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118-445: Underwear , underclothing , or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged by bodily excretions , to lessen the friction of outerwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear
236-510: A hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. It can protect feet from injury and discomfort or facilitate navigation in varied environments. Clothing also provides protection from ultraviolet radiation . It may be used to prevent glare or increase visual acuity in harsh environments, such as brimmed hats. Clothing is used for protection against injury in specific tasks and occupations, sports, and warfare. Fashioned with pockets, belts , or loops, clothing may provide
354-412: A sparring weapon , so the equipment aspect rises above the glove aspect). More specialized forms of protective equipment, such as face shields are classified as protective accessories. At the far extreme, self-enclosing diving suits or space suits are form-fitting body covers, and amount to a form of dress, without being clothing per se, while containing enough high technology to amount to more of
472-586: A "subjective study of string vests under hot/dry conditions" in the (British) Canal Zone of Egypt . For four weeks in July and August, as temperatures rose to 37C, men from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were made to wear three different types of vest underneath their bush jackets. In every case the men reported that string vests kept them cool and reduced "dragging or sticking" between clothes and skin from sweat. However, at
590-596: A Mesh T-Shirt , Mattel Barbie ' s Earring Magic Ken doll, E-kids , Andy Capp , Rab C. Nesbitt , Jim Royle , Wallace in The Wrong Trousers , Madonna , and Kylie Minogue ' s Fever US cover artwork. English brands include Cockney Finestyle , Crystal , and Pendeen . "In 1955 the War Office ordered tests to be conducted on the garment. That summer, the Ministry of Supply ran
708-824: A button flap in the front. Medieval people wearing only tunics, without underpants, can be seen on works like The Ass in the School by Pieter Bruegel the Elder , in the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry by Limbourg Brothers , or in the Grimani Breviary: The Month of February by Gerard Horenbout . In 2012, findings in Lengberg Castle , in Austria , showed that lace and linen brassiere-like garments, one of which greatly resembled
826-485: A company operated by Ida Rosenthal , a Jewish immigrant from Russia, developed the brassiere and introduced modern cup sizes for bras. Modern men's underpants were largely an invention of the 1930s. On 19 January 1935, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first briefs in Chicago. Designed by an "apparel engineer" named Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly. The company dubbed
944-591: A diverse array of animal and plant fibers, such as wool, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, and ramie. Although modern consumers may take the production of clothing for granted, making fabric by hand is a tedious and labor-intensive process involving fiber making, spinning, and weaving. The textile industry was the first to be mechanized – with the powered loom – during the Industrial Revolution . Different cultures have evolved various ways of creating clothes out of cloth. One approach involves draping
1062-772: A greatest likelihood of speciation lying at about 107,000 years ago. Kittler, Kayser and Stoneking suggest that the invention of clothing may have coincided with the northward migration of modern Homo sapiens away from the warm climate of Africa, which is thought to have begun between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago. A second group of researchers, also relying on the genetic clock, estimate that clothing originated between 30,000 and 114,000 years ago. Dating with direct archeological evidence produces dates consistent with those of lice. In September 2021, scientists reported evidence of clothes being made 120,000 years ago based on findings in deposits in Morocco . The development of clothing
1180-496: A large and growing market. In the Western dress code, jeans are worn by both men and women. There are several unique styles of jeans found that include: high rise jeans, mid rise jeans, low rise jeans, bootcut jeans, straight jeans, cropped jeans, skinny jeans, cuffed jeans, boyfriend jeans, and capri jeans. The licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers such as Pierre Cardin , Yves Saint Laurent , and Guy Laroche in
1298-506: A likely contraction of "jockey strap", as the garment was first designed for bicycle-riding messengers and deliverymen, or 'bike jockeys'. The Bike Jockey Strap was the first jockstrap manufactured in America in 1874. Jockey meaning 'rider', primarily a race horse rider, has been in use since 1670. Jockey itself is the diminutive form of the Scots nickname Jock (for John) as Jackie is for
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#17328010486231416-610: A means of communicating their wealth and social standing, as well as an indication of their knowledge and understanding of current fashion trends to the general public. As a result, clothing played a significant role in making the social hierarchy perceptible to all members of society. In some societies, clothing may be used to indicate rank or status . In ancient Rome , for example, only senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple . In traditional Hawaiian society, only high-ranking chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa, or carved whale teeth. In China, before establishment of
1534-425: A means to carry things while freeing the hands. Clothing has significant social factors as well. Wearing clothes is a variable social norm . It may connote modesty . Being deprived of clothing in front of others may be embarrassing . In many parts of the world, not wearing clothes in public so that genitals , breast , or buttocks are visible could be considered indecent exposure . Pubic area or genital coverage
1652-714: A needle at least 50,000 years old from Denisova Cave in Siberia made by Denisovans . Dyed flax fibers that date back to 34,000 BC and could have been used in clothing have been found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia . Several distinct human cultures, including those residing in the Arctic Circle, have historically crafted their garments exclusively from treated and adorned animal furs and skins. In contrast, numerous other societies have complemented or substituted leather and skins with textiles woven, knitted, or twined from
1770-587: A number of terms. Underclothes , underclothing and underwear are formal terms, while undergarments may be more casually called, in Australia, Reg Grundys ( rhyming slang for undies ) and Reginalds , and, in the United Kingdom, smalls (from the earlier smallclothes ) and (historically) unmentionables . In the United States, women's underwear may be known as delicates due to
