Banaras (now Varanasi) has long been famous for its Brocades and Sarees. The exquisite fabric was produced by wearing with warp & weft threads of different colours and often of different material. It appears from ancient texts that in the early days, gold and silver threads used to be made to such a fine quality that they could be woven into fabric of pure gold or silver. We find evidence of several kinds of textures of cloth since Rig Vedic times and, one can easily figure out the cloth of gold (Hiranya Vastra) as a distinguished type belonging to the above mentioned metallic fabric. The use of Silkora mixture of silk and cotton, in the wearing of the brocade seems to have been a fairly recent innovation. Though it is difficult to say, when the art of brocading started in India, especially in Varanasi, we find mention of the use of this kind of fabric, right from the Vedic period upto the Buddhist period. It is said that when Lord Buddha attained Nirvana, his mortal remains were wrapped in a Banarasi material i.e. brocade which radiated dazzling lights of yellow, red and blue.
Banaras Is the Athens of India. – – Francois Bernier Banaras figures as an outstanding centre of textile manufacture in the very. early stage of Indian Culture. In the neighbourhood there were great cotton growing regions and probably this spurred the textile industry in the city, which during the early period was the capital of an important province. Geographically commanding a situation on a national highway and situated on the Ganga, connecting all important Indian state capitals of the time in the Gangetic Valley, Banaras in the first millennium BC, rose to the status of an important centre of art, culture and education. Banaras cotton was famous for its fine and soft texture. A tradition goes that the Buddha’s dead body was wrapped in a Banaras manufactured textile. Banaras was similarly reputed for its silk and wool. We also hear that textiles formed one of the important cargo to west- bound ships of the time, an unbroken tradition which survived down to the late-.Mughal period. Banaras must have contributed to this famous export-trade, as is supported by the Jataka stories about Banaras merchants crossing deserts and seas. We also come across the traditional Vedic term hiranya (brocade) surviving in this period; however, due to absence of any definite evidence we can only presume that Banaras, with its several types of silk manufacture, specialized in this branch as well. Testimony of Kautilya’s – Arthashastra is cited for other varieties of silk manufacture in the Maurya period, including the Kausheya (also known from Panini’s Ashtadhyai Sutra. Valmiki’s Ramayana). The Ramayana also offers an important reference to brocade as Ravana, the Lankan king, is described donning a golden fabric (i.e., brocade). Chinese silk also seems to have been popular in the period. Banaras is known in the Pali literature as a reputed centre of textile manufacture, famous for its Kasikuttama and Kasiya. The Majjhimanikaya refers to Varanaseyyaka, known for its fine texture. The Kasika Suchivastra was probably some kind of embroidery. Kashi continued to flourish as a regional capital under the Nandas, the Mauryas and the Shungs and we can safely ascribe to it its non-broken tradition of textile industry during those glorious epochs.Patanjali (second century B.C.) leaves no doubt about the Kashika textile in the Shung period; it was more expensive and probably of better quality than the similar material of Mathura manufacture.During the Gupta period (ca. 3.50 to 500 AD) Banaras seems to have once more risen to the status of a provincial capital under Kumaramatya Janardana, whose personal and official seals have been discovered in abundance from remains of ancient Banaras. As known from other seals from the same site, Banaras was a centre of trade, with its elaborate guild-systems of traders in the Gupta period, but no seals relating to its textile-manufacture or textile trade has come to light so far. However, its old glory in the realm of textile manufacture is re-affirmed by the Dilyalvadana, a Buddhist Sanskrit text of the same period, which makes references to such fabrics known as Kashikavastra, Kashi Kashikamsu and so on. Banaras fabrics gained India-wide fame, particularly in the quality of dhotis and dupatta, which were so exquisite that a pair could cost one hundred thousand karshapanas. However, it is curious to note that not a single reference to silk manufacture in Banaras is known from the text. The Bhaishajyaguru Sutra (one of the famous Giligit texts) informs us about the Kashika textiles as of superfine quality. The Lalita Vistara, another Buddhist text, also refers to garments made of Kashika fabrics. A number of decorative motifs appearing on the Dhamekh-Stupa at Sarnath (Banaras) presupposes the transference of the textile designs on stone or a copy of some textile which originally wrapped such stupas (such textiles were called the Devadushyas). If this theory is admitted, we have an interesting archaeological evidence to show some of the designs which Banaras weavers used in the Gupta period.The fabrics were calendered (Hindi, kundi) according to the Divyavadana. The process was used for the garments belonging to the people of high ranks and princes; ahata is Sanskrit term for the process. This process appears in the Amarakosha, the famous Sanskrit lexicon of the Gupta period which distinguishes it from the term anahata (i.e., the uncalendered ) cloth. It is curious to note that the same process continues to be used in the manufacture of Banaras brocades down to the present day; a locality in Banaras is known as (KundigaraTola ) a centre of such artisans, who earn their bread through this trade.
