Clothing and Fashion

Though often used interchangeably, there are distinct and important differences between clothing, fashion, and style. The term clothing first appeared in the thirteenth century and refers to garments in general. Fashion and style are fourteenth-century words. Style describes the form of something, while fashion refers to prevailing styles during a particular time. All clothing can be described in terms of the style of specific features, such as a mandarin collar or a gathered sleeve, and if the style is currently popular, it is considered fashionable. Garment styles periodically recur, though usually in slightly different forms. Coco Chanel, the famous French designer, once said that anyone who claimed originality had no knowledge of history.
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The Colonies

Colonization of America began in the late 1500s with the Spanish in Florida, followed by the French in Acadia and the English in Jamestown, Virginia, and Massachusetts. The Dutch, Swedes, and Germans would have settlements by 1683. All of these groups brought their native garb with them. As in Europe, clothing for the wealthy was elaborate and made of fine fabrics. Men set the fashions, and women and children followed them. Humbler folk wore less complicated clothing of a more serviceable nature. The colonies were not meant to be self-supporting and were seen as a good source of exports from the mother countries. Attitudes toward attire would develop largely based on whether an area was settled by adventurers or those seeking religious freedom. Clothing was important and often passed on from one generation to the next upon death. Few garments survived in their original form, having been recut to fit a different figure or to reflect a newer fashion.

As they became established, wealthy southern planters tended to keep up with court fashions by importing clothes made in England. Their wives and daughters wore silk, velvet, brocade, and satin gowns when in town. Clothing on the plantations was more utilitarian, with men wearing working clothes of breeches and jerkins made of canvas or a rough fabric called frieze, coarse wool hose, and leather shoes, and women wearing simple gowns over homespun petticoats and usually an apron. Masters clothed their laborers and servants. Some planters maintained a store onsite with various goods, while others relied on itinerant peddlers for fashion news, supplies, and gossip.

Sumptuary laws were enacted mid-seventeenth century in Massachusetts by conservative Pilgrims who felt that too much money was being spent on clothing. They tried to regulate the length and width of sleeves, as well as prohibiting the use of silk (except for hoods or scarves), silver, gold, lace, and ribbons of gold or silver. Goods in defiance were confiscated and exported. Officials thought a person's clothing should accurately reflect their social prestige and rank, and they put many violators of the sumptuary laws on trial. It was possible, however, to have charges dropped if one could prove sufficient financial status.

By the late seventeenth century, William and Mary were on the English throne. Relations with the colonies were good and nearly every ship brought luxuries. Fashion was less than a year behind England. Dolls dressed in the latest styles arrived in London from Paris once a month, and were regularly sent on to America where dressmakers would create interpretations for colonial women. Children were dressed in styles very similar to their parents.

Not all people followed trends, however. Though financially sound, the Quakers recommended their members abstain from rich colors and use soft gray, dull drab, sage greens, and somber browns. They made their clothes the same shapes as court clothes, minus the showy trims, and used beautiful and costly cloth.

The first half of the eighteenth century was prosperous and comfortable. Fashion was conspicuous among the rich, with merchant ships from China and the Indies supplying silk, tissues, and embroidered gauzes. Small patches were worn not only as beauty marks, but also as a sign of political sway: a patch on the left side of the face supported the Whigs, while the right side indicated a Tory. Fans were an important accessory as well, enabling an elaborate method of nonverbal communication.

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The History of Chinese Clothing

Each dynasty in China had its own memorable culture. The many facets of colour and design that emerged during a dynasty’s reign were marvellous and made every aspect of Chinese culture, including their wearing apparel, - highly acclaimed works of art.

The costumes of ancient China were emblems of Chinese tradition, as well as an essential element in the history and culture of each dynasty. Costume maintained an important place in Chinese culture for more than three thousand years. The culture of China is ancient and well established, brilliant and resplendent. The costumes are likewise magnificent and colourful. There were many dynasties throughout China’s history, each having its own unique style of dress. And each style would change or disappear as its dynasty changed, declined, or was replaced. With the advent of each new dynasty and the progression of time, costumes were revolutionised. The style was classical and conservative in the Qin and Han dynasties, luxurious and glamorous in the Tang dynasty, delicate and exquisite in the Song dynasty, graceful and magnificent in the Ming dynasty, and very intricate in the Qing dynasty. Stylised costumes first appeared in the Yellow Emperor, Yao and Shun periods. Chinese characters were invented during the ancient Yin Shang period. Although eighty percent of the characters were pictographic drawings, they were quite sufficient for writing and had special pronunciations. The inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells in the Shang dynasty, from about the 16th to 11th century B.C., show characters representing the social classes at the time, including wang (monarchs), chen (officials under a feudal ruler), mu (shepherds), nu (slaves), and yi (tribesmen). There were also words that related to dress and personal adornments, such as as yi (clothing), lu (shoes), huang shang (skirts), and mei (sleeves). Ornaments of varying value, like jade pendants, jade rings, earrings, necklaces, combs, silk fabrics, burlaps, and copper decorations, have been found on excavated statues. Valuable, exquisite items belonged to the aristocrats exclusively, not slaves or tribesmen. With the developments and advances made regarding textiles, articles of clothing for different functions began to appear, such as dresses, skirts, crowns, footwear, hats, and stockings. Costume styles evolved from simple and practical to ornamental. This is reflected in the invention of “twelve designs of symbols.” Looking at the patterns and styles of clothes in history books such as The Rites of the Zhou, Book of Rites and Rites, you can see that Chinese clothing evolved from nothing to very simple and functional styles, and then to styles that were quite complex. During the Ying Shang period, the etiquette, music, rituals, and clothing showed no evidence of any distinction among different social classes. Starting in the Western Zhou dynasty, however, class distinction became apparent, as evident in the differences in clothing and personal adornment. More and more variety in clothing also appeared, depending on the occasion. For example, paying respects to the gods and making obeisance to heaven and earth at the palac