1888-521: A pocket for holding small items. Over the upper part of their bodies, both medieval men and women usually wore a close-fitting shirt-like garment called a chemise in France, or a smock or shift in England. The forerunner of the modern-day shirt, the chemise was tucked into a man's braies, under his outer clothing. Women wore a chemise underneath their gowns or robes , sometimes with petticoats over
2006-938: A protective function. For instance, corrective eyeglasses , Arctic goggles , and sunglasses would not be considered an accessory because of their protective functions. Clothing protects against many things that might injure or irritate the naked human body, including rain, snow, wind, and other weather, as well as from the sun. Garments that are too sheer, thin, small, or tight offer less protection. Appropriate clothes can also reduce risk during activities such as work or sport. Some clothing protects from specific hazards, such as insects, toxic chemicals, weather, weapons , and contact with abrasive substances. Humans have devised clothing solutions to environmental or other hazards: such as space suits , armor , diving suits , swimsuits , bee-keeper gear , motorcycle leathers , high-visibility clothing , and other pieces of protective clothing . The distinction between clothing and protective equipment
2124-525: A selling point. By the end of the 1910s, Chalmers Knitting Company split the union suit into upper and lower sections, effectively inventing the modern undershirt and drawers. Women wore lacier versions of this basic duo known as the camisole and tap pants. In 1912, the US had its first professional underwear designer. Lindsay "Layneau" Boudreaux, a French immigrant, established the short-lived panty company Layneau. Though her company closed within one year, it had
2242-461: A separate piece of cloth, or "yoke", sewn to the front of the garment, and tightness of fit was adjusted by means of ties on the sides. This design proved so popular that it began to supplant the union suit in popularity by the end of the war. Rayon garments also became widely available in the post-war period. In the 1920s, manufacturers shifted emphasis from durability to comfort. Union suit advertisements raved about patented new designs that reduced
2360-522: A shirt for trapping air close to the skin which would provide insulation. In 1896, under the trade name Aertex, a cellular cloth based on the same principle was patented. It was later called a "Fishnet Tank Top", a Mesh Marina , and a "mesh shirt" and used for Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in
2478-571: A sign of mourning. The Quran says about husbands and wives, regarding clothing: "...They are clothing/covering (Libaas) for you; and you for them" (chapter 2:187). Christian clergy members wear religious vestments during liturgical services and may wear specific non-liturgical clothing at other times. Clothing appears in numerous contexts in the Bible. The most prominent passages are: the story of Adam and Eve who made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves , Joseph 's coat of many colors , and
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#17328010486232596-411: A significant impact on many levels. Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry. In 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob created the first modern brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which
2714-488: A special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may be worn every day as a marker for special religious status. Sikhs wear a turban as it is a part of their religion. In some religions such as Hinduism , Sikhism , Buddhism , and Jainism the cleanliness of religious dresses is of paramount importance and considered to indicate purity. Jewish ritual requires rending (tearing) of one's upper garment as
2832-460: A stiffened decorative bodice worn on top of another bodice stiffened with buckram , reeds, canes, whalebone or other materials. These were not the small-waisted, curved corsets familiar from the Victorian era , but straight-lined stays that flattened the bust. Men's braies and hose were eventually replaced by simple cotton, silk or linen drawers, which were usually knee-length trousers with
2950-410: A tiny (" wasp ") waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty, and the corsets were stiffened with whalebone or steel to accomplish this. While "tight lacing" of corsets was not a common practice except among a minority of women, which sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to the fainting room , the primary use of a corset was to create a smooth line for the garments to effect the fashionable shape of
3068-563: A tool than a garment. This line will continue to blur as wearable technology embeds assistive devices directly into the fabric itself; the enabling innovations are ultra low power consumption and flexible electronic substrates . Clothing also hybridizes into a personal transportation system ( ice skates , roller skates , cargo pants , other outdoor survival gear , one-man band ) or concealment system ( stage magicians , hidden linings or pockets in tradecraft , integrated holsters for concealed carry , merchandise -laden trench coats on
3186-460: A top manufacturer of union suits, which were common until the 1930s. Textile technology continued to improve, and the time to make a single union suit dropped from days to minutes. Meanwhile, designers of women's undergarments relaxed the corset. The invention of new, flexible but supportive materials allowed whalebone and steel bones to be removed. The emancipation or liberty bodice offered an alternative to constricting corsets and, in Australia and
3304-519: A used T-shirt with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or tupenu . For practical, comfort or safety reasons, most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing. Common sportswear garments include shorts , T-shirts , tennis shirts , leotards , tracksuits , and trainers . Specialized garments include wet suits (for swimming, diving , or surfing ), salopettes (for skiing ), and leotards (for gymnastics). Also, spandex materials often are used as base layers to soak up sweat. Spandex
3422-415: A waistband and straps attached directly to the cup designed to be worn over a regular jockstrap or briefs. Some sports such as boxing use an oversized cup and jock combined into a single item which has layered foam padding that protects the groin, kidneys and abdomen. The pelvic protector is the female equivalent of the male jockstrap. It is currently unclear who was responsible for the first invention of