Stavaraka, in the Harshacharita, seems to be a clear reference to the brocade as pointed out by Dr. V.S. Agrawal- In the Harshacharita, it figures as woven with gold thread and beaded with pearls. As suggested by Dr. V.S. Agrawala, stavarakais a Sanskritised form of a Pahlvi and Persian term. It is also used in the Holy Koran in its Arabic form, as an expensive textile, used by the heavenly beings. Actually Surya images, also one terracotta from Ahichchhatra show similar textile-stuff, i.e., the stavaraka, beaded with pearls. They are sometimes exquisitely embroidered. Elsewhere in the Harshacharita, the princes appear donning the varabanas (coats) made of the stavarakamaterial. In the same work the stavaraka appears as the top of a canopy. It may be remarked here that the kimkhab had been widely used in the seventeenth, eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries for making such canopies as evidenced by late Mughal painting. Dr. V.S. Agrawal on the etymological grounds, remarks that the stavaraka was an imported textile. However, it is possible that even though the term was taken from the Pahlvi in the ancient times, the fabric was later on being manufactured indigenously; for example, even in the present days the termkimkhab is obviously a Persian name for an indigenous textile and there are other instances, e.g., the gulbadan, the abrawan and so on. The pingaseems to be another variety of the brocade but it is difficult to contend whether gold thread was at all used in it. However, Banadoes not make mention of Banaras as a centre of brocade or zari manufacture. Similarly, during the same period yuan-Chwang, the famous Buddhist traveller visited Banaras. He unequivocally mentions Banaras as a big trade-centre. However, he is also silent about its textile industry.Damodara Gupta (eighth-ninth century A.D) in his kuttanimalam,describes Banaras in its full glory. A wealthy person is portrayed donning a lower garment, shot with gold thread (kanakagalrbhita).This may suggest Banaras as one of the centres of zari manufacture in that period and the degree of popularity, which such fabrics enjoyed in the upper classes in Banaras.The Jain Sutras form a store-house of information about Indian textiles. Dr. Moti Chand has rendered a spectacular service to the history of Indian textiles by extracting the information from the floating mass of Jain Sutra-literature. The AcharangaSutra informs us about a scarf, woven with gold thread (i.e., brocade) showing the traditional geese motif, which enjoyed great popularity at least in the late Gupta period, if not since earlier times.During the early ninth century AD, Banaras became arena of a tripartite war among the Palas, Rashtrakutas and the Pratiharas, the three rival imperial powers aiming at the capture of Kannauj. Dr. A.S. Altekar opined that Dharmapala mobilised his force towards Banaras, which became his military outpost in his campaign against his rivals which must have ruined the Banaras-trade temporarily. Further in 1034 A.D., Banaras under Karnadeva Kalachuri, was sacked by the Muslim invader, Ahmad Niyal-tigin, Baihaki in his Tawarikh-i- Subuktgin records that among the war prizes the yield from Banaras textile- market was the most substantial, which leaves no doubt about the prosperity of the Banaras textile traders in the eleventh century. The Gahadvala period revived the ancient glory of Banaras which became the capital of that vast and powerful empire. Jaya Chandra Gahadvala was a great sovereign and his patronage towards education, culture and fine arts has become a legend in medieval Indian history. An important text, the .Ukti- Vyaktiprakana, compiled during his times throws light on the Indian society under the Gahadvalas. The Ukti- Vyaktiprakarana clearly states that the Banaras merchants were rich and prosperous and made ample money through tradeAgain, the Ukti- Vyaktiprakaranaspecifically mentions the thriving textile industry of Banaras. But it is disappointing that all such references are to cotton fabrics, its manufacture and trade and no specific mention is found of the zaris and the brocades. There are reasons to believe that Banaras town was on the decline after the fall of the Gahadvalas, i.e., under the early Sultanates. However, in the late fourteenth century a new Sultanate established itself in this region with Jaunpur, a neighbouring town, as its capital. .Jaunpur soon became a great seat of learning and culture. Its textile activities are known down to the Jahangir period, as recorded by a Jain trader of the seventeenth century in his autobiography, the Ardhakathanaka. Banaras remained a centre of weavers; the famous saint Kabir belonged to this class. However, it seems to be quite probable that the zari and brocades revived in the Sharki period as no earlier evidence refers to such textile manufacture in Banaras. The Jaunpur Kalpasutra Ms. of 1465 AD has a special bearing on the history. Of Banaras textiles of the pre-Mughal period, as culturally, Jaunpur belongs to the Banaras region. The information derived from the Jaunpur Ms. is more so interesting because it actually furnishes some regional motifs.From the Akbar period onwards, we begin to get an uninterrupted account of the zariwork and brocades through the Mughal and Rajasthani painting. It is significant to note that in the sixteenth century the old designs abruptly came to an end; we find from the contemporary paintings that wholesale Persianised motifs were introduced although modified to Indian taste. More emphasis on floral designs is evident. For example, the ancient animal and bird motifs were given up for good. We have a definite evidence to support the influx of Persian motifs; the unequivocally informs us about the importation of Persian masters, Ghias Nakshaband being the greatest among them, to the royal atelier of Akbar.It is strange to note that the A ‘indoes not make any reference to Banaras, as a centre of brocade and zari