THE HISTORY OF FASHION

1. THE HISTORY OF FASHION

2. INDIVISUAL PRESENTATION
1. The fashions that teens wear now
– What inspired them?
– Could they have been worn earlier in the 20th century?
– You are wearing the same blue jeans that a coal miner might of worn 150 years ago- sure there are changes-
but jeans are jeans!
Fashion has developed over time, but just like history, it repeats itself!
INDIVISUAL SUBMISSION - SKETCHES CAN BE EITHER MANUAL OR SOFTWARE BASED
2. Develop a range of 5-7 garments taking inspiration from any 3 fashion contributor
country(Egypt/Greece/Roman/France/Japan/China/India) discussed during the session.
Points to incorporate in your sketches
• Make-up & Hairstyle
• Motifs/Prints/Patterns
• Colors
GROUP ACTIVITY- FORM 7 GROUPS EACH GROUP WILL TAKE 1 FASHION CONTRIBUTOR COUNTRY.
3. Collect visuals from magazines/books/newspapers/internet and create a collage comparing clothing similarities
between the ancient clothing & the present fashion (any 1 country).
ALL THE GROUP MEMBERS WILL TALK ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT ONE BY ONE.
GROUP ACTIVITY- CAN BE CONDUCTED ON SATURDAY’S
4. Do/Develop the accessories/makeup/hairstyling/draping, activity in a group of 2-3 students taking inspiration from
the current topic taught in History of Fashion class.
LEARNING TARGETS

3. PROJECT REFERENCE

4. PROJECT REFERENCE

5. PROJECT REFERENCE

6. PROJECT REFERENCE

7. • Thousands of years ago people learned to
make clothing from natural resources as
protection from the weather.
– Animal skins & hair
– Plants
– Grasses
– Tree bark
• How do we know all of this?
Through cave and tomb drawings
and ancient sculptures.
THE EARLIEST CLOTHING

8. • Simple in structure & design
• Varied from region to region
• Fragments of textiles date back to
7500 B.C.
• Linen cloth was made from flax
plants by Egyptians in 5000 B.C
• Thousands of years later inhabitants
of India, Pakistan, and possibly
Americans made fabric of cotton
FIRST CLOTHES AND FABRICS

9. • People learned to raise animals and grow crops
• They refined the arts of spinning, weaving, and dyeing
• They began to cut fabric into garments
• Ancient fashion contributors include:
– Egypt
– Greece
– Roman Empire
– France
– China
– Japan
– India
FASHION OF EARLY CIVILISATIONS

10. Evolution of Fashion
• Fashion changed very slowly
• People often wore the same style clothing for life
• A particular style could continue past a lifetime
• Until the 14th century, European clothes were
loose-fitting and draped
• Around 1350 people started wearing more fitted
styles
• Regional clothing differences became visible as
European settlers came to America
EVOLUTION OF FASHION

11. • Men
– Knee-length pants called breeches
• Women
– Gowns with a fitted bodice, full skirt, and long, full
sleeves.
• Embroidery and decorative edging
• Wealthy wore silk garments trimmed with fur and
adorned with silver accents
• Peasant clothes were limited to certain colors and
fabrics
MEN & WOMEN EARLY CLOTHING

12. FASHION IN ANCIENT EGYPT

13. LINEN
• All clothes were almost always made of linen which is made
from flax.
• Growing flax was a job for men only.
• Flax stems were soaked for several days.
• The fibres were beaten until soft.
• The fibres were twisted into strong thread.
• The weaving was done on a loom.
• White linen had to be washed a couple of
times. They washed it in the river or
canal, rinsed, then it was pounded on a
stone. After that it was bleached in the sun.
• They pressed the linen into grooves on a wooden board to let
it dry.

14. CLOTHING

15. LIONCLOTH
• A triangular piece of cloth worn by commoners, nobilities and royalties.
• Slaves were only allowed to wear it after the formation of new kingdom.

