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‘ What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is an instant language.’
Miuccia Prada
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So what are we saying about ourselves with the clothes we wear? What first impressions are we making? The way we dress ourself has an instant impact on how we are treated, as people read books by their covers. We make decisions everyday on how we want to be seen or portray a particular look according to many factors but mainly on how we feel and how we want others to make us feel. For this we follow the rule books which we have learned since we were children. Dresses makes women fell pretty and thus may gain love and admiration. A suit may make men feel powerful and a sense of accomplishment. Why is it though that clothing have such power over our personalities and do we get the response that actually make us happy? This book attempts to explore how men and women represent themselves as feminine or masculine and ask the question of whether this is really necessary. Would a unisex trend not insight equality towards the men who feel out of place been seen as the rulers of society when they would rather be part of the care-taking of society. Equality towards the women who feel oppressed under the rulings society imposes on them. Male and female Feminists are constantly arguing that their movement is all about the freedom of choice and expression. This book demonstrates the choices people make which directly places them under these societal rules.
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‘ It’s always the badly dressed people who are the most interesting.’
Jean Paul Gaultier
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QUOTE 5 QUOTE 9 BUTTON UP 12-27 FISTY CUFFS 28-31 QUOTE 33 BRACE YOURSELF 34-51 ALL TIED UP
52-63
QUOTE 65 BRAVE SKIRTS 66-81 QUOTE 83 MEN’S PANTIES 84-96 QUOTE 97 UNI SEX 98-107 QUOTE 101 QUOTE 105
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BUTTON UP The theory most often uttered is that men used to dress themselves, while women had the help of a maid. Since most people are right-handed, the buttoning was inverted for the sake of the maid. Another theory says that women were forced to button themselves using the inferior hand, in order to show them that they themselves were inferior, (to men, of course) A new theory: Since female clothing took on more and more features of male clothing in order to express emancipation (a process that, I’d like to point out, contemporaries were not aware of) it became necessary to establish a feature that signalled that an item of clothing was, despite its male appearance, nevertheless female. Otherwise someone could be led to believe that the lady wore a man’s coat, a man’s shirt etc, and use that as a moral handhold against her since wearing the clothing of the opposite sex was immoral.
The closer female clothing got to male clothing, the more important the little difference of buttoning became. At the end of the 20th century, the buttoning was the only thing that differentiated a female blouse from a male shirt. [ 15 ]
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Whether you button your shirt to the right or the left households have long followed the practice of snipping the buttons from clothing that is destined for the charity shop. You may even remember playing with your grandmother’s buttons from her collection jar or tin. In the olden days, buttons were saved from tattered clothing to replace the buttons that are sometimes lost from others. Still today the impulse to collect is a basic part of the human psyche and buttons have been admired and collected for centuries. Button collection was recognised as an organised hobby through the founding of the National Button Society in 1938.
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Cleveland College of Art and Design students, Rachael Kelley, Abigail Crapper, Claire Kruger and Rebecca Dring, were highly commended in the main Business Award category. Their company ‘ Little Lost Buttons’ creates bespoke jewellery with old and recycled buttons. The aim is for customers to use the jewellery to accessorize their look, adding a touch of vintage and nostalgia.
Rachael said: ‘The whole Blueprint experience has been a huge learning curve for us, which we thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. We have gained invaluable knowledge and contacts in the business world which will really help us in furthering and expanding our business.’
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Pearly Queen of Jubilee Gardens. By Ann Carrington. Medium gold buttons on velvet. 130 by 150 cm or 51 by 59 inches [ 21 ]
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Originating in the 19th Century, the practice of wearing pearls on ones clothes was inspired by London’s Costermongers (apple sellers) at that time. Henry Croft, a young boy who had grown up in an orphanage in Charlton Street, Somers Town, London. Henry left the orphanage at just 13 years old to earn a living as a Municipal road sweeper and rat catcher. Henry worked hard in the market and soon made many friends, he was particularly drawn to the Costermongers who were notorious for wearing pearl buttons on the seems of their clothes, a practice that Croft emulated. [ 23 ]
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Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. However, taking the tradition further, Croft covered his whole outfit in pearls he found on the floor at outdoor markets and quickly became an attraction. Using his popularity, Croft used the attraction of his pearl adorned clothes to raise money for the orphanage that raised him. As his work grew, Croft attracted the help of the Costermongers and others who quickly became known as the Pearly monarchy and Croft would become known as the original Pearly King. Pearly Kings and Queens are still a common sight on London’s streets and form a traditional part of London life. True to their original purpose, Pearly Kings and Queens are still an organised charitable group supporting many different charitable funds including orphanages, hospices and schools. All age groups take part in the fundraising and their efforts range from collecting money during their Harvest Festival to providing free guidance and support to families who have children with complex health issues. [ 25 ]
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Buttons of all shapes and sizes, buttons of many uses, but edible? Yes! Dairy Milk Giant Chocolate buttons are bags of fun shaped chocolate, ready to be eaten in any way you like. These giant buttons are made with quality fair trade cocoa and fresh milk. This gives them an extremely smooth and creamy texture that melts in your mouth. The buttons can be used for a wide variety of applications including on a range of treats and ice cream toppings. Cadburys have been producing chocolate buttons since the 1960’s and this is why after years perfecting their recipe, they taste so great.
