Interesting facts about clothing from the 18th to the 19th centuries. When a student at a school in Michigan was suspended for wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the metal band Korn, the band members sent a box of these T-shirts for the guy to give out to all his friends.

07.05.2019

- Olga Dedyukhina

Just as fashion cannot exist without outrageousness, some facts from the history of clothing can boggle the imagination.

It turns out that our ancestors wore clothes of certain colors in accordance with their social status... How about the fact that one of the most important elements bra was invented by a famous writer? What do you think a bikini and an atomic bomb have in common?

The history of clothing is full of surprises. We want to bring to your attention a selection amazing facts that you probably do not know

If in our time men do not always remember who they spent the night with last week, then in the Victorian era, young people pinned the pubic hair of their lovers to their hats.

Detachable men's collars, popular in the Victorian era, were so rigid that there were cases of suffocation among gentlemen who wore such an accessory - for this they were called "parricides."

Lacoste's crocodile embroidery is considered the world's first corporate logo. It was invented by Rene Lacoste in 1933, who then launched the production of shirts with this logo.

Napoleon ordered brass buttons to be sewn onto the sleeves of the soldiers' uniforms so that they could not wipe their noses. And the soldiers who won combat battles were awarded by Napoleon with expensive perfume.

Officially, soldiers of the Russian army began to wear socks only in 2007 - before that they used footcloths - a piece of fabric wrapped around their legs.

To attract clients, prostitutes in Ancient Greece wore shoes that left the inscription “follow me” on the sand when they walked.

When a student at a school in Michigan was suspended for wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the metal band Korn, the band sent a box of these T-shirts for the guy to distribute to all his friends. Surprisingly, the police were also involved in the distribution of these T-shirts.

In Europe, white was traditionally considered the color of mourning - everything changed thanks to the wedding of Queen Victoria, who was at the ceremony in a white dress.

According to the American Psychological Association, people are more willing to give money to someone whose clothing style resembles their own.

In medieval Europe, the social level of a person and his profession were determined by the color of his clothes. Nobles had to wear red clothes, peasants and common people - clothes in brown and gray colors, and merchants, bankers and petty aristocracy wore green clothes.

Louis Rear, the creator of the bikini, named his invention after Bikini Island, where the US military conducted nuclear tests. Rhear hoped that his swimsuit would produce the same "explosion" in society as an atomic bomb.

Julie Newmar, one of the most popular actresses to play Catwoman, patented tights for the first time in 1975 with special elastic inserts that flatten the belly. This invention can be considered the forerunner of the shaping tights of the famous Spanx brand.

Writer Mark Twain is credited with inventing the first snap-on bra strap. Before patenting his invention, he described it as follows: "The advantages of an elastic strap are so obvious that they do not need any explanation at all."

The word "jeans" comes from the name of the fabric that was produced in Europe. The gin material was named after sailors from the Italian city of Genoa who wore garments made from this fabric.

According to psychological research, diaper clothing makes people look fuller because the human eye begins to slide between the pattern lines longer.

South Korean police patrol the streets looking for girls in too revealing clothes - a fine or even arrest is imposed for wearing miniskirts.

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The weirdness of fashion and the creativity of fashion designers surprise us every season. Nevertheless, everyone unusual trend there are fans. This was the case both in antiquity and in the Middle Ages. And this is proved by stories about controversial, but very popular at one time fashion trends.

We site we propose to evaluate a selection of fashionable accents of the past centuries and understand that they did not arise for a reason.

1. "Elizabethan" collars became the prototype of collars for animals

Head-on-plate collars were at the height of fashion in the 16th century, during the reign of the queen of England Elizabeth I. No one could have imagined that the fashion that came from Spain for the collars of linen, peeking out from under the dress, would provoke such "gigantism." Elizabethan collars grew from year to year, and frames, starch and layering were used to maintain their shape. The proud position of the head of noble persons was forced - just try to turn your head in such a collar.

