What Do Clothes Mean to You?

 What Do Clothes Mean to You?: Clothes are being used as a means of expressing one’s choice of life-style, political views, nationalistic identity, and so on. For exa...

What Do Clothes Mean to You?

Clothes are being used as a means of expressing one’s choice of life-style, political views, nationalistic identity, and so on. For example, in Shanghai, China, many women are favoring more makeup, leg-revealing dresses, and Western wedding garb—a definite departure from the past. On the other hand, in some Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries, women are going back to the traditional Islamic dress.

More and more, the basic function of clothes is to cover the body and to improve the comfort of the wearer. In hot climates, clothing provides protection from sunburn or wind damage, while in cold climates its thermal insulation properties are generally more important. But within this framework, the variety is endless. For example, the Indian sari, the Japanese kimono, the Hawaiian muumuu, and the Middle Eastern aba all cover the body but in completely different ways. The German homburg, the French beret, and the Arabic kaffiyeh all cover the man’s head, yet they are very different from one another. Sabots, sandals, and boots all cover the feet but in different ways. And who is to say which is more comfortable—the Scottish kilt or the American slacks?

Regardless of how we feel about our clothes, they reveal much about us and about our feelings toward others. Before we even say a word, our clothes have said something about us. People judge and categorize us based on what we wear and how we wear it. For instance, a beggar in his rags and a man in a tuxedo both have clothes on, but there is a vast difference in the impression they make and in the way they are treated.

Even on a more personal level, decisions must be made as to what to wear, and when and where to wear it. Dungarees, or blue jeans, may be ideal for farming or working around the house or on casual occasions, but they are hardly appropriate for formal occasions, for business, or at meetings for worship. What we usually put on when going shopping for food may not be right for an evening out with friends. Care must also be exercised in choosing certain types of clothing, since trends and fashions are heavily influenced by the “new morality” and the life-styles that it reflects.

Basically, style, as the dictionary defines it, is the way in which something is done rather than the thing itself. In clothing, it is the overall presentation of oneself rather than the kind of clothes one wears. It is far more valuable to cultivate a personal style that reflects good taste and moderation than to be endlessly pursuing the latest in fashion and design.

The vast array of clothing possibilities presents everyone, male or female, young or old, an interesting challenge that calls for personal discretion and scrutiny. Do you give proper thought to what you wear and how you wear it? On what basis do you make your choices? And what do your clothes reflect about you?

“What once was a concern for quality had become an obsession with the designer label,” says Barbaralee Diamonstein in Vogue magazine. Indeed, for most people, clothing choices are no longer simply a matter of quality, function, and need. Rather, we are constantly bombarded by advertisements

That promise beauty, status, fame, and popularity if we wear clothes endorsed with the signatures or emblems of one designer or another.

.This is not to say that one cannot choose something that is new and fashionable. But caution is the key. It is always a good policy to dress according to age, personality, and life-style rather than be controlled by what is the latest or give in to peer pressure and adopt a certain style. The fact that a certain look is “in style” does not mean it is right for you

A good wardrobe is not a matter of having a lot of clothes or being up to the latest in fashion but is usually the result of careful shopping and selection. So before you go shopping, take a good look at the clothes you already have. Perhaps you can alter or eliminate things you have not used for some time. Experiment with the clothes you have and discover how you can interchange your items of apparel to create new looks. Doing this will put you in a better position to determine what you really need.