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Still looking for deals on Clothes ? Find our amazing Clothes offers at our top source site today where we have compared Clothes for you. ask.com About ClothesClothing protects the vulnerable [nude] [human body] from extremes of [weather] and other features of the [natural environment]. It is worn for safety, comfort, [modesty] and to reflect [:Category:Religious vesture], [culture] and social meaning. Human beings are the only creatures known to wear clothing voluntarily, although some people put clothing on their [Pet]. People also decorate their bodies with [makeup] or [cosmetics], [perfume], and other [Human physical appearance#Clothing and personal effects]; they also cut, dye, and arrange the hair of their heads, [Facial hair]s, and bodies (see [hairstyle]), and sometimes also mark their skin (by [tattoo]s, [scarification]s, and [piercing]s). All these decorations contribute to the overall effect and message of clothing, but do not constitute clothing per se. Articles carried rather than worn (such as [purse]s, [cane]s, and [umbrella]s) are normally counted as [fashion accessory] rather than as clothing. [Jewelry] and [eyeglasses] are usually counted as accessories as well, even though in common speech these items are described as being worn rather than carried. The practical function of clothing is to protect the human body from dangers in the environment: weather (strong [sunlight], extreme [heat] or [cold], and [precipitation], for example), [insect]s, noxious chemicals, [weapon]s, and contact with abrasive substances, and other hazards. Clothing can protect against many things that might injure the naked human body. In some cases clothing protects the environment from the clothing wearer as well (example: [scrubs (clothing)]). Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to practical problems and the distinction between clothing and other protective equipment is not always clear-cut.See, among others: [air conditioned clothing], [armor], [diving suit], [swimsuit], [Beekeeping#Protective clothing], [motorcycle leathers], [high-visibility clothing], and [protective clothing]. Social status 's bemedaled [robe] is a social messageIn many societies, people of high rank reserve special items of clothing or decoration for themselves as symbols of their [social status]. In ancient times, only [Ancient Rome] senators could wear garments dyed with [Tyrian purple]; only high-ranking [Hawaiian] chiefs could wear [feather cloak]s and palaoa or carved [whale] teeth. Under the [Travancore] kingdom of [Kerala] ([India]), lower [caste] women had to pay a tax for the right to cover their upper body. In [China] before the establishment of the [Republic of China], only the emperor could wear [yellow]. In many cases throughout history, there have been elaborate systems of [sumptuary law]s regulating who could wear what. In other societies (including most modern societies), no laws prohibit lower-status people wearing high status garments, but the high cost of status garments effectively limits purchase and display. In current Western society, only the rich can afford [haute couture]. The threat of social ostracism may also limit garment choice. Occupation See also: [undercover]. In many regions of the world, [national costume]s and styles in clothing and ornament declare membership in a certain village, caste, religion, etc. A Scotsman declares his clan with his [tartan]. A [Muslim] woman might wear a [hijab] to express her religion. A male [Sikh] may display his religious affiliation by wearing a [turban] and other traditional clothing. A French peasant woman may identify her village with her cap or coif. Clothes can also proclaim dissent from cultural norms and mainstream beliefs, as well as personal independence. In [19th century] Europe, artists and writers lived [Bohemianism] and dressed to shock: [George Sand] in men's clothing, female emancipationists in [bloomers], male artists in velvet waistcoats and gaudy neckcloths. [Bohemianism]s, [beatnik]s, [hippie]s, [gothic fashion], [Punk fashion]s and [skinhead]s have continued the [counter-culture] tradition in the [20th century] [Western Culture]. Now that [haute couture] plagiarises [street fashion] within a year or so, street fashion may have lost some of its power to shock, but it still motivates millions trying to look [hip] and [cool]. Marital status Hindu women, once [marriage], wear [sindoor], a red powder, in the parting of their hair; if widowed, they abandon sindoor and jewelry and wear simple white clothing. Men and women of the Western world may wear [wedding ring]s to indicate their marital status. Religious habits and special religious clothing Religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may also be worn everyday as a marker for special religious status. For example, [Jain]s wear unstitched cloth pieces when performing religious ceremonies. The unstitched cloth signifies unified and complete devotion to the task at hand, with no digression. The cleanliness of religious dresses in Eastern Religions like [Hinduism], [Buddhism] and [Jainism] is of paramount importance, which indicates purity. See also: [:Category:Religious vesture]. Sport and activity Most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Common [sportswear] garments include [shorts], [T-shirt]s, [tennis shirt]s, [tracksuit]s, and [athletic shoe]. Specialised garments include [wet suit]s (for [swimming], [diving] or [surfing]) and [salopettes] (for [skiing]). Clothing materials Common clothing materials include:
Less-common clothing materials include:
Reinforcing materials such as [wood], [bone], [plastic] and [metal] may be used in [fastener]s or to stiffen garments. Clothing maintenance Clothing, once manufactured, suffers assault both from within and from without. The human body inside sheds skin cells and body oils, and exudes sweat, urine, and feces. From the outside, sun damage, damp, abrasion, dirt, and other indignities afflict the garment. Fleas and lice take up residence in clothing seams. Well-worn clothing, if not cleaned and refurbished, will itch, look scruffy, and lose functionality (as when [button]s fall off and [zipper]s fail). In some cases, people simply wear an item of clothing until it falls apart. Cleaning leather presents difficulties; one cannot wash bark cloth (tapa) without dissolving it. Owners may patch tears and rips, and brush off surface dirt, but old leather and bark clothing will always look old. But most clothing consists of cloth, and most cloth can be [laundry] and mended (patching, [darning], but compare [felt]). Laundry, ironing, storage Humans have developed many specialized methods for laundering, ranging from the earliest "pound clothes against rocks in running stream" to the latest in electronic [washing machine]s and [dry cleaning] (dissolving dirt in [solvents] other than water). Many kinds of clothing are designed to be [Ironing] before they are worn to remove wrinkles. Most modern formal and semi-formal clothing is in this category (for example, [dress shirt]s and [suit (clothing)]). Ironed clothes are believed to look clean, fresh, and neat. However, much contemporary casual clothing is made of knit materials that do not readily wrinkle and so do not have to be ironed. Some clothing is [permanent press], meaning that it has been treated with a synthetic coating (such as [polytetrafluoroethylene]) that suppresses wrinkles and creates a smooth appearance without ironing. Once clothes have been laundered and possibly ironed, they are usually hung up on [clothes hanger]s or folded, to keep them fresh until they are worn. Clothes are [Folding]ed to allow them to be stored compactly, to prevent [crease], to preserve creases or to present them in a more pleasing manner, for instance when they are put on sale in stores. Many kinds of clothes are folded before they are put in [suitcase]s as preparation for travel. Other clothes, such as [suit (clothing)]s, may be hung up in special garment bags, or rolled rather than folded. Many people use their clothing as packing material around fragile items that might otherwise break in transit. Mending In past times, [mending] was an art. A meticulous [tailor] or [seamstress] could mend rips with thread raveled from [hem]s and seam edges so skillfully that the darn was practically invisible. When the raw material — cloth — was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it. Today clothing is considered a consumable item. Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the time it would take to repair it. Many people prefer to buy a new piece of clothing rather than to spend their time mending old clothes. But the thrifty still replace [zipper]s and [button]s and sew up ripped [hem]s. The life cycle of clothing Used, no-longer-wearable clothing was once desirable raw material for [quilt]s, [rag] [rug]s, [bandage]s, and many other household uses. It could also be recycled into [paper]. Now it is usually thrown away. Used but still wearable clothing can be sold at [consignment shop]s, [flea market]s, [online auction], or just donated to charity. Charities usually skim the best of the clothing to sell in their own [thrift store]s and sell the rest to merchants, who bale it up and ship it to poor [Third World] countries, where vendors bid for the bales and then make what profit they can selling used clothing. Early 21st-century clothing styles Western fashion has, to a certain extent, become international fashion, as Western media and styles penetrate all parts of the world. Very few parts of the world remain where people do not wear items of cheap, mass-produced Western clothing. Even people in poor countries can afford [Used good] clothing from richer Western countries. However, people may wear ethnic or [national costume] on special occasions or if carrying out certain roles or occupations. For example, most Japanese women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but will still wear silk [kimono]s on special occasions. Items of Western dress may also appear worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine a used [T-shirt] with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or [tupenu]. Western fashion, too, does not function monolithically. It comes in many varieties, from expensive [haute couture] to [thrift store] [grunge]. Regional styles