3540-435: A wide variety of materials, ranging from leather and furs to woven fabrics, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics . Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn normally are considered accessories rather than clothing (such as Handbags ), items worn on a single part of the body and easily removed ( scarves ), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or items that do not serve
3658-900: A wide variety of situations), but a wider range of clothing styles is available for women. Typically, men are allowed to bare their chests in a greater variety of public places. It is generally common for a woman to wear clothing perceived as masculine, while the opposite is seen as unusual. Contemporary men may sometimes choose to wear men's skirts such as togas or kilts in particular cultures, especially on ceremonial occasions. In previous times, such garments often were worn as normal daily clothing by men. In some cultures, sumptuary laws regulate what men and women are required to wear. Islam requires women to wear certain forms of attire, usually hijab . What items required varies in different Muslim societies; however, women are usually required to cover more of their bodies than men. Articles of clothing Muslim women wear under these laws or traditions range from
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3776-430: Is considered appropriate. The differences are in styles, colors, fabrics, and types. In contemporary Western societies, skirts , dresses , and high-heeled shoes are usually seen as women's clothing, while neckties usually are seen as men's clothing. Trousers were once seen as exclusively men's clothing, but nowadays are worn by both genders. Men's clothes are often more practical (that is, they can function well under
3894-630: Is deeply connected to human evolution, with early garments likely consisting of animal skins and natural fibers adapted for protection and social signaling. According to anthropologists and archaeologists, the earliest clothing likely consisted of fur , leather, leaves, or grass that was draped, wrapped, or tied around the body. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, as clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared with stone, bone, shell, and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early sewing needles of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki , Russia in 1988, and in 2016
4012-419: Is inserted in a jockstrap to protect male genitalia . Some jockstraps have a lined front pouch for this purpose. The abdominal guard is usually constructed from high density plastic with a padded edge, shaped like a hollow half-pear, and inserted into the jockstrap or jockstrap-style underwear of the batsmen and wicket-keeper. This is used to protect the genitals against impact from the ball. Many sports require
4130-485: Is not always clear-cut since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value, and clothes designed for function often have corporate fashion in their design. The choice of clothes also has social implications. They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, and serve other social purposes. Someone who lacks the means to procure appropriate clothing due to poverty or affordability, or lack of inclination, sometimes
4248-471: Is passed between the legs and then around the waist. Archaeologists have found the remains of such loincloths made of leather dating back 7,000 years. The ancient Hawaiian malo was of this form, as are several styles of the Japanese fundoshi . Another form is usually called a cache-sexe : a triangle of cloth is provided with strings or loops, which are used to fasten the triangle between the legs and over
4366-429: Is preferable for active sports that require form fitting garments, such as volleyball, wrestling, track and field, dance, gymnastics, and swimming. Paris set the 1900–1940 fashion trends for Europe and North America. In the 1920s the goal was all about getting loose. Women wore dresses all day, every day. Day dresses had a drop waist, which was a sash or belt around the low waist or hip and a skirt that hung anywhere from
4484-450: Is related to various perceptions, physiological, social, and psychological needs, and after food, it is clothing that satisfies these comfort needs. Clothing provides aesthetic, tactile, thermal, moisture, and pressure comfort. The most obvious function of clothing is to protect the wearer from the elements. It serves to prevent wind damage and provides protection from sunburn . In the cold, it offers thermal insulation . Shelter can reduce
4602-438: Is said to be worn, ragged, or shabby. Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual, occupational, gender differentiation, and social status. In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of modesty , religion, gender , and social status . Clothing may also function as adornment and an expression of personal taste or style. Serious books on clothing and its functions appear from
4720-521: Is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material or textile , some underwear can serve as nightwear or swimwear , and some undergarments are intended for sexual attraction or visual appeal. Undergarments are generally of two types, those that are worn to cover
4838-479: Is subject to decay, and the erosion of physical integrity may be seen as a loss of cultural information. Costume collections often focus on important pieces of clothing considered unique or otherwise significant, limiting the opportunities scholars have to study everyday clothing. Clothing has long served as a marker of social status, gender, and cultural identity, reflecting broader societal structures and values. In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing
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4956-507: Is the most frequently encountered minimum found cross-culturally and regardless of climate, implying social convention as the basis of customs. Clothing also may be used to communicate social status, wealth, group identity, and individualism. Some forms of personal protective equipment amount to clothing, such as coveralls , chaps or a doctor's white coat , with similar requirements for maintenance and cleaning as other textiles ( boxing gloves function both as protective equipment and as
5074-587: The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights as well as textile and clothing trade unions have sought to improve these conditions by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the plight of the workers. Outsourcing production to low wage countries such as Bangladesh , China, India, Indonesia , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka became possible when
