Clothing: a social history - class-IX

Rabindranath Tagore suggested that elements of Hindu and the Muslim dresses should be combined to create the national dress.

The Chapkan was a long-buttoned coat worn by men in India. It was often associated with traditional formal attire during the colonial period.

In Victorian England, women were socialized to be submissive, dutiful, and to endure suffering. Being strong and aggressive was considered unfeminine and was not taught.

B.R. Ambedkar was known for consistently wearing Western-style suits throughout his public life, symbolizing his rejection of traditional caste-based dress codes.

The Swadeshi movement of 1905 encouraged the boycott of foreign goods, specifically British textiles, and promoted the use of home-spun khadi to support Indian industry.

The Shanar women converts began to wear tailored blouses and clothes to cover themselves like the upper castes in 1820s. Complaints were filed in court against this dress change. but this did not prevent Shanar Christian women and even Shanar Hindus from adopting the blouse and upper cloth.
The abolition of slavery in Travancore in 1855 led to riots and attacks on the Shanar women by the upper castes. Their houses were looted and chapels burned, Finally, a proclamation was passed permitting the Shanar women to wear jackets, but not like the women of high caste.

 Conservatives everywhere opposed change. They lamented that women who gave up traditional norms of dressing no longer looked beautiful, and lost their femininty and grace. Faced with persistent attacks, many women reformers changed back into traditional clothes to conform to conventions. 

Mahatma Gandhi made spinning on the charkha and the daily use of khadi, or coarse cloth made from homespun yarn, very powerful symbols. These were not only symbols of self-reliance but also of resistance to the use of British mill-made cloth. 

With the outbreak of World War I in Europe, the manufacturing in dress and fabric changed. With the entry of U.S in war, the clothing of women was simplified to save textiles. Earlier women used to wear heavy clothing reflective of their status. Wool became a precious commodity and was reserved for soldiers to send abroad. Sweaters, socks were knitted for soldiers. 

Brahmika Sarees- The Parsi style of wearing the saree adopted by Jnanadanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore came to be known as Brahmika saree, because it was adopted by the Brahmo Samaj women.

The British insisted that since Indians took off their shoes when they entered a sacred place or home, they should do so when they entered the courtroom. 

Western clothes were a sign of modernity and progress. Western-style clothing was also especially attractive to groups of dalit converts to Christianity who now found it liberating.

 Women in Victorian England were groomed from childhood to be docile and dutiful, submissive and obedient. The ideal woman was one who could bear pain and suffering.  Women were seen as frivolous, delicate, passive and docile. 

Sumptuary law, any law designed to restrict excessive personal expenditures in the interest of preventing extravagance and luxury. The term denotes regulations restricting extravagance in food, drink, dress, and household equipment, usually on religious or moral grounds. Such laws have proved difficult or impossible to enforce over the long term.

Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine and fur, or silk, velvet, and brocade in France. Other classes were debarred from clothing themselves with materials that were associated with the aristocracy. 

Shanar refers to a community of deep south in India as toddy tappers in Travancore region. They make this as their trade and profession.

Bengali Bureaucrats wore the Indian clothes at home attaching themselves with the feeling of nationalism and connecting with nationalistic feeling and region, on the other hand as they were under the British ton appease them they use to wear western clothes outside on duty.

 Before the French Revolution people in France followed sumptuary laws. These laws restricted the social behaviour of the lower strata of the society and imposed restrictions upon their clothing, food and entertainment. The French Revolution brought an end to these restrictions.  

Traditional feminine clothing in America was criticized for being voluminous, uncomfortable, and unhygienic, as long skirts dragged on the ground and collected dirt.

Mahatma Gandhi famously used khadi and the spinning wheel as symbolic weapons of resistance against British economic dominance and colonial rule.

With the outbreak of World War I in Europe, the manufacturing in dress and fabric changed. With the entry of the U.S in war, the clothing of women was simplified to save textiles. Earlier women used to wear heavy clothes and had bulky wardrobes. Wool became a precious commodity and was reserved for soldiers to send abroad. Sweaters, socks were knitted for soldiers.

The Shanar women were attacked because they began wearing jackets to cover their upper bodies, which challenged the social norms and caste hierarchies of the Nairs.

Sumptuary laws were regulations that restricted consumption and dictated what different social classes were allowed to wear or purchase based on their rank.

The French Revolution transformed many aspects of social and political life. The revolution also swept away existing dress codes, known as the sumptuary laws. The laws tried to control the behaviour of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages (usually this referred to alcohol) and hunting game in certain areas. 