manufacture. The plausible explanation for this decline in Banaras zariand brocade industry seems to be the devastation of Banaras which preceded the Akbar period at the hands of several invaders. However, very soon the old glory of Banaras seems to have been retrieved, as is evident from the accounts of several European travellers of the sixteenth- seventeenth century.The foreign accounts were confined mostly to Western India or sometimes to the Eastern coast; as the Western world knew the Indian textiles through the exporting ports situated on the eastern or western coasts. We can, however, surmise that similar products were manufactured in other towns like Banaras. In the middle ages, principal textile exporters to Egypt, as also to the Far East were Indians, says Ts’iuan- tcheon, Chinese Inspector of Commerce. Aden itself received fifteen to twenty boat- loads of textiles from India.European travellers, for example, Marco Polo (1271 -95 AD), Tavernier (ca. 1665 AD) and Thevenot again furnish details of textile industry in India, but unfortunately they do not add to our knowledge about the zari work or brocades of their times. We can only surmise that centres like Surat and Ahmedabad were thriving and probably produced zaris or brocades during those centuries.A few interesting pieces of information appear from the pre- Mughal period. It was a prevalent Durbar custom to award robe of honour (the Khil ‘at) made of brocade including a waist- band; the brocade-Khil’at. was supposed to be the highest honour bestowed. Actually a brocade coat and the turban made the official dress of the court. It appears that the brocade industry was at a great height during this period and was actively followed in several Indian cities. Even the palace tapestries were made of brocade material. We know from Humayun’s biography by his sister, Gulbadan Begam that the house of a nobleman at Koli (Aligarh), visited by him was decorated by curtains fringed with gold thread. Similarly, Amir Khusru in his I’zak-i-Khusaravi (vol. V) refers to brocade curtains in a noble’s house and the same tradition in the sixteenth century survives in Ghazi Khan’s house visited by Babur.Some of the European visitors to India in the Mughal period visited Banaras. Ralph Fitch (1583-91) informs us that Banaras was a thriving centre of cotton textile industry. However, he adds that Banaras manufactured turbans in great numbers for the Mughals. We know from the contemporary paintings that usually the Mughals used zari material for their turbans. Peter Mundy, another traveller to Banaras (1632 AD) records that in the Vishvanatha temple he found a silk canopy hanging over the Shiva-lingam.This might have been a work of Banaras zari or brocade. Tavernier visited Banaras in 1665 AD He saw in Banaras the loftiest houses in India, which shows the height of prosperity Banaras witnessed during the seventeenth century. He noticed a caravan sarai in Banaras where the weaver directly sold their manufactures to the customers and there was no middleman in the trade, He mentions both cotton and silk textiles in the trade, which bore quality grading and marking in the form of imperial seals failing which the merchants were flogged. 1t is generally believed from the above account that Tavernier saw Banarasi zari and brocades .in the Sarais. However, describing the Bindumadhava temple of Banaras, Tavernier informs that over the holy platform, he noticed brocades and other silks. Presumably they were of Banaras manufacture. Manucci in his famous travel-book Storia Do Mogor (second half of the seventeenth century) records that Banaras exported to all over the world, its gold or silver zaritextiles, which were “of the best quality.” TheKhulasat-ut- Tawarikh, a work compiled in 1720 AD describes two other types of Banarasi fabrics: “The Jhuna and the Mihrgula among others were of principal character.” However, the author does
not specify them. Were they two important types of zarior brocades. Due to political upheaval Banaras received a set back in the middle of the eighteenth century when Ahmad Shah Bangash dispatched his troops towards Banaras and threatened to reduce it and a fat ransom was paid to him (1750 AD)to save the town. Maratha records, in 1751, inform us that Banaras was almost deserted in that period and its many banking houses turned insolvent. People at large felt themselves unsafe and unprotected from the cruel hands of the invading Rohillas. Further the Nawabs of Oudh tried to destroy the local chief Balavant Singh, Banaras continued to face a menace to danger and insecurity at least for another fifteen or twenty years. In November 1764 AD” the East India Company’s forces entered Banaras and soon Banaras transferred its allegiance to the Company. It was due to some rich settlers in Banaras, particularly due to the Maratha interest in this city, in its learning and arts that in the middle of the eighteenth century Banaras retrieved back its old glory to some extent. Other exiled members of the ruling families and dignitaries seeking asylum in the East. India Company’s enclave or retired pious Hindus of higher classes as well as Mughal princes, scions of the Nawab of Oudh and people belonging to the house of the Peshwa residing in Banaras contributed substantially to its cultural and economic life. This spurred Banaras zariand brocade manufacture and its trade and this explains for the rise of Banaras textile industry to the present altitude. With reference to the textile industry in Banaras, zari and brocades were for almost the first time well- recorded by several British travellers to Banaras. George Viscount Valentia, in his travel-account furnishes some interesting information about Banaras textiles in early nineteenth century. Valentia held a Durbar in Banaras some textile-traders also attended the Durbar and displayed some very good examples of zari and brocades. Valentia remarks that the brocades showed close patterns and were quite