5192-540: The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument museum, near Crow Agency Montana . Optional cups offer additional protection for contact sports and are made of hard plastic or steel, perforated for ventilation. A more flexible and comfortable soft cup is also offered for low contact sports such as soccer. A flex cup variation features a hard exterior melded with a soft lining. A similar piece of protective equipment in
5310-560: The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology —have attempted to constrain the most recent date of the introduction of clothing with an indirect method relying on lice . The rationale for this method of dating stems from the fact that the human body louse cannot live outside of clothing, dying after only a few hours without shelter. This strongly implies that the date of the body louse's speciation from its parent, Pediculus humanus , can have taken place no earlier than
5428-614: The Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) was abolished. The MFA, which placed quotas on textiles imports, was deemed a protectionist measure. Although many countries recognize treaties such as the International Labour Organization , which attempt to set standards for worker safety and rights, many countries have made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties or failed to thoroughly enforce them. India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of
5546-468: The black market — where the purpose of the clothing often carries over into disguise ). A mode of dress fit to purpose, whether stylistic or functional, is known as an outfit or ensemble. Estimates of when humans began wearing clothes vary from 40,000 to as many as 3 million years ago, but recent studies suggest humans were wearing clothing at least 100,000 years ago. Recent studies by Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking— anthropologists at
5664-455: The body . Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles , but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural products found in the environment, put together. The wearing of clothing is mostly restricted to human beings and is a feature of all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on gender, body type, social factors, and geographic considerations. Garments cover
5782-573: The crotch . Henry VIII of England began padding his codpiece, which caused a spiralling trend of larger and larger codpieces that only ended by the end of the 16th century. It has been speculated that the King may have had the sexually transmitted disease syphilis , and his large codpiece may have included a bandage soaked in medication to relieve its symptoms. Henry VIII also wanted a healthy son and may have thought that projecting himself in this way would portray fertility. Codpieces were sometimes used as
5900-402: The genitals and often buttocks. Terms for specific undergarments are shown in the table below . Underwear is worn for a variety of reasons. They keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration , urine , semen , pre-seminal fluid , feces , vaginal discharge , and menstrual blood . Women's brassieres provide support for the breasts , and men's briefs serve the same function for
6018-455: The head-scarf to the burqa . Some contemporary clothing styles designed to be worn by either gender, such as T-shirts, have started out as menswear, but some articles, such as the fedora , originally were a style for women. During the early modern period , individuals utilized their attire as a significant method of conveying and asserting their social status. Individuals employed the utilization of high-quality fabrics and trendy designs as
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#17328010486236136-527: The male genitalia . A corset may be worn as a foundation garment to provide support for the breasts and torso, as well as to alter a woman's body shape . For additional support and protection when playing sports, men often wear more tightly fitting underwear, including jockstraps and jockstraps with cup pocket and protective cup . Male dancers sometimes wear dance belts for support and modesty while wearing tights. Women may wear sports bras which provide greater support, thus increasing comfort and reducing
6254-447: The republic , only the emperor could wear yellow. History provides many examples of elaborate sumptuary laws that regulated what people could wear. In societies without such laws, which includes most modern societies, social status is signaled by the purchase of rare or luxury items that are limited by cost to those with wealth or status. In addition, peer pressure influences clothing choice. Some religious clothing might be considered
6372-420: The scrotum and penis or vulva during contact sports or other vigorous physical activity. This article deals chiefly with the genital protective sports gear designed for the male body, colloquially known as a "jock". A jockstrap (males) consists of a waistband (usually elastic ) with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of
6490-408: The 18th century were laced behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and erect posture. Colored stays were popular. With the relaxed country styles of the end of the century, stays became shorter and were unboned or only lightly boned, and were now called corsets. As tight waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was again boned and laced to form the figure. By the 1860s,
6608-549: The 1930s brought the corset back, now called the " girdle ". The garment lacked the whalebone and metal supports and usually came with a brassiere (now usually called a "bra") and attached garters. In 1933, Henrik Natvig Brun, a commandant in the Norwegian army, invented the first Brynje thermal String vest [ no ] , as Norwegian King’s Guard cold season clothing, in development since 1921 , repurposing two fishing nets, previously used to catch herring, and made into
6726-480: The 1960s and has been a common practice within the fashion industry from about the 1970s. Among the more popular include Marc Jacobs and Gucci , named for Marc Jacobs Guccio Gucci respectively. By the early years of the twenty-first century, western clothing styles had, to some extent, become international styles. This process began hundreds of years earlier, during the periods of European colonialism . The process of cultural dissemination has been perpetuated over
6844-469: The Bike brand and logos until 2017 when they retired the brand. Russell had become a Fruit-of-the-Loom subsidiary, and Fruit-of-the-Loom is owned by and part of Berkshire Hathaway. On April 15, 2021, the brand's website reopened for online sales, featuring a modernized version of their trademark "No. 10" jockstrap, as well as active apparel. The jockstrap was also influential in early 20th-century medicine with