16. • A skirt which is pleated in front worn by
nobilities and royalties.
• Till knee level
• Till thigh level in the old kingdom. 3000
B.C. to 2000 B.C.
SCHENTI

17. TUNIC
• A rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in
the centre for the neck worn by pharaohs
after conquering Ceria.
• 1500 B.C. to 750 B.C.

18. KALASIRIS
• Worn by women.
• Sheath or a tube dress with
straps.
• 2 or one strap going over the
shoulder.
• Mid-calf or ankle length.
• Starched and pleated.

19. CAPE
• Worn by women by the new
kingdom.
• A round piece of cloth with a
hole in the centre for the
neck and belted at the waist.

20. HEADWEAR

21. FOOTWEAR
• Wore during the new
kingdom.
• Made of leather or
papyrus fibre.

22. • Mummies were decorated with jewellery before they where put inside the
pyramids.
• Rich women wore gold jewellery sets with precious stones. Even very poor
people wore jewellery.
• They had necklaces and rings made from shells or beaten copper.
• Jewellery was worn by both men and women, for magical as well as aesthetic
reasons for example, a fish pendant might protect a child from drowning.
• Egyptians liked to look good, they wore simple, flowing clothes and lots of
jewels.
• Poor people wore copper rings or a string of beads. The more important a
person was, the more jewellery they wore.
• They wore jewelled belts, earring, rings , bracelet and collars –– deep, flat
necklaces that fastened at the back.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN JEWELLERY

23. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN JEWELLERY

24. MAKE UP
• Eye shadow: made of malachite
which is red and green in colour
• Hena: nail paint and colouring
their hair
• Kohl: eye liner made of galena
ore
PURPOSE OF MAKEUP
1. To keep away the insects.
2. To keep away the evil eye.
3. To prevent inflammation and
allergy.
4. Dust

25. CLEOPATRA
• CLEOPATRA: the last
pharaoh of Egypt.
• She tried to restore Egypt
to greatness but she was
conquered by the Roman
Empire and committed
suicide with lover, Mark
Antony.
• She poisoned herself.

26. KING TUTANKHAMON

27. FASHION IN ANCIENT GREECE

28. GREEK - CIVILISATIONS
1. The three significant civilisations of ancient Greece are-
• Minoans
•Mycenaean
•The Ancient Greek
2. The purpose of clothing was not only to cover & protect the
body, but also to decorate & enhance the beauty of the wearer.
3. In Ancient Greece, a persons tunic was decorated at the
hemline to represent the city or state in which he lived.

29. 8 th Century B.C -18 th Century A.D
•The kind of clothing worn in ancient
Greece was loose and flowing and the
garments were
often sewn together.
• The fabrics used were mainly linen or
wool.
•Women also wore a veil with their
clothing whenever they stepped out of
the house.
•In fact, the ancient Greek fashion was
quite modern in its outlook as far as men
were concerned to the extent that male
nudity was really not a big deal in
ancient Greece.

30. 8 th Century B.C -18 th Century A.D
• Greeks did not cut and sew their clothes until the fourth century. They
used to create different styles by draping finely woven cloth around their
bodies.
•The wealthy people could afford fine wool & linen, others used textiles
made of coarse wool.
•Much of our knowledge of Greek Fashions comes from the marble
sculptures.
•Many people thought they wore only white garments but, experts
discovered.
That these statues were once covered with bright paint that wore off over
the Centuries.

31. CHITON
•Chiton was worn in the ancient Greece by men as well as women.
•Unisex clothing was quite popular in ancient Greek fashion.
•Later on both men and women started wearing stitched Chiton tunics with a U or V
neckline
•The Chiton could be worn with a Himation or it could be worn without it as well.
•A belt was also worn with the chiton, which was called the zoster.

32. CHLAMYS
•The Chlamys was also flowing in its appearance and
was mainly worn by the soldiers in ancient Greece.
•The chlamys was also worn with other forms of
clothing.
• This was worn pinned at the right arm.