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Fisty cuffs
Cuff Links Fact Seven out of 10 people who match their suits with the right cuff links are given priority when it comes to business deals. You see, it is all about attention to detail. Cuff links are that final touch of class that proves you take your style -- and yourself -- seriously. Buttons on a sleeve won’t do.
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For centuries, cuff links have truly distinguished gentlemen. Anybody can button up a shirt and two cuffs, but it’s not just anybody who takes the time to go the extra mile. Sure, some see them as stuffy, unnecessary and bourgeois; They are those who never amount to much. Cuff links provide men the chance to refine their style. Given that they are really adornments, they are almost completely cosmetic, providing much more form than function. That doesn’t discount their place in men’s fashion; it actually carves it out. Aside from the watch, which is still a utilitarian piece, cuff links are the one wardrobe component that indicates attention to detail. You can’t deny the impact they have on both a button-up shirt and a classic suit. For those reasons and more, cuff links are the true sign of style and civility. The devil is in the details, and that’s why your cuff links are essential, worn properly, they allude to an impeccable persona that’s buttoned-up and polished; worn improperly, they make you look immature and, well, almost ignorant.
A watch is standard fare and rings are tricky to master; it’s cuff links that make a direct impact. They demonstrate to onlookers that you have a penchant for high end style. [ 31 ]
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‘ Women are into fashion, men are into style. Style is forever.’
Domenico Dolce
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BRACE YOURSELF
In 1820, five years before Nelsons Column was built (to celebrate his life and death on the 21st October 1805 at the battle of Trafalgar) braces and suspenders were first made and sold by Albert Thurston from his emporium at 27 Panton Street, Haymarket, London.
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Thirty one years later, in 1851, the nation celebrated the Victorian era, when the Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park. Albert Thurston received an Honourable Mention for the excellent standard of their products. By now, Albert Thurston had become a by-word for quality in gentlemen’s’ accessories, and their braces and suspenders were destined to be sported by kings, princes, presidents and successful businessmen across the world over the next 2 centuries.
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Braces. Not suspenders.
These words are often interchanged and, to many, they can mean the same thing. To some more traditional retailers, however, suspenders clip-on to pants with metal clasps, while braces are equipped with button fasteners.
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They are highly versatile and go with almost every type of outfit. They are perfect for a casual everyday outfit, but also for a business one. They look just as great on a bartender as they look on a Wall Street guy. Formal suits well with suspenders and look really fun and elegant at the same time.
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Suspenders were made possible by the invention of elastic, and first appeared on S-bend corsets of the Edwardian era. The first suspender belts of the 1920’s were still made from the strong cotton broche of their corset forebears and were designed to be equally tough a functional. Until the development of the true suspender belt in the late 1950’s the girdle had served the same function of the corset. To keep waist and bum in check and hold up stockings. In the 1950’s clothes were revolutionised by the invention of affordable man made fabrics. Underwear benefited in particular through more lightweight fabrics such as nylon lace, polyester and jerseys and from the 1960’s onwards undies for the mass markets were now to be seen and not felt.
The suspender belt, like corsets, were rendered unnecessary by the evolution of fashion. With more women wearing mini skirts and trousers and the introduction of tights the fashionable lady no longer needed suspenders to hold up her hosiery. [ 51 ]
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ALL TIED IN
This corset is part of the Symington Collection in Leicester. It is dated 1905.
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In Edwardian and Victorian times, Ladies were strapped in tight in Corsets which accentuated a woman’s curves. These were done often so tight that women were unable to breath and fainted out of breath and die in childbirth as the corset would alter their natural body shape. It is said that women were at fault in competing with each-other on having the slimmest waists by doing their corset’s up as tight as possible. Getting into a corset is not easy, you needed the assistance of more than one chamber maid to do the pulling, thus the corset was also a sign of wealth since you needed to afford staff to put them on.
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Coco Chanel was the first to liberate, vocally and with her fashion designs, women out of restrictive and uncomfortable clothing that you cannot get into or out of by yourself. And thus liberating women from reliance on others and more freedom of movement.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, men also wore corsets as the demand for men to have a smooth silhouette and embody the idea of physical strength, showing broad shoulders, narrow waist and toned chest. By the mid1800s, however, the few men who wore fashion corsets were more commonly subjects of ridicule. There is a corset pattern at the London Museum, it was reportedly given by Queen Mary to the Museum and it belonged to George IV.