In 1960, physician Frank L. Johnson drew attention to this forced restraint and invented collars for animals that are used in postoperative period... And the name "Elizabethan" has survived to this day.

2. Wigs became fashionable to hide the effects of the syphilis epidemic

In the XVI-XVII centuries, Europe suffered greatly from the epidemic of syphilis. Therefore, the popularity long hair, mustache and beard as indicators of health increased. A bald person meant sick, people began to be ashamed of even natural small hair growth. But those who were overtaken by the disease were forced to hide the resulting flaws under wigs and clothes.

But the fashion for wigs was introduced by King Louis XIV of France. He began to go bald in early age, like his brother, King Charles II of England. It is not known for certain whether they survived the disease, but dozens of hairdressers saved the image of the kings, and the courtiers and nobles followed their example. Wigs have become a symbol of prosperity, and the price of wigs and care products (powder, perfume) were constantly artificially inflated. Fashion lasted until the 18th century, when they again entered the mercy natural hair.

3. Egyptians wore oil cones on their heads to moisturize hair and body

The ancient Egyptians knew a lot about personal care - here they invented the principle of cold curling hair with clay and the first perfume. Aroma oils were very widely used, and for convenience, Egyptian women of fashion wore a cone made of specially made aromatic wax on their heads. In the sun, the wax began to melt and gradually cover the hair and body with a fragrant film.

Often these were not natural hair, but wigs, which were worn in Egypt by both men and women. The head was shaved bald for reasons of hygiene, and the shape of the wig was chosen depending on the case.

4. Emphasis on the sex characteristics of men

Initially, the codpiece - a part of a men's dress - was invented for protection, and only later it was transformed into a key piece of clothing. Knights began to focus on it in the 16th century, it was one of the symbols of strength. From the knights, the codpiece migrated to the outfits of kings and nobles.

To maintain the shape, a kind of push-up was used - layers of fabric, or wallets, coins and small things were kept there. To draw attention to this piece of clothing, it was embroidered with gold threads and decorated precious stones... The peak of the popularity of codpiece was at the beginning of the 16th century, at the end of the same Elizabeth I began to rule England, to whom such demonstrations male power didn't like it. And the royal court of Spain was devout and did not support "shameful fashion". Therefore, the codpiece gradually disappeared.

5. Precious comb-sticks for tall hairstyles helped to drive away lice and fleas

The huge and elaborate hairstyles that were so popular at the end of the 18th century also caused difficulties in their care. Indeed, what kind of shampooing or combing are we talking about when you have a model of a ship on your head, flowers in a real vase, or a bird?

Such designs were preserved long time, therefore, the fact that insects were introduced into them is not surprising. But a way out was found. Special sticks-comb, so that, without damaging the hair, chase away insects, were one of the main accessories of the court ladies. They were often adorned with jewelry, but the ideal wand had to be flat so that hair would not cling to it.

6. Candid dresses of Korean women

From the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, unusual women's fashion reigned in Korea. Of course, not all women wore specific costumes with open breasts, which were part of the national dress.

This cape jacket is called a geogori. A blouse - heority was invented for it, but only representatives of the upper classes began to wear it.

An open suit was worn at home and in public, one of its meanings is a sign of motherhood. In such an outfit, it is convenient to feed newborn children, and the fact that this happens in plain sight was considered a manifestation of pride in one's position.

7. Fashion for tame animals to dump unpleasant odors on them and wipe their hands

In addition, noble ladies thought that for insects, animal fur more attractive hair... Therefore, everywhere they carried their pets - "protectors" or artistically processed animal skins with them. So that their fleas jump over, and strangers do not stick. In addition, such tame animals performed several more functions: you could wipe your hands on them after lunch or blame them on your pet. bad smell a body that even the spirits could not interrupt.