33. PEPLOS
•The Peplos consisted of a tubular shaped
cloth—this was folded from the inside out.
•The top area of the tube usually gathered at
the waist and the bottom area extended till
the ankles.
•The cloth on the upper area was brought
underneath the left arm—this was secured
with the help of tapes or pins on the right
shoulder
•The top layer of the cloth, which draped the
waist often gave the appearance of two pieces
of cloth
•There were certain types of patterns that were
used for the peplos. Some of the common
patterns included checks, flowers, waves or
even stripes.

34. HIMATION
•When the himation was being
worn in ancient Greece, it
represented a form of outdoor
wear.
•The himation is also an
important garment of ancient
Greek fashion.
•This was generally made from
a rectangular piece of wool
with the use of lighter fabrics,
the himation was worn at any
time of the day.
•The himation was loose and
flowing, thus, it can be termed
as a modern cloak—it was also
used as a form of drapery to be
worn over the chiton.

35. JEWELLERY
•Jewelry did form a significant part of ancient Greek fashion was discovered with
the findings of jewelry at the Greek sites which proves that women in ancient
Greece loved to wear all sorts of jewellery with their flowing garments—bracelets,
earrings and necklaces
•Even men were not left behind as far as ancient Greek fashion was concerned. It is
known that men wore jewellery till the 4th century.

36. MAKE UP
•Ancient Greek women also used make up—pale or light skin was considered a
status symbol for women.
•Women used honey and olive oil to improve their skin
•They often used substances as a substitute for cosmetics for enhancing their looks
Dark powder was dusted over the eyebrows and red powder was used over their
lips
•Women also loved to wear their hair long during this period.

37. HAIRSTYLE
•Hairstyles in ancient Greece also changed over time
•In the early days of Greece, men normally wore their hair short and grew beards
•Later on beards went out of style
•Long hair was typical for Greek women; only slave women would wear their hair
short
•Women curled and braided their hair in early Greece
•Later the style was to tie their hair back or put it up into a bun.

38. ROMAN CLOTING

39. ROMAN CLOTING
•Most people wore clothes made
from wool or linen. Cotton cloth
brought from India and silk from
China were also used for making
clothes, but they were too
expensive.
•Fur was also used, especially in
winter.
•Clothes were usually made from
large, uncut pieces of cloth, which
were folded and pinned with
pins, or tied with belts.

40. MEN’S CLOTING
•A man´s basic clothing was a
loincloth (underwear) and a tunic
over it.
•Tunics were made from two
rectangles stitched at the sides and
shoulders, and tied with a belt.
•If he were a citizen, he would also
wear a toga.
•A toga was a large piece of cloth
wrapped round the body.
1. Tunic
2. Palla
3. Stola

41. WOMEN’S CLOTING
•Over the underwear, women wore a tunic
made of wool or linen, with our without
sleeves.
•Over this they wore a dress called stola,
which reached their ankles.
•They sometimes wore a shawl, called the
palla, on top. It was a large rectangular piece
of cloth which they could drape over the stola
in many ways.
•Tunic
•Palla
•Stola

42. • Nearly all Romans wore a simple tunic
under more formal clothes, while slaves
generally wore only a tunic
• A tunic worn as underwear was known
as tunica intima.
• Male tunic would generally reach
roughly to the knees, whereas women’s
tunics would generally be longer, some
reaching to the ground. Female tunics
often also had long sleeves
• This was the most basic of the Roman
garments.
• It was basically a long, woolen T-shirt
that fell just below the knee.
• Most tunics were solid white,There was
some formal differences in tunics which
denoted social rank.
• Boys’ tunics, had a garnet-colored stripe.
THE TUNICA

