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Clothing : A Social History

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Question
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Explain the reason for changes in the clothing patterns and materials in the 18th century?

Solution

Before the age of revolutions and the development of trade and markets in the eighteenth century Europe, the people generally dressed according to their regional codes. They were limited by the types of clothes and the cost of materials that were locally available. Clothing styles were also strictly regulated by class, gender or status in the social hierarchy.

After the eighteenth century, the colonisation of most of the world by Europe, the spread of democratic ideals and the growth of an industrial society, drastically changed the ways in which people thought about clothings.
People could use styles and materials that were drawn from other cultures and locations and western dress styles for men were adopted worldwide.

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Question
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What were the Sumptuary laws in France?

Solution

There were different dresses for different sections of society. From 1294 to the time of the French Revolution in 1789, the people of France were expected to strictly follow what were known as ‘sumptuary laws.’
(i) The laws tried to control the behaviour of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages and hunting in certain areas.
(i) In medieval France, the items of clothing a person could purchase per year was regulated, on the basis of income and social rank. The material to be used for clothing was also legally prescribed.

(iii) Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine and fur or silk, velvet and brocade. Other classes were prevented from clothing themselves with materials that were associated with the aristocracy.

Question
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Give any two examples of the ways in which European dress codes were different from Indian dress codes.

Solution

Dress is the part of a culture which convey certain meaning through its style and wearing.
When European traders first began visiting India, they were distinguished from the Indian ‘turban wearers’ as the ‘hat wearers.’ These two headgears not only looked different, they also signified different things. The turban in India was not just for protection from the heat but was a sign of respectability, and could not be removed at will. In the Western tradition, the hat had to be removed before social superiors as a sign of respect. This cultural difference created misunderstanding. The British were often offended if Indians did not take off their turban as a mark of respect when they met colonial officials. Many Indians wore the turban to assert their regional or national identity.


Another paradox related to the wearing of shoes. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was customary for British officials to follow Indian etiquette and remove their footwear in the courts of ruling kings or chiefs. Some British officials also wore Indian clothes. But in 1830, Europeans were forbidden from wearing Indian clothes at official functions, so that their cultural identity was not undermined.

Question
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Suggest reasons why women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing. What does this show about the position of women in society?

Solution

It was the fact that women in the 19th century continued wearing Indian dress whereas men switched over to convenient western clothing. This happened only in the upper echelons of society. Some of the reasons for this are the following:


(i) In the 19th century, Indian women were confined to the four walls as the purdah system was prevalent. They were required to put on traditional dresses.

(ii) The position of women in the society was very low. Most of them were uneducated and did not attend schools or colleges. Therefore, no need was felt to change their style of clothing.

(iii) On the other hand, upper-class Indians were western educated and picked up western habits like western style of clothing. Those who were businessmen or officials imitated the British style of clothing for the sake of comfort, modernity and progress.

(iv) The Parsis were the first Indians to adopt western style of clothing as it as a mark of modernity, liberalism and progress. Some people had two sets of clothes. They put on western clothes for offices and business work and Indian clothes for social functions.

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