8. Long camisoles were designed to hide crooked legs

King Charles VIII of France, who ruled at the end of the 15th century, did not at all believe that appearance was not the main thing for a man. In particular, he was worried about the curvature of his own legs. They attracted unnecessary attention, and in order to divert it, the tailors had to try.

The richly embroidered long camisoles were first made by order of Charles, and, of course, the courtiers could not help but pick up on the new trend. During the reign of the king, the nuances of embroidery and decoration of this wardrobe item changed, but the length had to remain unchanged.

9. Special hairstyles for samurai

Funny samurai hairstyles are a certain symbolism, convenience and help in battle. It is convenient to hide hair under a helmet if necessary.

Hairstyles may have been different, but they were common features: high, often shaved forehead; hair twisted or braided into a pigtail that could be directed into different sides, but must have had to fit snugly to the head. a trendsetter. Her outfits were instantly copied.

Therefore, when Alexandra after giving birth fell ill with rheumatoid arthritis and began to limp, her gait was copied in all seriousness - as a fashionable nuance. But imitate lameness all the time healthy person very difficult, so a way out was invented.

To order, shoes began to be made with different heights heel, and the "trendy" gait encompassed elite... A little later, such shoes even began to be sold in stores under the brand name "Lame Alexandra".

What features of past fashion impressed you the most? Or are you haunted by modern details?

Just as the world of fashion is not complete without extraordinary events, so reliable facts from the history of clothing can amaze the imagination. History is always full of interesting surprises. We present to your attention some incredible facts that you probably haven't heard.

During the Middle Ages life status a person and his occupation were assessed by the color of his clothes. The upper class were required to have red robes, commoners - vestments in dark colors, and merchants, bank employees and the petty nobility wore green costumes. Today, the world of fashion, especially outerwear, strikes with a variety of models, in color, in material and in many other parameters. Bella Bicchi store (https://www.bella-bicchi.com.ua/catalog/zhenskie-kurtki/) presents a huge assortment of both women's outerwear and men's: huge selection coats, down jackets, raincoats, jackets.

The statement that putting on wardrobe items the collar for eversion - bad sign(you will become beaten), leaves during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. In those days, criminals, charlatans, as well as people who were not pleasing to the king, were dressed in twisted clothes. But in the UK to wear a thing on left side on the contrary, to the good news, either pleasant surprise... In the past, the spouses of sailors in the storm specially dressed everything on the left side.

In the Middle Ages, ladies preferred not too fluffy fur from arctic fox, ermine for luring fleas! This is characteristic of the fact that in the old days, even eminent persons did not really like bath procedures... As a bait for pests, flea traps made of the most valuable material with expensive inserts were worn on top of the main clothing, which can be seen in artistic images. The need for such a plan disappeared only after people began to monitor personal hygiene and sanitation.

You probably often noticed that the male and female population button up their clothes in their own way, the first - from left to right, the second - vice versa. This tradition has arisen a long time ago. In the case of men, everything is clear - from left to right, buttoning up is more customary, then with women everything is much more interesting. The accompanying items were usually made from jewelry. These wardrobe items were allowed exclusively by noble people who at that time could not dress themselves and needed the help of servants. In this regard, for the comfortable dressing of women as servants, the fastener on the ladies' things was on the right. This habit, which has existed since ancient times, is relevant to this day.

If in modern world the stronger sex do not always remember with whom he spent the last weekend, then in the Renaissance, young people were attached to their hats pubic hair loved ones.

Not so long ago, pockets were only on objects men's wardrobe... Pockets on women's things appeared with light hand legendary Coco Chanel at the beginning of the 19th century.

Sewing wardrobe items has been of interest to people at all times. The first prototype of clothing appeared 20 thousand years ago. Distant ancestors modern man outfits were made not from traditional fabrics, but from animal skins. Over time, clothes began to perform not only protective function... Fashion has formed a real cultural layer, according to the dress, trousers, headdress, one can determine the historical era, status, level of wealth and worldview of a person.