43. THE TUNICA

44. THE TUNICA

45. STOLA and PALLA
• The stola was a long, pleated dress, worn over
an undergarment called a tunic or tunica
intima (the Roman version of a slip).
• The stola was generally sleeveless but
versions of it did have short or long sleeves.
• These sleeves could belong to the stola itself
or be a part of the tunic.
• The traditional sleeveless stola was fastened by
clasps at the shoulder called fībulae
• The stola was frequently worn with a a long
shawl-like garment called a palla.
• It was worn when women went outside and
typically went over one shoulder and draped
across the body.
• It could also be pulled up over the head as a
shawl.
• The stola typically had two belts, and was
typically girt with ribbons The first was worn
just below the breasts creating a great amount
of folds. The second and wider belt was worn
around the waist.
STOLA

46. STOLA and PALLA
STOLA
FĪBULAE
Tunica Intima
Stola

47. STOLA and PALLA
• The stola was a long, pleated dress, worn over an undergarment called a tunic or
tunica intima (the Roman version of a slip).
• The stola was generally sleeveless but versions of it did have short or long
sleeves.
• These sleeves could belong to the stola itself or be a part of the tunic.
• The traditional sleeveless stola was fastened by clasps at the shoulder called fībulae.
PALLA

48. STOLA and PALLA
PALLA

49. STOLA and PALLA
• In the early days the toga was worn directly on the naked body, then later a simple tunic was
added, tied at the waist with a belt.
There were some old families with ancient ancestry who insisted on continuing the tradition of
dressing without a tunic, but their fellow Romans understood them somewhat eccentric.
• Basically the toga was a large blanket, draped over the body, leaving one arm free.
Through experiments historians have concluded that the vast blanket took the form of a semi
circle.
TOGA

50. STOLA and PALLA
TOGA

51. STOLA and PALLA
PLAYING SPORTS

52. MAKE-UP
•Women wore make-up.
•It was supposed to be beautiful to look very pale. This was probably to show that
you were rich enough not to have to work outdoors.
•They coloured their lips with red.
•Rich women spent lots of time and money in their hairstyles. They had slaves to do
their hair for them.
•They wore different hairstyles with plaits, curls and waves.

53. JEWELLERY
•Rings were the most common item of jewellery. They were worn both by women
and men.
•Roman women wore gold chains and necklaces. The most prized precious stones
were pearls.
•Most also wore earrings.

54. FOOTWEAR
•They had different kinds of shoes.
•Women wore elegant sandals, but a soldier´s boots were studded with nails. That
way he didn´t wear out when marching.
•Shoes were usually made of leather.

55. • Men and women wore basically the same footwear.
• Calcei were a cross between
a shoe and a sandal, and they
were worn outdoors.
• Soleae were sandals that were
worn indoors.
• Socci were slippers that were
also meant for indoor use.
FOOTWEAR TYPE

56. •FRANCE

57. FRANCE
•Since the 16th century, France has been the fashion capital of the world.
France has top designers: Chanel, Christian Dior, Herms, Louis Vuitton, Dior.
France is the country which reveals the latest fashion trends to the rest of the
world.
•Paris is known as the home to my high-end fashion houses; the French people
are known for their understated elegance in clothing.
•Many French people dress in a sophisticated, professional and fashionable
style, but it is not overly fussy.
•Typical outfits include: nice dresses, suits, long coats and scarves . Cities like
Lyon, Paris, Marseille, Lille, Mice and other cities produce and present luxuries
clothing made out of rich fabrics.

58. MEN
•Chemise: A knee length cotton or linen
shirt, considered to be an undergarment
•Culottes or Breech cloth: A pair of knee
length pants, usually wool or linen, which
button around the knees, or a cloth worn
over the loins.
•Hose: A pair of cotton or wool socks, knee
high
•Mitasses: A pair of protective garters worn
over the lower legs, made of leather or
wool, which button to the breeches or tie
to a belt.
•Guillette: Small short vest usually without
sleeves, worn over the Chemise.
• Capote or Justacorp: Heavy coat with
large cuffs worn over all else, kind of like a
suit coat.