expensive, so that they were worn only on important occasions. Valentia right observed that the prosperity of the Banaras people mainly rested on its brocades and zari manufacture and trade, and that these textiles were popular Items of export to Europe. Soon after, in his census report, Mr. Deane, the then Collector of Banaras, recorded several types of artisans in Banaras. Among these figure out the Muslim weavers (carpet weavers) and the Rajput (Muslim) weavers who produced several types of zari and brocades. The zari and brocade weavers seem to have been considerable in number as the number of their houses was about 580 at that time, which although a symbolic figure, may show their abundance. To study the various processes of their manufacture, the dozens of the “Company Style” illustrations are most helpful, a number of which are now in the possession of the India Office Library, London. These illustrations, sometimes, show the textile pieces under manufacture and they confirm in details to the information recorded by the English travellers in the East India Company period.Bishop Heber, travelling in this region in the early nineteenth century observed that Banaras was a great centre of textile-trade as well as a market for Kashmir shawls. Dacca muslin and its own manufacture: “it has a very considerable silk, cotton and woollen manufacture of its own.” These included some expensive type of probably zari and brocades. Mrs. Colin Mackenzie, a traveller to Banaras in1847 AD, records some, interesting information about the zari and brocade textiles. An Indian prince who visited their party wore “wide trousers of cloth of gold”, or brocade. This seems to be very popular among the gentry of Banaras, which is corroborated by her later account and also b)’ the surviving examples of that period. Mrs. Mackenzie also furnishes a very interesting account of the shops which dealt in the zaribrocade. “This was the house of one of the richest manufacturers at Banaras. Half of the room was raised one step. Here we sat while bales of the most magnificent gold and silver stuffs, called “Kinkob” were unrolled before us. I do not suppose any European brocades equal them. They are used by the natives for trousers some of the muslins spotted with gold and muslin shawls and scarves with gold and silver borders for about thirty rupees were beautiful…” The above account not only gives a picture of the trade but also informs us about the price which these stuffs fetched in those times, assuming that the prices offered to Mrs. Mackenzie were meant for fabrics of high quality. She also informs us how brocade was popular in the ladies’ dress as she narrates her visit to the Rajah of Sattara. The dress of the ladies included, “a very short red jacket with short sleeves …a red drapery embroidered or spriggled with gold enveloped the whole person …the jacket was (made of) cloth of gold…a singing woman, with stiff outstanding petticoats of red gold, was introduced.” These stray information leave no doubt about the popularity of the brocades used as material for both male and female costumes. The men also had their coats made of brocade. This seems to be the popular costume-type all over the country in the nineteenth century, specimens of which are preserved inBharat Kala Bhavan and other collections; some of them are being reproduced in this book. Soon after, Dr. J. Forbes Watson published his monumental work, The Textile Manufacturers and the People of India. This seems to be the first authentic and systematic record of the facts relating to the textile industry in the nineteenth-century India. He quotes Captain Meadows Taylor, who observes:”a piece of silver of about the length and thickness of man’s forefinger gilded or of pure gold was beaten and drawn through successive holes in a steel plate an line wire was literally as thin as a hair”. This was the kalabattu. Water adds that the gold or silver thread, badla, was twisted around silk thread and woven. The women who manufactured the gold and silver thread were called batavaiya(those who twisted into the shape of kalabattu).The brocades were meant forcholi sleeves etc. or for the entire piece for the choli. Watson reproduced a sample of the kimkhabfrom Banaras in his Vol.7. It was a silk gauze and gold showing diagonal stripes and flowers in gold on a mauve ground, which was and is a very popular shade for the ground (angan).Unfortunately, the price of the stuff js not quoted; the textile was 13′ 8″ long and 2′ 10″ wide. However, it is strange that Watson did not furnish any account of the zari sarisand scarves which seem to have been very popular in the nineteenth century and are still very popular. The official catalogue of 1 he Crafts Exhibition, Delhi (1902-03) IndianArt at Delhi by Sir George Watt throws immense light on the Banaras kimkhabs,and zaris. The process of manufacture is recorded in the following statement: “The small needle-like spool (simple pencil of bamboo, actually called ‘needle’ by the weavers) is by the hand carried in and out of the exact number of threads of the warp that may be necessary in the production of the pattern”. Thus, loosely it was called ‘loom-embroidery’. Sir George further informs that Banaras has been the chief centre of brocades or kimkhabs. The zari work was known in Banaras as pot-than. He distinguishes the various sub-types, e.g., baftas, amarusand even the gold and silk gauzes or abrawanswhich were brocades in only varying degrees of the use of gold thread; the brocades in pure silk were known as amarus, those with gold wire or thread (kalabattu)in addition to silk were kimkhab,sometimes a speck of golden thread orkalabattu illuminiated a particular feature of the pattern in the amaru. Kimkhab came very near to borderings, braidings and trimmings. The kimkhabs included pure cloth of gold or silver, the brocades with greater portion of the surface in kalabattu” which were too heavy to be worn and therefore, were