6962-561: The English nickname Jack. The nicknames Jack and Jackie, Jock and Jockey have been used generically for 'man, fellow, boy, common man'. From the period c .1650– c. 1850, 'jock' was used as slang for penis. The more recent American slang term ' jock ', meaning an athlete, is traced to 1959 and is itself derived from 'jockstrap'. The jockstrap was invented in 1874 by C. F. Bennett of a Chicago sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, to provide comfort and support for bicycle jockeys working
7080-553: The Roman period indicate that women (primarily in an athletic context, whilst wearing nothing else) sometimes wore strophiae (breastcloths) or brassieres made of soft leather, along with subligacula which were either in the form of shorts or loincloths. Subligacula were also worn by men. The fabric used for loincloths may have been wool , linen or a linsey-woolsey blend. Only the upper classes could have afforded imported silk. The loincloth continues to be worn by people around
7198-574: The UK, the liberty bodice became a standard item for girls as well as women. Men's underwear also continued to be developed. Benjamin Joseph Clark, a migrant to Louisiana from New Jersey , opened a venture capitalist firm named Bossier in Bossier Parish . One product manufactured by his firm was tightly fitting boxer shorts that resembled modern underwear. Though the company was bankrupt by
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#17328010486237316-454: The UK, they sold at the rate of 3,000 a week, given the moniker Y-fronts there. In this decade, companies also began selling buttonless drawers fitted with an elastic waistband. These were the first true boxer shorts , which were named for their resemblance to the shorts worn by professional fighters . Scovil Manufacturing introduced the snap fastener at this time, which became a popular addition to various kinds of undergarments. Women of
7434-639: The ankle on up to the knee, never above. Day wear had sleeves (long to mid-bicep) and a skirt that was straight, pleated, hank hemmed, or tiered. Jewelry was not conspicuous. Hair was often bobbed, giving a boyish look. In the early twenty-first century a diverse range of styles exists in fashion, varying by geography, exposure to modern media, economic conditions, and ranging from expensive haute couture , to traditional garb, to thrift store grunge . Fashion shows are events for designers to show off new and often extravagant designs. Although mechanization transformed most aspects of human clothing industry , by
7552-433: The body, footwear covers the feet, gloves cover the hands, while hats and headgear cover the head, and underwear covers the private parts . Clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements, rough surfaces, sharp stones, rash-causing plants, and insect bites, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothing can insulate against cold or hot conditions, and it can provide
7670-440: The bulky goalie protector has genital and abdominal foam padding. Windproof jockstraps have a special layer of fabric to protect the wearer from wind and cold in winter sports. Jockstraps are made in other materials as fetish wear. Aside from the aforementioned "fashion jockstraps", the 2000s have seen a resurgence in jockstrap designs and brands. Alternatives to jockstraps include the jock brief , or support briefs , which have
7788-422: The case of dry suits, the insulation value of the undergarments is selected to match the expected water temperature and the level of activity for the planned dive or water activity. Some items of clothing are designed exclusively as underwear, while others such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts are suitable both as underwear and as outer clothing. The suitability of underwear as outer clothing is, apart from
7906-797: The centuries, spreading Western culture and styles, most recently as Western media corporations have penetrated markets throughout the world. Fast fashion clothing has also become a global phenomenon. These garments are less expensive, mass-produced Western clothing. Also, donated used clothing from Western countries is delivered to people in poor countries by charity organizations. People may wear ethnic or national dress on special occasions or in certain roles or occupations. For example, most Korean men and women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but still wear traditional hanboks on special occasions, such as weddings and cultural holidays. Also, items of Western dress may be worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine
8024-575: The chance of damage to the ligaments of the chest during high-impact exercises such as jogging. In cold climates, underwear may constitute an additional layer of clothing helping to keep the wearer warm. Underwear may also be used to preserve the wearer's modesty – for instance, some women wear camisoles and slips ( petticoats ) under clothes that are sheer . Conversely, some types of underwear can be worn for sexual titillation, such as edible underwear or crotchless panties. Undergarments are worn for insulation under space suits and dry suits . In
8142-454: The chemise. Elaborately quilted petticoats might be displayed by a cut-away dress, in which case they served as a skirt rather than an undergarment. During the 16th century, the farthingale was popular. This was a petticoat stiffened with reed or willow rods so that it stood out from a woman's body like a cone extending from the waist. Corsets also began to be worn about this time. At first they were called pairs of bodies, which refers to
8260-593: The cloth. Many people wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit – for example, the dhoti for men and the sari for women in the Indian subcontinent , the Scottish kilt , and the Javanese sarong . The clothes may be tied up (dhoti and sari) or implement pins or belts to hold the garments in place (kilt and sarong). The cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes can wear
8378-531: The clothing of Judah and Tamar , Mordecai and Esther . Furthermore, the priests officiating in the Temple in Jerusalem had very specific garments, the lack of which made one liable to death. [REDACTED] = Day (before 6 p.m.) [REDACTED] = Evening (after 6 p.m.) = Bow tie colour [REDACTED] = Ladies [REDACTED] = Gentlemen The Western dress code has changed over
8496-527: The clothing; perhaps cutting triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and adding them elsewhere as gussets . Traditional European patterns for shirts and chemises take this approach. These remnants can also be reused to make patchwork pockets, hats, vests , and skirts . Modern European fashion treats cloth much less conservatively, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; domestic sewers may turn them into quilts . In