59. WOMEN
•Without exception they all wear caps,
while their skirts are scarcely down the
middle of their legs. but are sometimes
provided with heels. They have a silver
cross hanging down the breast
•Jupon: A garment very similar to a skirt,
only shorter. Many of these could be worn
at once to show wealth and status.
•Chemise: An underskirt or shift worn
under all of the outer petticoats and the
jupon.
•Mantelet: A short women's waistcoat,
worn with the jupon and chemise.
•Fichu: A square or oblong piece of cloth
used by women as a modesty scarf worn
about the neck and shoulders
•

60. • Azzedine Alaii aka “king Of Cling”
because he was known for creating
the sexiest clothing n the world
• First worked as a dressmaker 1957
and after many years went on to
designing his own line.
• He designed exercise clothing for
women to show off their hard work.
• 1980 in his ready to wear line he
designed stretchy dresses, body suits,
and bicycle shorts that defined the
decade.
AZZEDINE ALAII

61. • Came up with the concept of
space age design.
• Geometric shapes and motifs.
• He ignored the female form and
advanced into the unisex
fashions.
• He believed that women should
wear womens style clothing
because it would be more
convenient to their lifestyle.
PIERRE CARDIN

62. • ‘The New Look’, which was the
major shift in post-war fashion in the
late forties.
• The New Look is the brainchild of
the ever fabulous Christian Dior and
was part of a post-war attempt to
revive France’s internationally
acclaimed fashion industry.
• Full bust lines
• Tiny waists
• Full skirts
CHRISTIAN DIOR

63. • She offered relaxed styles and required no
corsets.
• Unstructured jackets and skirts in wool
jersey, provided the modern women of
1920’s
• Fashion Influence from 1920’s until World
War II
• Resurfaces in 1954
• Little black dress
• Tweed Suit
COCO CHANEL

64. JAPAN

65. • The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment. The word "kimono", which
actually means a "thing to wear" has come to denote these full-length
robes. The kimono is always worn for important festivals or formal
occasions. It is a formal style of clothing associated with politeness and
good manners.
• Kimono have T-shaped, straight-lined robes worn so that the hem falls to
the ankle, with attached collars and long, wide sleeves.
• Kimono are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the
right (except when dressing the dead for burial which is tied at the back.
Kimono are generally worn with traditional footwear and split-toe socks.
• A few older women and even fewer men still wear the kimono on a daily
basis. Men wear the kimono most often at weddings, tea ceremonies, and
other very special or very formal occasions.
• Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in the kimono because they are
required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever appearing in public.
KIMONO

66. FURISODE
•A furisode "swinging sleeves“ is a style of
kimono distinguishable by its long sleeves,
which range in length from 85 centimeters to
114 centimeters.
•The sleeves are attached to the body of the
kimono only for a short distance; the inner edge
is open for the rest of its length, allowing the
lining to show on the inner edge (or both, if the
sleeve is left open on the outer edge as well).
•The furisode is made of very fine, brightly
colored silk, and is commonly rented or bought
by parents for their daughters to wear when
celebrating Coming of Age Day the year they
turn 20.By wearing a furisode, a young woman
signifies that she is both single and a legal adult,
and thus available for marriage.
•Since furisodes can be quite expensive, many
women rent them as needed rather than
purchasing them.

67. FURISODE

68. FURISODE

69. YUKATA
• Yukata are worn by men and women. Like other
forms of traditional Japanese clothing, yukata are
made with straight seams and wide sleeves. Men's
yukata are distinguished by the shorter sleeve
extension of approximately 10 cm from the armpit
seam, compared to the longer 20 cm sleeve
extension in women's yukata. A standard yukata
ensemble consists of a cotton undergarment (juban),
and a foldable or fixed hand fan, and a carry bag.
• Yukata literally means bath(ing) clothes, although
their use is not limited to after-bath wear. Yukata are
a common sight in Japan during the hot summer
months.
• Traditionally yukata were mostly made of indigo-dyed
cotton but today a wide variety of colors and designs
are available.As with kimono, the general rule with
yukata is that younger people wear bright, vivid
colors and bold patterns, while older people wear
dark, matured colors and dull patterns.
• A child may wear a multicolored print and a young
woman may wear a floral print, while an older
woman would confine herself to a traditional dark
blue with geometric patterns.

70. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• Clasped purse
• In Japan, purses that have clasps are called "gamaguchi," or "toad mouth," because
when it's open it resembles a toad. Clasped purses have become popular among
Japanese young people, and it's a standard at all Japanese sundry shops. They
come in many varieties, including long wallets and coin purses.

71. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• TABI
• Tabi are the traditional Japanese style of socks that have the split toes. The word
comes from the kanji for "foot" and "bag".

72. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• SENSU
• A sensu is the folding fan that you use when it's hot. When it's closed it resembles
a stick and is easy to carry.

73. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• OKOBO
• Large platformed sandals worn by Maiko, usually made of wood and lacquered on
the straps or all over

74. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• Parasols/Umbrellas

75. TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES
• Kanzashi are cloth hair ornaments worn in complex traditional Japanese hairstyles
They have numerous seasonal variations for each month and for special occasions
such as New Years. Old Kanzashi often have large sharpened pins leading some to
suggest that they were historically used for self defense.

76. England

77. THE BIRTH OF POWER DRESSING
•
The Italians had a huge influence over
the designs from the Renaissance
period.
•Clothing was more about displaying
one's social status, as shown by the
fabric material.
•Permanent fashion characteristics in
all countries: rich heavy materials in
voluminous amount, large sleeves,
close body garments, large hip-
clothing, wide-toed, heelless shoes
and covered heads.
England CLOTHING

78. Men's fashion
The rich & opulent look!
In order to "improve" the natural
silhouette, men put large puffs at
the head, shoulders, and thighs;
small puffs over chest, back, arms,
legs and feet.
They also put feathers on
everything from wide-brimmed
hats to the knees.
Most men's hair was bobbed and
they wore variations of the low-
crowned, brimmed cap.
MALE CLOTHING

79. MALE CLOTHING

80. MALE CLOTHING

81. Style is the prime factor!
Women wore about 5 layers of clothing, so they took a
long time getting ready. Costumes restricted freedom
to move around, since they included the skirt, bodice,
vest, underskirt and the collar.
With gowns, women also wore a kirtle, which
consisted of a tightly fitted bodice and a flowing skirt.
Sleeves were often wide and the rich lined their
sleeves with fur.
Fashion accessories had a major part during this
period. Jewels were sewn onto patterns and headgear
was a must. Women adorned berets over their hair,
which were also embellished with jewels.
Most of the time women had the hair covered with
some kind of headdress such as a: crescent, kennel,
gable, transparent half-dome bonnet, or the gorget.
FEMALE CLOTHING

82. FEMALE CLOTHING

83. FEMALE CLOTHING

84. FEMALE CLOTHING

85. What about hair styles?
Hair styles changed throughout the
Renaissance.
For men, long and short hair went
in and out of style.
The same was true of beards. At
times, short cut hair with pointy
beards was popular, while at other
times long hair with a clean shaven
face was popular.
England CLOTHING

86. Were there any rules about
clothes? Depending on where you
lived, there were all sorts of laws
and rules about clothing. Laws were
often passed to try and keep the
"lower" classes from wearing fancy
clothes. In some areas only nobles
were allowed to wear fur. In
England they had a very long list of
laws, called sumptuary laws, that
specified who could wear what
types of clothes. Depending on your
station in life, you could only wear
clothes of certain colors and
materials.
CLOTHING RULES

