ABC-Clothing

Most people think of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and think of togas as their choice of style. Though this is true, not all togas are created equal. Men wore a particular style of toga. Theirs was usually a single garment gathered together at the shoulders and at the waist. For younger men, their theirs would be a little shorter, while older men’s were full length.

However, if you look at any of the ancient urns from the Greek period, pay close attention to the women’s robes. Most ancient Greek women wore a two-piece suit of sorts. The bottom piece was a long, flowing piece that accentuated the hips. While the top was more like a modern tank-top. The entire ensemble was held together at the waist, giving more dynamics to the woman’s figure as a whole.

Ancient Greek Female Attire. Picture obtained from Wikimedia Commons

Of course, different classes of women also wore different styles of toga. A more high-class lady would have had intricate designs woven into her tunics, while women of a lesser class would have had to make due with the bare necessities. Some experts also believe that different classes would wear specialized colors, in order to tell them apart. This is known to be true for the extremely wealthy, who were the only ones who could afford to wear the regal color of purple.

If you take the time to really study the depictions on ancient pottery, look to see if you can spot the variations in the women’s clothing. Chances are you’ll be able to tell where they stood in society if you can tell what type of clothing they have on.

Throughout the ages, clothing was not only a way to cover the body, it was a way to discern the different aspects of society and the differences in gender.  The women of ancient Egypt wore long linen gowns while the men wore short linen kilts.  This applied to almost every culture around the world for thousands of years.

During the days of the Wild West, women were still expected to wear the appropriate attire for their class and positions in life.  Wealthy women usually donned the finest silk dresses and hats that only the rich could afford.  The lower classes were usually dressed in heavy wool skirts that covered every inch of their bodies.  One thing was certain, ladies did not wear pants.

Calamity Jane in Buckskin Clothes (Image obtained from WikiMedia Commons)

One woman would challenge this view, Calamity Jane.  Though there are a couple of known photographs of her wearing the traditional garb of a woman, she was generally seen wearing the clothing of a man.  She preferred the buckskin pants and jackets made specifically for men, along with cowboy boots and hat.  Legend says that she even spent some time as a scout for the army until they discovered that she was female.

Jane was known to be a hard drinker and could be as rowdy as any cowhand off the range.  She was as good with a gun as any man, and didn’t think twice about dressing in their clothing.  She was one of the first women to go out of her way to dress the way she wanted, without the worry of what others would say.  Though it would be almost another hundred years before things would completely change, Calamity Jane was a pioneer in the way women dressed for both comfort and success.

Women have spent thousands of years trying to be as beautiful as possible.  Sometimes, they’ll even go to the extreme of causing themselves pain in order to appear beautiful.  In today’s society, we women wear shoes that hurt our feet, but make us look gorgeous.  But, ours is not the only society to have done this.

Since the 7th century AD, Chinese women practiced the art of foot binding.  In essence, they wrapped their feet in such a way as to make them as small as possible.  There are many legends as to why this was done, including the idea that men found them to be erogenous.  Experts believe the real reason was so men could better control their wives.  It wasn’t until the early 20th century that this practice was outlawed.

Shoes For Bound Feet (Image obtained from WikiMedia Commons)

Another painful piece of clothing was the corset.  For hundreds of years, women have worn these contraptions in order to create the illusion of a tiny waist.  Many corsets originally contained whale bone inserts that helped to form the desired shape.  They would then cinch these corsets up to a point where they had what was called the “wasp waist” look.  It was not only painful, but could cause internal injuries and some women even ended up with broken ribs from the process.

Women aren’t the only ones who cause themselves injury in hopes of attracting the opposite sex.  Men have also been known to wear painful items as a sign of their virility.  Probably the most famous comes from the mid 16th century and was known as the Codpiece.  There is evidence that men wore codpieces as far back as the Minoan civilization.  However, it was in the 1500’s that they were worn as a true covering.  Yet, over time they became exaggerated and over padded.  Rather than cover themselves, they drew more attention to themselves.

Most codpieces were made from a piece of metal, then covered and padded with material.  They were kept in place by being tied to the wearer.  They could cause chafing and sores, due to over heating and lack of hygienic issues.  Codpieces worn today are made from more pliable materials, such as leather, and are much more comfortable.

The need to be seen as beautiful is timeless.  Men and women will always work toward finding new ways to stand out in the eyes of others.  For many, the pain of being attractive will never compete with the pain of not being noticed at all.

Attention children of the 70’s.  Save all your old, ugly clothes.  They’re worth a fortune.

Well, ok.  Maybe they’re not worth thousands of dollars, but anything that is deemed “vintage” is becoming quite stylish and worth some money.  Because of sites like Ebay, everything old is cool again.  And, because of these sites, adding the word “vintage” means you can get more money from all those clothes you hated as a kid.

I grew up in the 70’s.  I remember seeing men in plaid leisure suits and women in short, print skirts.  Honestly, I hated the whole look.  Being a teenager in the 80’s, I was more into the bright solids and skin-tight jeans.  However, as a little kid, my mother dressed me in the wild combinations of the day.  If I only knew then, what I know now.  I wouldn’t have “accidentally” cut up that pair of checkered Gouchos.

The Style of the 70's (image obtained from WikiMedia Commons)

Interestingly enough, it seems that some of the wild prints of the 70’s are starting to make a comeback.  Huge flowered skirts, and flashy blouses are some of the hottest styles these days.  I watch shows such as “What Not To Wear” and think to myself, I owned that shirt 30 years ago.  One thing I do have to say is that paisley is still a print that should NOT be worn by men.  It’s just not attractive (my opinion).

It’s amazing to me that some of the higher end auction sites and specialty stores are selling these items for huge amounts of money.  Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t see myself buying a vintage 1970’s dress for more than $50.  However, I’m seriously thinking about heading over to Goodwill and buying them out.  I’m seriously in the wrong business.

Welcome to the very first post in my new blog, ABC-Clothing.  Well, it’s not exactly the first post, but it’s the first post since I redesigned this place.  I originally bought this domain name for my daughter and one of her friends.  They were all gung-ho about starting their own clothing blog, and being teenaged girls, they had a million ideas for the site.  It lasted all about 2 months then they were done.

This site has just been sitting out there in cyberspace, waiting to be updated and used for the greater good.  Well, maybe not the greater good, but it needed freshened up and some new fodder added in.  So, I transferred it over to my hosting site and started from scratch.  I do have some sort of a plan for the site, but we’ll see how it goes.  I’d like to make this site all about clothing.  From ancient times, to today’s fashions.  What the stars were wearing in the 50’s, and what they’re wearing today.  If it’s about clothing, I want it in here.

I’m a huge fan of shows like What Not To Wear and How Do I Look?.  My biggest fear is that one day I’ll be on one of those shows because of my hideous attire.  I’m not one of those fashionistas, but I do like clothes.  I’m more of the Goodwill Goddess type, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to find the best outfits for my money.

I’m not sure exactly how where this site will go, but I do know one thing.  If I find something I like about clothes, you can bet you’ll see it here before I’m done.