Origin and history of clothing clothed in [fur]According to archaeologists and anthropologists, the earliest clothing probably consisted of [fur], [leather], leaves or grass, draped, wrapped or tied about the body for protection from the elements. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, since clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared to stone, bone, shell and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early [sewing needle]s of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki, [Russia], in 1988. Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking, [anthropology] at the [Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology], have conducted a genetic analysis of human [body lice] that indicates that they originated about 107,000 years ago. Since most humans have very sparse body hair, body lice require clothing to survive, so this suggests a surprisingly recent date for the invention of clothing. Its invention may have coincided with the spread of modern [Homo sapiens] from the warm [climate] of [Africa], thought to have begun between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. However, a second group of researchers used similar genetic methods to estimate that body lice originated about 540,000 years ago (Reed et al. 2004. PLoS Biology 2(11): e340). For now, the date of the origin of clothing remains unresolved. Some human cultures, such as the various peoples of the [Arctic Circle], until recently made their clothing entirely of furs and skins, cutting clothing to fit and decorating lavishly. Other cultures have supplemented or replaced leather and skins with cloth: woven, knitted, or twined from various animal and vegetable fibres. Although modern consumers take clothing for granted, making the fabrics that go into clothing is not easy. One sign of this is that the [textile] industry was the first to be mechanized during the [Industrial Revolution]; before the invention of the [power loom], textile production was a tedious and labor-intensive process. Therefore, methods were developed for making most efficient use of textiles. One approach simply involves draping the cloth. Many peoples wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit — for example, the [dhoti] for men and the [saree] for women in the [Indian subcontinent], the Scottish [kilt] or the [Java (island)] [sarong]. The clothes may simply be tied up, as is the case of the first two garments; or pins or belts hold the garments in place, as in the case of the latter two. The precious cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes or the same person at different sizes can wear the garment. Another approach involves cutting and sewing the cloth, but using every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing. The tailor may cut triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and then add them elsewhere as [gussets]. Traditional European patterns for men's [shirt]s and women's [chemise]s take this approach. Modern European [fashion] treats cloth much more prodigally, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; home sewers may turn them into [quilt]s. In the thousands of years that humans have spent constructing clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which we can reconstruct from surviving garments, [photo]s, [painting]s, [mosaic]s, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history serves as a source of inspiration to current [fashion designer]s, as well as a topic of [professional] interest to costumers constructing for [play]s, [film]s, [television], and [historical reenactment]. Future trends As technologies change, so will clothing. Many people, including [futurologist]s have extrapolated current trends and made the following predictions:
Clothing industry The clothing industry is concentrated outside of [Western Europe] and the [United States], and wherever they are, [garment workers] often have to labor under poor conditions. Coalitions of [NGO]s, designers (Katharine Hamnett, [American Apparel], [Veja Sneakers], [Quiksilver], eVocal, Edun,...) and campaign groups like the [Clean Clothes Campaign] (CCC) seek to improve these conditions as much as possible by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the workers' conditions. [Outsourcing] production to low wage countries like [China], [India], [Sri Lanka] and [Bangladesh] became possible when the [Multi Fibre Agreement] (MFA) was abolished. The MFA was deemed a protectionist measure which placed quotas on the exports of textiles. [Globalization] is often quoted as the single most contributing factor to the poor [Occupational safety and health] of garment workers. Although many countries recognize treaties like the ILO, many have also made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties. India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of the treaty. Though their work is invaluable to workers throughout the industry there is an inherent lack of trust of trade unions and NGOs. Their influence has, in the past, led to the closing of production facilities. Campaign organizations like CCC are notoriously misinformed and often rely on single sources which they fail to verify. This has led to campaigns against [Adidas] which drew a lot of media and public attention during the [FIFA World Cup] in [2002] but was ultimately dismissed by OESO because the allegations where deemed false and unprovable and because, unlike the claims of CCC, Adidas had indeed made certain that its codes of conduct where adhered to throughout the supply chain. In many countries where production facilities have relocated to recently working conditions are excellent, with workers earning above average incomes, are provided with all amenities such as canteens, health care and nurseries. What's lacking remains any form of unionization, mostly due to the political and cultural beliefs in those countries. In India for example, trade unions have become highly politicized bodies, with pledged allegiance to one of the three major parties. See also
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