e temples required special clothing. Special clothes were worn for grand ceremonies. There were army uniforms, wedding ceremony outfits, bereavement clothes, and so on. Clothing at the time was still made in accordance with old systems and thus had dark tops and yellow bottoms, but official garb included four-inch-wide sashes made from silk or leather that were worn over the lapels. Other costumes included jade adornments on the waist belt linked together with silk ribbons. In addition, clothing of different colours indicated different social classes. During the Warring States, the costume of the seven dukedoms of Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei and Qin, each developed changes accordingly. The so-called “skirt around the front of the body" style actually referred to loose-cut cloth with wide rims that was wrapped around the lower body. The ancient designers wrapped the cloth ingeniously from the front of the upper body to the back, making full use of horizontal and diagonal lines to complement space and achieve both quietude in motion and motion in quietude. Materials were light and thin, and stiffer brocade was used to embroider the borders with wavy patterns that reflected the wisdom and intellect of the designers. 

The Boxer Rebellion

It's been awhile since I posted a blog for the dudes, so I figured I'd tackle a subject that has been on my mind as of late. Your underwears. [Yes, I tacked an s at the tail end of underwear because although the word isn't grammatically correct, it sounds way funnier.]

Often overlooked, the upkeep of your underwears is very important. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Throw your underwears out when they have holes in them. When your boxers, briefs, or a combination thereof have holes in the crotch, it is the equivalent of our worst granny panties. Not sexy.

2. Fruit of the Loom tightie whities remind us of the underwears you were forced to wear as little boys.

3. Men's thong underwears are cool, but only if you like other dudes. Straight dudes don't care about visible panty lines.

4. We appreciate it when you wear sexy underwears, just as much as you love it when we do.

With that said, may I present jac5, the newly launched luxury men's underwear brand that delivers comfort, style, a sense of humor, and sex appeal which all work together to create the perfect package.

Inspired by his 5 fiesty Jack Russel terriers, jac5 founder Jim Christopher offers three distinct collections of underwears, guaranteed to suit the style of any feisty fella: The Loyal collection is casually cool enough for every day.Supersmart is designed for suiting up for success, and the Barking Mad collection is colorful, stylish and just a tad bit quirky. Trust me boys, if we see a hint of these jac5 underwears peeking out of the waistband of your jeans, we'll be more than impressed. You'll be an alpha dog in our eyes.

I'm a fan of boxer shorts myself, but am also doggone crazy about the basic crewneck tees and the Barry briefs that I wish came in chick sizes but without the crotch pouch. I don't need that.

It's a dog eat dog world out there, don't let bad underwears ruin it for you.

Best Dressed AMA's 2011

If you didn't catch the American Music Awards this past weekend, here is my Red Carpet recap of my flat out favorite looks that all of the starlets and songstresses rocked, as well as the gowns that fell flat, musical pun intended.

Selena Gomez is on a red carpet roll. Her bf's alleged baby mama dropped her allegations that Justin Beiber fathered her baby and Selena celebrated by standing by her man on the red carpet in a slinky, silky, and in a word Selenasational Giorgio Armani gown featuring a halter neckline, low open back, ruched bodice and perfect length train.

Taylor Swift not only swept up the Best Artist Award, (and every other award she was up for, Kanye West interruption free) but she also tripped the night fantastic in a sparkly, sequined, strapless and simply stunning Reem Acra gown paired with Jimmy Choo heels, intended for musical royalty. Oh can't you seeee, that dress belongs with meeeeee. Seriously Taylor. It belongs with me.

With the good comes the bad. I know you're all expecting me to place Nicki Minaj at the top of my Worst Dressed list, but here's the deal. Now homegirl is just expected to make weird fashion statements, and I don't like to do anything that's expected. Here are my least favorite AMA looks worn by a duo of older stars who should just plain know better.