87. Children in Renaissance England were
considered simply small adults,
and their dress reflected this. Children were
dressed in clothing very
similar to their parents, and both young boys and
girls wore dresses during
infancy and toddlerhood. For young boys, this
aided the mother in toilet training
and care giving.
When boys were old enough (usually around the
age of seven,
when they could start helping their fathers) they
were "breeched," or put into their
first pair of breeches, or hose.
This practice continued up until the 19th century
in
the Western World, and portraiture of young
children is often difficult to gender
without tell-tale props such as swords or hats.
EUROPEAN CLOTHING

88. CHINA

89. WHAT CHINESE CLOTHING IS
Chinese clothing was one of the most unique things in
china’s history.
The most common garment in Chinese clothing was
the tunic which came in many different varieties.
All of the Chinese clothing traditions had to be
followed because if not you would be considered a
barbarian or even a foreigner. (Which was considered
a very bad thing because they were an isolated
country.)
Chinese clothing got changed a lot during time.
Almost every time a new emperor came in a new
trend would be introduced.

90. ANCIENT CLOTHING
❖ The tunic trend
❖ Social distinction by clothing
❖ The first sign of cotton

91. THE TUNIC TREND
Traditionally women in China
would be seen in a long tunic
that goes to the ground.
They would tie it with a belt or
a sash that if possible would
have jade on it. Men would also
have tunics but their would
stop at their knees and
underneath their tunics they
would wear pants.
Both men and women would
wear padded jackets over their
tunics during the season of
winter.

92. Social distinction by clothing
•The kind of fabric people used would tell other people of their
social status.
•Most of China’s population was not rich back then. All of these
people would wear clothes made out of hemp or ramie.
•There were two kinds of fabric in which they were very
affordable but they still did what they were supposed to.
•These people would have to make their clothes for themselves
as they could not afford for it to be done for them. As for the
richer people they would wear silk tunics & they would not have
had to do the hard labour of making their clothes for other
people would do it for them.
•Then in the time of the Sui Dynasty in the 500s AD, Emperor
Wendi decided that to wear all the poor people had wear blue or
black & the only people who could wear colours were the rich
people.

93. Chinese Silk
Silk was first discovered in
China in the 30th century BC
in the time that the Yellow
Emperor came in power.
Silk is one of the best
materials for clothing, but it
was a very expensive
material and only very
fortunate people who could
afford this material were
able to wear it.

94. The introduction of cotton
During the mong era the Chinese introduced cotton as a
material to make clothes.
The Mongols use of cotton spread around china and before
long all of the mulberry trees used to make the silk had been
destroyed.
The introduction of cotton helped eliminate social distinction
that had arisen due to different clothing materials that
different classes used.
Cotton was much better than hemp or ramie it was a soft
material and it also looked decent, though it was a very good
material it was still very cheap.
Although cotton was supposed to be a summer material local
people would pad their cotton clothes for winter

95. Traditional clothing: most
popular dresses
❖ Pien Fu
❖ Sheni
❖ Chang Pao

96. Pien Fu
The Pien Fu was the most popular
Chinese dress by far.
It was a two piece outfit that
contains a tunic that goes down to
your knees. Underneath the tunic
they wore a skirt that goes down to
their ankles.
But the Pien Fu would not be the
Pien Fu with out the Pien, the Pien
is a cylinder shaped hat.
This is a very unique costume that
was kept for special ceremonies.

97. Sheni
The Sheni is a
modification of the Pien
Fu.
It consists of exactly the
same things as the Pien
Fu but the unique thing
about this dress is that
both pieces are stitched
together.
So it look like on very
long suit-dress.

98. Chang Pao
This was perhaps the
simplest of all traditional
Chinese clothing.
In its essence the Chang
Pao dress was a fusion of
the Sheni and the Pien Fu.
It was a one piece suit that
started from the height of
the shoulders and
extended down to the
wearer’s ankles.

99. CLOTHING IN INDIA