8614-635: The cobblestone streets of Boston . The original incarnation of the jockstrap resembled a thong , as it featured a strap that went between the buttocks. In 1897 Bennett's newly formed Bike Web Company patented and began mass-producing the Bike Jockey Strap. The Bike Web Company later became known as the Bike Company . Bike, until 2003, was a stand-alone company. In that year, the company and its trademarks were purchased by Russell Athletic. Russell Athletic continued to produce jockstraps using
8732-406: The day, using the optical illusion created by the corset and garments together to achieve the look of a smaller waist. By the 1880s, the dress reform movement was campaigning against the alleged pain and damage to internal organs and bones caused by tight lacing . Inez Gaches-Sarraute invented the "health corset", with a straight-fronted busk made to help support the wearer's muscles. The corset
8850-439: The design the "Jockey" since it offered a degree of support that had previously only been available from the jockstrap. Jockey briefs proved so popular that over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers, renaming their company Jockey decades later, sent its "Mascul-line" plane to make special deliveries of "masculine support" briefs to retailers across the US. In 1938, when jockeys were introduced in
8968-513: The earliest human adoption of clothing. This date, at which the body louse ( P. humanus corporis ) diverged from both its parent species and its sibling subspecies, the head louse ( P. humanus capitis ), can be determined by the number of mutations each has developed during the intervening time. Such mutations occur at a known rate and the date of last-common-ancestor for two species can therefore be estimated from their frequency. These studies have produced dates from 40,000 to 170,000 years ago, with
9086-582: The early 2020's jockstraps saw a renewed popularity as underwear for men with jockstraps finding favor in place of more conventional underwear as wearing them became a fashionable trend. The trend was reflected with the inclusion of the garment in the runways of various major designers including, Calvin Klein , JW Anderson , Gucci , and Rick Owens , alongside other large brands like Adidas , Diesel , and 2(x)ist making multiple styles. Gender neutral/genderless versions of jockstraps began to make an appearance as
9204-492: The early 20th century, it had some influence on men's underwear design. Underwear advertising first made an appearance in the 1910s. The first underwear print advertisement in the US appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1911 and featured oil paintings by J. C. Leyendecker of the "Kenosha Klosed Krotch". Early underwear advertisements emphasized durability and comfort, and fashion was not regarded as
9322-669: The end of the experiment, only two of the men agreed to continue wearing the vest. The report concluded that "seemingly, all vests were to be regarded with suspicion" and that "efficient indoctrination" would be required to encourage men to wear them. Back home no such indoctrination was required. Worn by miners and builders, the string vest, like the flat cap and donkey jacket , became a garment associated with working class grit." During World War II, elastic waistbands and metal snaps gave way once again to button fasteners due to rubber and metal shortages. Undergarments were harder to find as well, since soldiers abroad had priority to obtain them. By
9440-414: The end of the war, Jockey and Hanes remained the industry leaders in the US, but Cluett, Peabody and Company made a name for itself when it introduced a preshrinking process called " Sanforization ", invented by Sanford Cluett in 1933, which came to be licensed by most major manufacturers. Clothing Clothing (also known as clothes , garments , dress , apparel , or attire ) is any item worn on
9558-427: The exposed legs. Women's bloomers also became much shorter. The shorter bloomers became looser and less supportive as the boyish flapper look came into fashion. By the end of the decade, they came to be known as "step-ins", very much like modern panties but with wider legs. They were worn for the increased flexibility they afforded. The garter belt was invented to keep stockings from falling. In 1928, Maidenform ,
9676-409: The female pelvic protector. It is designed to protect the female genitalia from bruising or tearing. The area protected includes the entire vulva , including the clitoris , the clitoral hood and the delicate labia minora which protrude from the vulva in some women and are therefore especially vulnerable to bruising from impact. It is also occasionally nicknamed a "jill" or " jillstrap ". Women wear
9794-666: The field of Environmental Physiology had advanced and expanded significantly, but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little. There has since been considerable research, and the knowledge base has grown significantly, but the main concepts remain unchanged, and indeed, Newburgh's book continues to be cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development. Clothing reveals much about human history. According to Professor Kiki Smith of Smith College, garments preserved in collections are resources for study similar to books and paintings. Scholars around
9912-462: The functional need for clothing. For example, coats , hats, gloves, and other outer layers are normally removed when entering a warm place. Similarly, clothing has seasonal and regional aspects so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing generally are worn in warmer regions and seasons than in colder ones. Boots, hats, jackets, ponchos, and coats designed to protect from rain and snow are specialized clothing items. Clothing has been made from
10030-405: The garment. Another approach involves measuring, cutting, and sewing the cloth by hand or with a sewing machine . Clothing can be cut from a sewing pattern and adjusted by a tailor to the wearer's measurements. An adjustable sewing mannequin or dress form is used to create form-fitting clothing. If the fabric is expensive, the tailor tries to use every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing
10148-535: The genitals from the front. In Europe , from the time of the Middle Ages , undergarments available were limited to a loose fitting trouser-like piece of clothing called a braies . This article of clothing was stepped into and then laced or tied around the waist and legs at about mid-calf and provided no support to the male genitals. This allowed the scrotum unlimited movement under clothing and resulted in injury from carts, carriages with wooden planks for seats or
10266-526: The genitals. Egyptian king Tutankhamun (1341 BC – 1323 BC) was found buried with numerous linen loincloths of this style. An alternate form is more skirt -like: a cloth is wrapped around the hips several times and then fastened with a girdle . Men are said to have worn loincloths in ancient Greece and Rome , though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. There is some speculation that only slaves wore loincloths and that citizens did not wear undergarments beneath their chitons . Mosaics of