chiefly used for curtains and trappings. A business family, connected with the trade in Banaras, informed that for trappings and curtains the gold or silver thread (kalabattu) was made of much heavier material known as ekpara, dopara, tinpara, chaupara and even chhapara brocade. These various grades were determined on the basis of the number of kalabattu threads repeated in a given spare; for example, the ekpara represents ten such kalabattu threads in a running inch. Thus, even the chaupara was supposed to be a very heavy material popularly used for trappings of elephants etc. It was only rarely that the chaupara was used. The curtains were also heavy fabrics and they were double-sided weaving ( do-rukha). Similarly, very close weaving was known as khes.The other factor which determined the price of the kimkhabwas the degree of gilding on the kalabattu ‘thread’, which was determined as ekratia, doratia, tinratia, chauratia and so on; i.e., containing one or more ratis (one rati = nearly 7.5 gm.) in the kalabattu thread which had its unit as one thousand or twelve hundred yards etc. (the hazargaja or barahsaugaja). Originally, the manufacture of kalabattuwas an indigenous industry but later on it was imported from France. The “Gold Mohour” brand French gilded wire or thread (i.e., kalabattu) was most popular among the Banaras weavers. Thickness of the textile is mainly. due to the silk threads used in the ‘enamel’ work. The colour pattern in the ‘enamel’ work was technically known asalfi. The very fine kimkhab work was known as ektara. The Banaras weavers recollect that Surat manufactured very fine gold’ thread’ (kalllbattu) which was used for very fine type of work.It is also learnt that formerly the two localities of Banaras, viz. Madanpura and Alaipura monopolised the manufacture of the zari
and brocades respectively. However, in the present times both the centres in Banaras manufacture both the varieties. The third variety of brocades, according to Sir George, known as bartas or pot- thans, had only certain portions of the pattern in gold or silver thread (kalabattu) while the abrawan (a Persian term) meant a silk gauze or muslin with certain portions of the pattern shown in kalabattu. The exhibition displayed some important and beautiful kimkhabs from Banaras and Ahmedabad. The garments represented a riding coat and a long coat jalidar (mesh pattern enclosing rosettes) and lahariyadar (wavy lines) pattern respectively. They were bordered with gold embroidery and pearls; The gudari pattern anga showed uniform patches of several colours and beautiful pale border. Watt observed that due to many factors, the kimkhab industry was on decline in the early twentieth century. The taste changed considerably during the nineteenth century with the advent of the British rule and the manufacturers were forced to change according to the new patron’s taste. The Banaras brocades witnessed a major change due to a special and interesting factor. Watt recorded that a weaver happened to visit London. The state of Banaras weavers, the manufacture of zari textiles and its trade are very well-recorded in the District Gazetteer of 1909. Most of the workers (in weaving and cognate crafts) were Muslims, yet there were high-cast Hindus also, total about 12,000 people.” All the raw material is imported from Bengal, Central Asia and even China (via Bombay). China silk is a yellow colour and fine quality. The Central Asian is known as sangaland this is either wardwani or white or bashiri or yellow (from Samarkand and Bukhara). The Central Asian import is dwindling because the cost is enhanced by the necessity of sorting the threads which are of varying thickness”…. “Of Late Italian silk has been largely imported from Como and elsewhere and is used for the well known ‘Kashi silk’ and similar fabrics”. Many of those were dyed by celebrated artisans, some exported to Lucknow by Nawab Wazirs. But aniline dyes imported from Europe replaced vegetal dyes. Brocades were exported to Europe the patterns are often merely geometrical. The kimkhabs are very heavy in texture and are seldom used for fabrics. A lighter fabric, both in material and ornamentation is the pot-than or bafta work, which in colouring and pattern differs but little from the former. Where the kalabattu work in gold or silver is omitted the brocade is known as amaru and this is much in demand among those who cannot afford the high prices demanded for kimkhab work.Similarly, in every sphere of lndian art and industry cheap and decadent European influence was felt. The colours used in the Banarasi brocades were indigenous and showed a preference to dazzling and variegated tones. The import of European chemical pigment, however, considerably influenced the local taste, still in certain cases it could not substitute some of the very popular colours. But the European customers or the Westernised Indian patrons cared for more sophisticated or sombre colour- schemes. This vitally changed the entire out look of the Banarasi manufacturers, their colour-sense was irretrievably lost and consequently led to the decline in taste. This state of affairs continues in some proportions. Certain weavers, induced by the traders, still produce incredibly bad motifs, most inspired by cheap Edwardian or Georgian prints.
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA
Trousers are an item of clothing worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in skirts and dresses). They are also called pants in some countries, notably the United States. (However, in Britain, the word “pants” generally means underpants and not trousers.). Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come down only to around the area of the knee, higher or lower depending on the style of the garment. To distinguish them from shorts, trousers may be called “long trousers” in certain contexts such as school uniform, where tailored shorts may be called “short trousers”, especially in the UK.
