Tag: clothing: a social history

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.