10384-481: The height of its popularity in the later 1880s, and went out of fashion in the 1890s. Women dressed in crinolines often wore drawers under them for modesty and warmth. Another common undergarment of the late 19th century for men, women, and children was the union suit . Invented in Utica, New York and patented in 1868, this was a one-piece front-buttoning garment usually made of knitted material with sleeves extending to
10502-407: The indoor or outdoor climate, largely dependent on societal norms, fashion, and the requirements of the law. If made of suitable material, some underwear can serve as nightwear or swimsuits . Undergarments can also have religious significance: The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear; it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates, the loincloth was often
10620-512: The invention of the Heidelberg Electric Belt, a low-voltage electric powered jockstrap that claimed to cure kidney disorders , insomnia , erectile dysfunction , and other ailments. Today, jockstraps are still worn in the US by adolescent and adult men for sports, weightlifting, medical purposes, and for recovery from injury or surgery for such conditions as hematocele , inguinal hernia , hydrocele , or spermatocele . In
10738-625: The mid-twentieth century, garment workers have continued to labor under challenging conditions that demand repetitive manual labor. Often, mass-produced clothing is made in what are considered by some to be sweatshops , typified by long work hours, lack of benefits, and lack of worker representation. While most examples of such conditions are found in developing countries , clothes made in industrialized nations may also be manufactured under similar conditions. Coalitions of NGOs, designers (including Katharine Hamnett, American Apparel , Veja , Quiksilver , eVocal, and Edun), and campaign groups such as
10856-416: The modern bra, date back to hundreds of years before it was thought to exist. The invention of the spinning jenny machines and the cotton gin in the second half of the 18th century made cotton fabrics widely available. This allowed factories to mass-produce underwear, and for the first time, large numbers of people began buying undergarments in stores rather than making them at home. Women's stays of
10974-455: The nineteenth century as European colonial powers interacted with new environments such as tropical ones in Asia. Some scientific research into the multiple functions of clothing in the first half of the twentieth century, with publications such as J.C. Flügel 's Psychology of Clothes in 1930, and Newburgh's seminal Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing in 1949. By 1968,
11092-435: The non-binary movement gained mainstream recognition with multiple brands launching versions. Jockstraps are fairly consistent in design with variations appearing in details like width of waistband and fabrics. Some jockstraps are designed for specific sports: Swim jocks , for example, have a narrow waistband, and hockey jocks sometimes have adjustable elastic straps and garter clips that hold hockey socks in place while
11210-428: The number of buttons and increased accessibility. Most of these experimental designs had to do with new ways to hold closed the crotch flap common on most union suits and drawers. A new woven cotton fabric called nainsook gained popularity in the 1920s for its durability. Retailers also began selling preshrunk undergarments. Also in the 1920s, as hemlines of women's dresses rose, women began to wear stockings to cover
11328-419: The only clothing worn (effectively making it an outer garment rather than an undergarment), as was doubtless its origin, but in colder regions, the loincloth often formed the basis of a person's clothing and was covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available. A loincloth may take three major forms. The first, and simplest, is simply a long strip of material that
11446-418: The past 500+ years. The mechanization of the textile industry made many varieties of cloth widely available at affordable prices. Styles have changed, and the availability of synthetic fabrics has changed the definition of what is "stylish". In the latter half of the twentieth century, blue jeans became very popular, and are now worn to events that normally demand formal attire. Activewear has also become
11564-470: The recommended washing machine cycle or because they are, simply put, delicate. Women's undergarments collectively are also called lingerie . They also are called intimate clothing and intimates . An undershirt ( vest in the United Kingdom) is a piece of underwear covering the torso , while underpants (often called pants in the United Kingdom), drawers , and undershorts cover
11682-417: The saddle as the body took all of the force of the motion. The suspensory was developed around the early 1820s as a way to lift the scrotum away from the plank seat and saddle thereby preventing injury while in a cart, carriage or horseback riding. Today the suspensory is used primarily as a medical device after genital surgery to aid in post operative healing. General Custer's suspensory can be seen in
11800-479: The same purpose. Pelvic protectors exist to protect female genitalia , though these are less widespread. With the decline in the use of jockstraps in sports, the use of the necessary abdominal guard has also declined despite the safety implications. Typically cups are worn in the pouch of a jockstrap which may be double-lined to hold the cup, or in compression shorts or sport-specific briefs. Cups for some combat sports (e.g. mixed martial arts, kick boxing) have
11918-498: The so-called Gibson Girls who enjoyed pursuits such as cycling and tennis. This new female athleticism helped push the corset out of style. The other major factor in the corset's demise was the fact that metal was globally in short supply during the First World War. Steel-laced corsets were dropped in favor of the brassiere. Meanwhile, World War I soldiers were issued button-front shorts as underwear. The buttons attached to
12036-419: The sport of cricket is known as a box . In cricket, a box is usually worn by only a batsman, a wicket-keeper, and sometimes other close-up fielders. For fielders farther from the batsman, the wearing of a box would impede their movement and running (for batsmen the benefits outweigh the disadvantages). An abdominal guard (also called "compression cup", "box", or "L Guard") is a hard usually plastic cup that
12154-400: The strict sense. Braies were usually fitted with a front flap that was buttoned or tied closed. This codpiece allowed men to urinate without having to remove the braies completely. Codpieces were also worn with hose when very short doublets – vest- (UK: waistcoat-) like garments tied together in the front and worn under other clothing – were in fashion, as early forms of hose were open at