 Members of the Jacobin clubs called themselves the ‘sans culottes’ to distinguish themselves from the aristocracy who wore the fashionable ‘knee breeches’. Sans culottes literally meant those ‘without knee breeches’.  The simplicity of clothing was meant to express the idea of equality.

During the 1870s, major women's rights organizations such as the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association actively campaigned for voting rights for women. Their primary focus during this period was suffrage reform.

The traditional turban worn in the Mysore region is known as the Peta.

In Victorian England, girls were placed in stays and corsets to enforce a rigid posture, which was seen as a sign of discipline and obedience to societal expectations.

From about 1294 to the French Revolution in 1789, the people of France were expected to strictly follow what were known as 'sumptuary laws'. The law tried to control to behaviour of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverage and hunting game in certain areas.

Sumptuary laws were government regulations that restricted the consumption of luxury goods and clothing based on a person's social status.

In medieval France, the items of clothing, a person could purchase per year was regulated by income and social rank. Expensive materials like ermine, fur, silk, velvet and brocade could be worn by only the royalty.

Changes in women’s clothing came about as a result of the two World
wars. Women wore a working uniform
of blouse and trousers with accessories such as scarves, which was
later replaced by khaki overalls and caps. Soon
trousers became a vital part of Western women’s clothing, giving
them greater freedom of movement. Most important, women took
to cutting their hair short for convenience. 

Jnananandini Devi was a social reformer who pioneered various cultural innovations and influenced the earliest phase of women's empowerment in 19th century Bengal. She was married to Satyendhranath Tagore. This style of dressing gained acceptance before long among Maharashtrian and Uttar Pradesh Brahmos, as well as non-Brahmos.

The Swadeshi movement, which promoted the use of indigenous goods and the boycott of British textiles, provided the foundational ideas for Gandhi's use of cloth as a political tool.

Rabindranath Tagore suggested that a national dress for India should synthesize elements of both Hindu and Muslim traditions to represent a unified national identity.

Sumptuary laws in medieval France regulated clothing and luxury consumption based on both the individual's income and their social rank.

Chapkan literally means a long buttoned cloth. When there was a discussion regarding choosing Indian dress, Rabindhranath Tagore suggested that instead of combining Indian and European dress, India's national dress should combine elements of Hindu and Muslim dress. The chapkan, which is a long, buttoned coat, was considered a suitable dress for men.

Wealthy Parsis were first to adopt western style clothing in India. These people belonged to higher communities. Western clothing was a sign of modernity which was thus adopted by wealthy Indians.

William Pitt Amherst was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828. Governor General insisted that Indians take their shoes off as a sign of respect when they appeared before him. But this was not followed by Indians as the Indians considered leaving ones shoes is the custom followed when entering into a place of worship. Hence Indians could not digest the thought of treating British equal to a religious place and did not take their shoes off.

Shanar was the caste in India generally prohibited from using umbrellas and wearing shoes or golden ornaments as they were considered lower community. Shanar is a Tamil caste of South India and Srilanka. They were also called as Nadars.

When European traders first began frequenting 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. 

Cockade – Cap, usually worn on one side. 

Ermine – Type of fur

Suffrage – The right to vote. The suffragettes wanted the right for women to vote.

Before the seventeenth century, most ordinary women in Britain possessed very few clothes made of flax, linen or wool, which were difficult to clean and expensive too. After 1600, trade with India brought cheap, beautiful and easy-to-maintain Indian chintzes within the reach of many Europeans who could now increase the size of their wardrobes.

Mrs Amelia Bloomer, an American, was the first dress reformer to launch loose tunics worn over ankle-length trousers. The trousers were known as ‘bloomers’, ‘rationals’, or ‘knickerbockers’.

Changes in women’s clothing came about as a result of the two World wars. Many European women stopped wearing jewellery and luxurious clothes. As upper-class women mixed with other classes, social barriers were eroded and women began to look similar. . New schools for children emphasised the importance of plain dressing, and discouraged ornamentation. As women took to sports, they had to wear clothes that did not hamper movement. 

Reform of the dress, it was said, would change the position of women. If clothes were comfortable and convenient, then women could work, earn their living, and become independent.

From about 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.’ The laws tried to control the behaviour of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages (usually this referred to alcohol) and hunting game in certain areas.

The Rational Dress Society was established in England in 1881 to promote more practical and healthy clothing for women.