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Just when you think there is a great difference between men’s and women’s clothing, you find that garments and fastenings are used by both sexes, in sometimes different ways and at different times and for slightly different reasons. These slightly different ways is what makes these feminine or masculine ways. It’s all in the detail and cultural perceptions.
It could be said that a button, clips, and corsets are unisex but the way these are designed and placed adds a gendered personality to clothing, for the only reason to distinctively identify the gender on the wearer.
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‘ It is not possible for a man to be elegant without a touch of femininity.’
Vivienne Westwood
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SKIRTS FOR THE BRAVE
Mary Quant started producing tights in 1965. By 1967 the mini skirt became fashionable and so stockings and suspenders became less popular. There was a huge and sudden demand for tights. Some manufacturers simply sown stockings on to nylon panties! Tights were seen as a leg covering and most were produced in natural shades to give the appearance of suntanned legs. The so-called mini-skirt is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees that is generally no longer than 4 inches (10 cm) below the buttocks. In the olden days it was not usual, even a scandal if you attempted to show more legs then you should. Therefore short skirts were only seen in sport clothing, such as skirts worn by female tennis players. Unexpectedly fashion designer Mary Quant caused a modern revolution by inventing the first mini-skirt in the ‘Swinging Sixties’. Already in the 1950s she began experimenting with shorter skirts for her own London boutique ‘Bazaar’, while in 1965 her break-through came.
Mary Quant finally accomplished freeing the women’s world from conservative fashion with her invention after postwar period. The mini-skirt was able to spread beyond a simple street fashion into a major international trend and was one of the defining fashions of the decade. It was named after Quant’s favourite make of car, the Mini and is until now an essential item in everyone’s women closet. [ 67 ]
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Throughout the history of Western dress, women have borrowed elements of men’s clothing. The reverse, after the 1980’s, has rarely been the case successfully. During the 60s appeared a kind of a unisex fashion movement, well represented by a designer indicated as responsible for the unisex clothing concept: Rui Gernreich. He conceived interchangeable clothes for men and women such as floor-length kaftans. His goal was to break down boundaries between genders. Unisex clothing nowadays being confused with women’s clothing styled from men’s clothing and reshaped to fit a woman’s curves .
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Celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson popularised the wearing of the male skirt by the wearing of the kilt, something that is traditionally worn in their own ancestral countries.
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The history of the kilt stretches back to ancient times. Although the kilt is an item of traditional Scottish highland dress, the nationalism of that tradition is relatively recent. It was only with the Romantic Revival of the 19th century that the kilt became irreversibly associated with Highlanders, and was subsequently adopted by Lowlanders and the Scottish Diaspora. Other modern Celts such as the Irish, Cornish, Welsh and Manx, have also adopted tartan kilts in recent times, although to a lesser degree. Similar clothing had long been abandoned by related cultures such as Gauls, and Scandinavians. The garment, people would today recognize as a kilt was invented around the 1720s by Thomas Rawlinson, a Quaker from Lancashire. Rawlinson was claimed to have designed
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it for the Highlanders who worked in his new charcoal production facility in the woods of northern Scotland. After the Jacobite campaign of 1715 the government was opening the Highlands to outside exploitation and Rawlinson was one of the businessmen who took advantage of the situation. It was thought that the traditional Highland kilt, the belted plaid which consisted of a large cloak, was inconvenient for tree cutters. He supposedly brought the Highland garment to a tailor, intent on making it more practical. The tailor responded by cutting it in two. Rawlinson took this back and then introduced the new kilt. Rawlinson liked the new creation so much that he began to wear it as well and was soon imitated by his Scottish colleagues, the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry.
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Bravehearts: Men in Skirts, an exhibition opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 4, looks at designers and individuals who have appropriated the skirt as a means of injecting novelty into male fashion, as a means of transgressing moral and social codes, and as a means of redefining ideal masculinities. Since the highly masculine films, Braveheart, 1995 and Gladiator, 2000, the re-emergence of the skirt being masculine has prompted fashion designers to include this in their collection.
Fashion gave actors Jared Leto and Vin Diesel, designer Marc Jacobs and rapper Kanye West. The chance to re-discover the skirt, thanks to Comme des Garcons, John Galliano, Etro, Rick Owens, Givenchy, J.W. Anderson and many others following the same path. [ 77 ]
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The way in which many people observe signs of masculinity and femininity are based on simple rules though when these are broken, new rules are set to preserve the original message. When, for example a man wears pink or a skirt, he is believed to be either proud to display his feminine side or man enough to be able to carry it off. Either way a man wearing a feminine style is documented as still holding his masculine strength but a woman who wears clothes of a masculine style, she is regarded as having lost something, her femininity rather than to keep her position as a woman or gaining any strength from her choice of dress. There are, of course, exceptions to the rules too.