In most of the Western world, trousers have been worn since ancient times and throughout the Medieval period, becoming the most common form of lower-body clothing for males in the modern world, although shorts are also widely worn, and kilts and other garments may be worn in various regions and cultures. Since the mid-20th century, trousers have increasingly been worn by females as well. Jeans, made of denim, are a form of trousers for casual wear, now widely worn all over the world by both sexes. Shorts are often preferred in hot weather or for some sports, and also often by children and teenagers. Trousers are worn at the hips or waist, and may be held up by their own fastenings, a belt, or suspenders (braces). Leggings are form-fitting trousers of a clingy material, often knitted cotton and spandex.
Medieval Europe
Trousers of various design were worn throughout the Middles Ages in Europe, especially by males. Loose-fitting trousers were worn in Byzantium under long tunics,[18] and were worn by many of the tribes, such as the Xiongnu Hun that migrated through Europe in the Early Middle Ages, as evidenced by both artistic sources and such relics as the 4th-century costumes recovered from the Thorsberg bog (see illustration).Trousers in this period, generally called brais, varied in length and were often closed at the cuff or even had attached foot coverings, although open-legged pants were also seen.
By the 8th century there is evidence of the wearing in Europe of two layers of trousers, especially among upper-class males. This under layer is today referred to by costume historians as “drawers,” although that usage did not emerge until the late 16th century. Over the drawers were worn trousers of wool or linen, which in the 10th century began to be referred to as breeches in many places. Tightness of fit and length of leg varied by period, class, and geography. (Open legged trousers can be seen on the Norman soldiers of the Bayeux Tapestry.)
Although Charlemagne (742–814) is recorded to have habitually worn his trousers, donning the Byzantine tunic only for ceremonial occasions, the influence of the Roman past and the example of Byzantium led to the increasing use of long tunics by men, hiding most of the trousers from view and eventually rendering them an undergarment for many. As undergarments, these trousers became briefer or longer as the length of the various medieval outer-garments changed and were met by, and usually attached to, another garment variously called hose or stockings.
In the 14th century it became common among the men of the noble and knightly classes to connect the hose directly to their pourpoints (the padded under jacket worn with armored breastplates that would later evolve into the doublet) rather than to their drawers. In the 15th century, rising hemlines led to ever briefer drawers until they were dispensed with altogether by the most fashionable elites who joined their skin-tight hose back into trousers. These trousers, which we would today call tights but which were still called hose or sometimes joined hose at the time, emerged late in the 15th Century and were conspicuous by their open crotch which was covered by an independently fastening front panel, the codpiece. The exposure of the hose to the waist was consistent with 15th-century trends, which also brought pourpoint/doublet and the shirt, previous undergarments, into view, but the most revealing of these fashions were only ever adopted at court and not by the general population.
Men’s clothes in Hungary in the 15th century consisted of a shirt and trousers as underwear, and a dolman worn over them, as well as a short fur-lined or sheepskin coat. Hungarians generally wore simple trousers, only their colour being unusual; the dolman covered the greater part of the trousers.
Modern Europe
Around the turn of the 16th century it became conventional to separate hose into two pieces, one from the waist to the crotch which fastened around the top of the legs, called trunk hose, and the other running beneath it to the foot. The trunk hose soon reached down the thigh to fasten below the knee and were now usually called “breeches” to distinguish them from the lower-leg coverings still called hose or, sometimes stockings. By the end of the 16th century, the codpiece had also been incorporated into breeches which featured a fly or fall front opening.
In order to modernize, Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree in 1701 commanding every Russian, other than clergy and peasant farmers, to wear trousers.
During the French Revolution, the male citizens of France adopted a working-class costume including ankle-length trousers, or pantaloons (from a Commedia dell’Arte character named Pantalone)[32] in place of the aristocratic knee-breeches. The new garment of the revolutionaries differed from that of the ancien regime upper classes in three ways: it was loose where the style for breeches had most recently been form-fitting, it was ankle length where breeches had generally been knee-length for more than two centuries, and they were open at the bottom while breeches were fastened. This style was introduced to England in the early 19th century, possibly[original research?] by Beau Brummell, and by mid-century had supplanted breeches as fashionable street wear.[33] At this point, even knee-length pants adopted the open bottoms of trousers (see shorts) and were worn by young boys, for sports, and in tropical climates. Breeches proper survived into the 20th century as court dress, and also in baggy mid-calf (or three-quarter length) versions known as plus-fours or knickers worn for active sports and by young school-boys. Types of breeches are still worn today by baseball and American football players.
Sailors may have played a role in the worldwide dissemination of trousers as a fashion. In the 17th and 18th centuries, sailors wore baggy trousers known as galligaskins. Sailors also pioneered the wearing of jeans, trousers made of denim.[citation needed] These became more popular in the late 19th century in the American West because of their ruggedness and durability.