We have collected some interesting facts about sewing for you:

The prototype womens dress they call the clothes of the ancient Egyptians - kalaziris. He looked like simple shirt ankle-length and equipped with one or two straps. The robes of the ancient Romans and Greek women were tunics and tunics, respectively. It is noteworthy that men also wore them. In the Middle Ages, the fashion for outfits did not change much, people could wear the same styles for decades. Since the 15th century, trends have been influenced by Spain, France and other countries. Quick change trends and tendencies became characteristic already for the XIX-XX centuries.
In the Indian tribes that lived in America in pre-Columbian times, only men were engaged in sewing clothes for leaders and priests. Women sewed household items of clothing.
One of the favorite activities of the writer N.V. Gogol was cutting dresses and sewing shawls.
Prototypes of modern needles were made from bone, stone, wood. The first metal needle appeared in the 14th century. Another theory is that a steel needle was used in ancient China.
To the invention sewing machine several people are involved, each contributed to the creation and development of the mechanical sewing machine. They are Charles Weisental, Elias Howe, Thomas St., Joseph Madersperger. But the most significant were the achievements of Isaac Singer, who adapted for domestic purposes a typewriter taken from the designer Fells. The first sales did not bring success. Only when the model was finalized, became very reliable and maintainable (even at home), it gained popularity in the American market, and later in the international arena.
Tendons, veins and intestines of animals served as ancient prototypes of threads. Later, hand spinning wheels began to be used. In the 16th century, Jürgens of Braunschweig invented the foot spinning wheel with which it was possible to draw, twist and wind the thread. And in the 18th century, John White invented a mechanism with two rollers that freed his hands.
Previously, threads were universal, had a single thickness. Differentiation has become crucial step in the development of the garment industry. Today, threads are assigned certain numbers. The higher the number, the thinner they are.
The most ancient fabric is linen, the record holder for lightness is gas. And the most widespread in the world is chintz. One of the popular versions of the name synthetic fabric nylon comes from the names of the cities of New York and London. However, it was originally called "no-run" ("no puffs"). But there were still puffs. The manufacturer changed its name to nylon to avoid accusations, claims, lawsuits. Calico fabric was named after the city of Calcutta, batiste - after its creator François Batiste, cashmere - after the province of Kashmir (India).
The first buttons appeared before our era. They were originally decorative element, and from the XII century they began to be used as a fastener. In this case, the status of a person was determined by the number of buttons. For example, official suit King of France Francis I had more than 13.5 thousand buttons.
It turns out that it is possible to sew clothes even from cobwebs. True, for this, a thread of special gold-weaving spiders is used. For the first time, gloves made of cobwebs were presented to King Louis XIV of France. They were made for the monarch by the scientists de Sé Heeler. And recently, a web of cobwebs was exhibited in one of the museums in the United States. The fabric is about three square meters was woven by the efforts of several dozen craftsmen, who for four years caught spiders living in Madagascar, removed the threads from them, and then released them back.
One of the most popular sewing directions in Russia is the creation of things from rags. We have this craft appeared in the X century, in England they learned about it only seven centuries later. It was the patchwork that gave creative idea avant-garde artists who painted their paintings as if from separate pieces - "scraps".
Today the traditional color of clothes for girls is pink, for boys - blue. At the beginning of the last century, it was the other way around. Blue was considered delicate and graceful, while pink was considered firm and "masculine."
Average weight the population of our planet is increasing. Therefore, clothing manufacturers create things that in fact have larger size... In this case, the information on the tag remains the same. For example, in Britain, women's trousers of size 14 are now wider at the waist by 10 centimeters and at the hips by 7 centimeters than a product of the same size, sewn in the 70s of the last century. It is rather marketing ploy... After all, the fair sex get moral satisfaction from the fact that things suit them smaller, and accordingly - they are satisfied with the purchases.