Social Functions of Dress

Belonging to a group or organization is often a display of an emblem, crest or logo over the left chest of a garment. For men this is often a T-shirt, polo-type shirt, sport coat or jacket. 

Organizations in a society have ceremonies that require particular dress. The graduation ceremony requires a robe and sometimes a hat or hood. This graduate studies robe is nearly unchanged in design form those worn in the first universities in Europe, hundreds of years ago.

Protection and decoration, ceremony and distinction for group members can be seen in many garments. Different garments for men and for women will embrace the attributes for the different functions. The neck-tie worn by men in western cultures has specific significants when worn with attractive and contrasting shirt colors. The narrow piece of silk or wool allows for and directs one to look the face to the genitals of the wearer. This paisley pattern was chosen for its specific sexual connotation. 

Social Functions of Dress

We dress primarily to decorate and adorn our bodies to change our appearance, however there are other social functions for dress in cultures. From my closet, I find six examples.

For protection from the elements we cover our bodies with the skin, hair and feathers of other creatures, taking advantage of nature's design. A down filled vest covers the body core. The arms and legs are free to move about. 

The surface decoration of a textile becomes the decoration of the body. The embroidery and mirrors on this thin cotton tunic and pant form Pakistan decorates the neck, chest, wrist and ankles of the wearer.

Articles worn by women often differ from those worn by men. In most cultures, there is women's dress. There are specific terms to describe the garments for the different genders. An example is this Indian sari, made of silk with a cotton petticoat and blouse.

Knits

My Aron sweater is also warm. Knitted of marino wool, it dries quickly and blocks the wind.

This type of sweater is worn by Irish fisherman. Mine looks great with comfortable jeans.

Fabrics Matters

Researching textiles is as simple as looking into your closet. My acquisitions done by texture and touch, are presented in a collage to explain a bit of history.  

First, my "baby llama" swing coat. From south America, llama and alpaca are camel cousins. There soft hair is wonderful for spinning and felting, knitting and weaving.  People of Peru have known this for hundreds of years. Often mixed with other wool for garments, the fabric is very warm. This swing coat was a steel at $5.00 (585.00 for a new one)