Women’s trousers
Back in the early 20th century it was believed that the role of women – always, under any circumstances, be graceful and elegant decoration of the men. But in 1915, in the midst of World War I, women were forced to replace men in offices and at work, and cheap cocktail dresses since the shops were forbidden to wear tight corsets and wide skirts (for security reasons), the wardrobe women first appeared suits and breeches. The first ladies trousers were worn only for work in production, but later, considering them the convenience and comfort, the women carried it borrowed from the male wardrobe item on the street. So pants coming into fashion and everything to gain a stronger position in the women’s locker room. Girls era “flepperov” in the 20s, began to look like boys, sitting on a motorcycle and flying an airplane, and increasingly began to intrude into hitherto purely masculine sphere of activity. Changed and the fashion for the female figure – disappeared curvy shape, and the bust and hips are significantly reduced. As life became “modern” style with its simple shapes and lines of brevity. The lack of young men after the war has affected the number of working women. There was a gradual perekochevanie from male to female clothing tuxedos, trousers “golf” and even pajamas. Long dresses, skirts forever gone … Of course, changed the overall appearance of women: short hair, bright makeup and a cigarette in his hands became the norm. For the affluent end of the 20’s – early 30’s heyday was the beginning of the twentieth century fashion. Fashion for women’s pants, as such, has its origins in 1933 with a light hand Marlene Dietrich, who wore pants as work clothes during the filming. While other stars of the screen followed suit, though, before the Second World War, women’s trousers were regarded as a kind of avant-garde. Beginning of the 20th century marked the advent of the great and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who first liberated the female wardrobe from centuries-old conventions and brought into fashion practical elegance. “I make clothes that women can be, to breathe, to feel comfortable and look younger,” – said Chanel. Of course, the fighter with the conventions did not escape his attention, and pants. But, for the 40th year, long dresses with puffed sleeves pushed pants in the shade. In the fashionable again entered womanhood, which at that time was associated with no pants. Even in tough times of World War II pants could not regain its rightful place in the women’s locker room. But by the end of the 40s in the world have so little material for the manufacture of stockings that women wear pants had that, at long last, have been rehabilitated. Hard postwar restrictions on the amount cheap prom dresses consumed by tailoring the material resulted in a narrow fashion in women’s trousers with a minimum of decorative detail, and often do without them. Trousers “lost” even folds, flaps, valves and pockets. The growing demand for later revealed to the world loose clothing and sportswear clothing athletic cut their x / cotton fabrics that have appeared in the pages of catalogs fashionable women’s clothing . At the same time began their conquest of the stubborn hearts of female jeans made ????by the company, “Levi Strauss & Company.” Then fashion and flannel trousers moved to Britain from European fashion, which is certainly pleased with the popular designer Elsa Shaparelli, adherent coarse surrealist style. Began the wholesale copying of these pants a la Marlene Dietrich, who were cut like men’s and buttoned at the side, as the sailors. It should be noted an important role in strengthening the position of women’s trousers appeared during the war, the desire of women to join the ranks of the armed forces, which led designers to creation of uniform and quasi uniform for the beautiful half of humanity. Shaparelli even created a practical pantsuit “to combat anxiety,” which is fastened to the “zipper”. He soon gained enormous popularity. The more time passed after the war, the more women’s pants bought soft lines and decorative details. At the same time increasing the volume – pants are longer and wider, pleated and draped got. February 12, 1947, after the first Dior fashion show, Janet Ironside, later a professor of fashion design, she exclaimed: “It was like the beginning of a new love at first sight Venice, a new chance, in fact, a new outlook on life! “. And, indeed, with the advent of new lines, materials and textures, with women drawing parts and items of men’s wardrobe, a new era in fashion. It is now no surprise women’s pants – we wear jeans, shorts, pants, straight pants have become classics of precious materials and light as a cloud, skirts – pants. Modern fashion is so democratic, that allows you to choose trousers, only from my own taste and needs. In a fashion all you like, all you have to face, and, above all, what you feel comfortable. Modern designers only recommend a certain season to wear something specific, but it’s just trendy things, the things one-day, having a place to be in your wardrobe only as an accent, proving that you live in the real world and know about the latest fashion trends. So the designers recommend? Classic trousers, tight-fitting top and gently sloping down thighs straight trouser leg down long enough to leave open only 2-3 cm heel. Tissue is preferable to soft, but with a tight weave (the more so in the court of winter), but the presence of a “shooter” depends entirely on the context in which you want to wear them – are unlikely to be appropriate “arrows” in conjunction with overstock a light lace blouse or knit sweater large, but with the “masculine” face – at the time. Straight pants preferable to choose the cut, approaching the “masculine.” Pockets, which is also a hint of a masculine cut, have to be just vtachnoy, no overhead! Top of pants to make them feminine, can be decorated with a yoke with pleated trouser leg going down. Not interfere with overestimated and waist. Wear these pants with narrow short jacket that looks great! Still at the height of tight pants and capri pants with cuffs, it is due to the increasing popularity of high boots and boots – pipe. Stressed-sexy silhouette, “hourglass” will give a narrow trousers blouses with puffed sleeves and ruffles rich finish and lace. Moreover, such an ensemble can claim to be “glamorous bohemian.” To narrow trousers this season, “included” a wide leather belt or belt east, emphasizing the waist and hip line. Unlike direct pants, the presence of patch pockets on the narrow models welcome. But the bell model should alter or remove to better times – they seem old-fashioned you are risking. Oh, those cute shorts! Owners of pride and envy, slender legs those legs with no luck. Worn with boots, heels and her short jacket, they represent the world curvy legs and slim hips, fascinate and attract admiring glances from both sexes … but do not overdo it: too short, they, along with too high boots, men will be judged on your vsedostupnosti and permissiveness! Bold natures designers offer riding breeches-style “military” with metal buttons and piping, or “jockey” Pants, worn in an ensemble with high boots without heels. Included with the breeches jackets look great with a lush collar. For those who prefer a convenient and practical knitwear, trousers and search recommend suits from him. Moreover, they can be as wide, like pajamas, and slightly narrowed (but do not confuse them with the elk). By the way, narrowed knit pants will look quite spectacular with a strict dress right, or even a skirt-cylinder, but wear this outfit dare only the most extravagant ladies. A bit of common rules for the choice of pants. Low women do not recommend wearing very loose models, very high – shorter, but better to choose a full trousers, lying gently on the hips and slightly narrowed down (only slightly!), As well as models with straight trouser leg. Just straight trousers recommend to owners of lush thighs, which is not to be carried away by the abundance of decorative details on the problem area. In general, the decor – a great tool distraction views from unwanted places. The eye-catching decoration and details such as large pockets and a bright line, should be placed on the most advantageous positions to highlight the advantages (and they have all the figures in abundance) and hide flaws. So, go for it! Wear comfortable, practical and comfortable slacks, wisely and with great love for his chosen life on and fly with ease!