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‘ I think there’s something incredibly sexy about a woman wearing her boyfriend’s T-shirt and underwear.’
Calvin Klein
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[ 84 ] The Great Household Quarrel (18th century)
MEN’S PANTIES
It may be incredibly cool to have your girlfriend walking around in parts of your clothing but what happens if it was the other way around, would a man be ‘incredibly sexy’ if he was wearing her underwear and top? And what happens if she puts on your trousers and the rest of your suit?
The comment ‘Well we know who’s wearing the trousers around here’ comes as an insult to both men and women, a kind or revolt at the imbalance of gender roles in a particular situation. The wearing of trousers been symbolised as the holding of power and perhaps the reason why the wearing of the male skirt has not taken off as of yet. This saying still very much ringing in our ears, the wearing of a skirt being seen as being as ‘weak’ as the women who wear them.
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It is however false to suggest that men are the traditional wearers trousers. The trouser or pants holds its origins from southern Iran found in a statue depicting the power of the Persian empire, on the stone walls of a reception hall. The statue of barbarians in battle clearly shows the wearing of baggy pants along with long tunics (557-330) It is sure to think that wearing trousers or ‘breeches’ rather than a loin type cloth or robe perhaps to mainly protect the legs from the chafing of riding horses in hunting and battle. Some accounts emphasise Persian horsewomen depicted more in Persian portraiture than prisoners in contrast to the Greeks, for example. During the second century BC and after the Romans finding the wearing of fitted cloth around the legs, rather odd, they soon adopted the idea to their troops. Roman women took to wearing short under-pants or panties initially used by acrobats and gymnasts, as found in the excavation of Pompeii. Their thighs were covered in a fine cloth fashioned into a pair of leggings, these allowing glimpses of firm and polished flesh and revealing the realistic contours of the legs.
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Battalion of volunteer rifflewomen in England, by Gustave Janet (1860).
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In 1793, Olympe de Gouge, who had ironically called for Robespierre to commit suicide in order to deliver France from it’s greatest scourge, was guillotined. Four years later, the Convention banned women from the wearing of pants. The Committee for Public Safety closed women’s clubs and banned them from exercising political rights and from taking any active part in affairs of government.
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[ 92 ] Female factory workers during the World War 2. (1942).
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Afghanistan 2011
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‘ The woman shall not wear that which
pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garments: for all that do so are abomination unto the lord thy god’
Deuteronomy 22-5
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UNI SEX
Women wore trousers for centuries and the feminist movements in the 1960’s went a long way in liberating women from the perception that the wearing of trousers and the power of it was a man’s thing. This was reflected in fashion which evolved to unisex styles. Clothing was fashionably designed to be worn by both women and men. The term unisex is described as, In the Oxford dictionary; (Especially of clothing or hairstyles) designed to be suitable for both sexes and in fact the word was coined in the 1960s. In true form unisex items do not display any characteristics associated with a particular gender, in other words clothing would be designed for their original function rather than form. Clothes being cloth which covers the body with enough material to protect it from the environment and from injury from our activities. So what is Gender? [ 99 ]
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‘GENDER: The state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)’
Oxford dictionary
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With designers such as Yves Saint Laurent who presented ‘Le Smoking’ in 1967, the men’s work suit was redesigned to the female shape. Thus the unisex movement turned to women’s wear being styled from men’s wear which society, now, associate this as the new meaning of unisex, in fashion. After the 1980s, gone was the unity of patterns and bright colours from men’s wear and the split between men’s wear and women’s wear returned. The idea of genderless clothing and unity was lost. [ 103 ]
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‘ TRANSGENDER: Denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.’
Oxford Dictionary
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Every form or questionnaire you come across, your gender is the first box you have to tick. But since gender is a cultural view of who you rather than the biological organs you were born with so how do you answer this question, when you have been in the army. Regardless of sex, army training includes food and cooking for survival, clean the barracks, sometimes on your hands and knees, iron your uniform and polish your shoes. Do these actions not fall in the gender roles of a woman? Do these actions mean a man becomes a transgender having done these tasks. And the women who are in the army? Even if they are doing those same domestic tasks, just them being in the army makes them transgenders too then? [ 106 ]
The world is perhaps made up of more transgenders than we think and/or people realise, making the term ‘gender’ irrelevant, since it is culturaly linked with your actions or roles rather than your biological sex. Since People choose to represent themselves by wearing clothing designed to project a particular identity, very much like a costume, and to act in ways which people expect, according to social stereotypical norms of our gender and not to our biological differences, just like a performance. How many of us are living a lie and complimenting others to do so, our friend, our families, our children, ourselves?
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