cloth coat called a burnoose. The pants were also loose or jodpur style for the men. A large square of cloth covered the head of both men and women and formed a cloak wrapped around the body for the women.

Greece began with a short tunic or skirt for men and women or a long piece of cloth draped around the body or many lengths draped around the shoulders depending on the climate. As the years went by the clothing evolved according to the styles of the times.

Rome wore much the same fashion except for the toga which was a one shoulder drape then belted, either worn long or short.

Egypt wore the short wrap around the hip for the men and long tissue cloth drape from the neck or shoulders for women. Nudity was not unusual but was accompanied with jewelry. The large collar was one such. As the contact with other countries increased the robe and loose gown or tunic became popular.

Norther Europe was wearing skin leggings and sleaveless vests of leather for the men and the women, with a form of loose rough woven cloth gown either short or long and belted. Many styles evolved as trade opened up and skills evolved. Southern Africa was in the loin cloth stage or fur and feathers until the present age due to the intense heat.