12272-401: The thousands of years that humans have been making clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which have been reconstructed from surviving garments, photographs, paintings, mosaics , etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history can inspire current fashion designers, as well as costumiers for plays, films, television, and historical reenactment . Comfort
12390-516: The time of the Renaissance , braies had become shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses. Chausses were also giving way to form-fitting hose , which covered the legs and feet. Fifteenth-century hose were often particolored, with each leg in a different-colored fabric or even more than one color on a leg. However, many types of braies, chausses and hose were not intended to be covered up by other clothing, so they were not actually underwear in
12508-639: The torso and those that are worn to cover the waist and legs, although there are also underclothes which cover both. Different styles of underwear are generally worn by females and males. Undergarments commonly worn by females today include bras and panties ( knickers in British English ), while males often wear boxer briefs or boxer shorts . Items worn by both sexes include T-shirts, sleeveless shirts (also called singlets, tank tops, A-shirts, or vests), classic briefs , bikini briefs , thongs , G-strings and T-fronts . Undergarments are known by
12626-410: The treaty. The production of textiles has functioned as a consistent industry for developing nations, providing work and wages, whether construed as exploitative or not, to millions of people. Jockstrap A jockstrap , also a jock (male), jill (female), strap , cup , groin guard , pelvic protector (female), supporter , or athletic supporter , is an undergarment for protecting
12744-443: The use of an athletic cup. These include cricket , fencing , martial arts , boxing , lacrosse , hockey , baseball , paintball , football and many others. Fashion jocks often incorporate soft-lined front pouches or they may be designed to bring the male genitalia forward or upward. The purpose of these modifications is to enhance the masculine appearance of the wearer. Wearers of fashion jocks may also wear abdominal guards for
12862-424: The waist with buttons or laces. The crotch was left open for hygiene reasons. As skirts became fuller from the 1830s, women wore many petticoats to achieve a fashionable bell shape. By the 1850s, stiffened crinolines and later hoop skirts allowed ever wider skirts to be worn. The bustle , a frame or pad worn over the buttocks to enhance their shape, had been used off and on by women for two centuries, but reached
12980-411: The waistband at the hip. The pouch, in some varieties, may be fitted with a pocket to hold an abdominal guard (impact resistant cup, box) to protect the testicles and the penis from injury . The jillstrap ( a.k.a. a "jill") is the female equivalent of the jockstrap, but is designed to protect the vulva from getting struck. The word jockstrap has purportedly been in use at least since 1891,
13098-447: The wide waistband of a jockstrap combined with a full seat and are made of an elastic supportive material. A thong style strap, sometimes called a dance belt , has one narrow elastic strap attached to the bottom of the pouch, passing between the legs and attaching to the waistband at the middle of the back. A strapless garment, called a jock sock or sometimes a slingshot , has only an elastic waist band with an elastic pouch that holds
13216-468: The world have studied a wide range of clothing topics, including the history of specific items of clothing, clothing styles in different cultural groups, and the business of clothing and fashion. The textile curator Linda Baumgarten writes that "clothing provides a remarkable picture of the daily lives, beliefs, expectations, and hopes of those who lived in the past. Clothing presents a number of challenges to historians. Clothing made of textiles or skins
13334-474: The world – it is the traditional form of undergarment in many Asian societies, for example. In various, mainly tropical, cultures, the traditional male dress may still consist of only a single garment below the waist or even none at all, with underwear as optional, including the Indian dhoti and lungi , or the Scottish kilt . In the Middle Ages , western men's underwear became looser fitting. The loincloth
13452-411: The wrists and legs down to the ankles. It had a buttoned flap (known colloquially as the "access hatch", "drop seat", or "fireman's flap") in the back to ease visits to the toilet. The union suit was the precursor of long johns , a two-piece garment consisting of a long-sleeved top and long pants possibly named after American boxer John L. Sullivan who wore a similar garment in the ring. The jockstrap
13570-576: Was invented in 1874, by C. F. Bennett of a Chicago sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, to provide comfort and support for bicycle jockeys riding the cobblestone streets of Boston, Massachusetts . In 1897 Bennett's newly formed Bike Web Company patented and began mass-producing the Bike Jockey Strap. By the early 20th century, the mass-produced undergarment industry was booming, and competition forced producers to come up with all sorts of innovative and gimmicky designs to compete. The Hanes company emerged from this boom and quickly established itself as
13688-522: Was replaced by loose, trouser -like clothing called braies , which the wearer stepped into and then laced or tied around the waist and legs at about mid-calf. Wealthier men often wore chausses as well, which only covered the legs. Braies (or rather braccae ) were a type of trouser worn by Celtic and Germanic tribes in antiquity and by Europeans subsequently into the Middle Ages. In the later Middle Ages they were used exclusively as undergarments. By
13806-422: Was usually worn over a thin shirt-like shift of linen or cotton or muslin . Skirt styles became shorter and long drawers called pantalettes or pantaloons kept the legs covered. Pantalettes originated in France in the early 19th century, and quickly spread to Britain and America. Pantalettes were a form of leggings or long drawers. They could be one-piece or two separate garments, one for each leg, attached at
13924-545: Was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout the US. Although women had worn brassiere-like garments in years past, Jacob's was the first to be successfully marketed and widely adopted. By the end of the decade, trouser-like " bloomers ", which were popularized by Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818–1894) but invented by Elizabeth Smith Miller , gained popularity with
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