Although women had been wearing trousers for outdoor work thousands of years earlier in the Western world, by the time of Christianization it had become taboo for women to wear trousers. It was Eastern culture that inspired French designer Paul Poiret (1879–1944) to become one of the first to design pants for women. In 1913 Poiret created loose-fitting, wide-leg trousers for women called harem pants, which were based on the costumes of the popular opera Sheherazade. (Written by Nikola Rimsky-Korsakov [1844–1908] in 1888, Sheherazade was based on a famous collection of legends from the Middle East called 1001 Arabian Nights.).It was only in the 1960s that trousers became acceptable wear for Western women.
Starting around the mid-19th century, Wigan pit brow girls scandalized Victorian society by wearing trousers for their work at the local coal mines. They wore skirts over their trousers and rolled them up to their waists to keep them out of the way. Although pit brow lasses worked above ground at the pit-head, their task of sorting and shovelling coal involved hard manual labour, so wearing the usual long skirts of the time would have greatly hindered their movements.
Women working the ranches of the 19th-century American West also wore trousers for riding. In the early 20th century aviatrices and other working women often wore trousers. Frequent photographs from the 1930s of actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn in trousers helped make trousers acceptable for women. During World War II, women working in factories and doing other forms of “men’s work” on war service wore trousers when the work demanded it. In the post-war era, trousers became acceptable casual wear for gardening, the beach, and other leisurely pursuits.
In Britain during the Second World War, because of the rationing of clothing, many women took to wearing their husbands’ civilian clothes, including their trousers, to work while their husbands were away from home serving in the armed forces. This was partly because they were seen as practical garments of workwear and partly to allow women to keep their clothing allowance for other uses. As this practice of wearing trousers became more widespread and as the men’s clothing wore out, replacements were needed. By the summer of 1944, it was reported that sales of women’s trousers were five times more than they had been in the previous year.
In the 1960s, André Courrèges introduced long trousers for women as a fashion item, leading to the era of the pantsuit and designer jeans and the gradual eroding of social prohibitions against girls and women wearing trousers in schools, the workplace and in fine restaurants.
20th Century Pants
Paul Poiret, the famous early 20th century fashion designer, introduced a line based on the Ballet Russes’ Sheherazade which featured a long tunic worn over harem pants. The loose style pants eventually found their way into women’s wardrobes as hostess or palazzo pants, sometimes worn at the beach. They became quite popular in the 1930’s and were seen on fashion icons like Coco Chanel and Katharine Hepburn.
During World War I when British women took over factory and farm work, replacing men gone into the military, pants took on a new role for women as a practical garment.
World War II put women back into the work force and back into pants. Famous posters of female workers encouraged women to wear practical bib overalls and dungarees, or what we now call jeans.
The later 20th century saw an explosion of trouser styles for men and women. Though men’s dress pants have changed little since the 1930’s, it is not unusual to see men wearing shorts, a type of pants once worn only by children. Jeans evolved from practical work garments to the symbol of outsider fashion, to the classic garment no one can be without.
Various styles of trousers have come and gone in the past 112 years with certain styles disappearing for decades, then coming back full force. The stirrup stretch pants of the early 1960’s returned in the 1980’s. Capris have disappeared and made a come-back.
Trousers became acceptable dress and business wear for women by the late 1970’s, with pants suits worn by women in high positions.
Types of Pants
Capri Pants were introduced by Sonja de Lennart in 1948. Named after her favorite vacation spot, the fitted mid calf length pants became an instant classic worn by Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Laura Petrie, the female lead on the Dick Van Dyke Show played by Mary Tyler Moore wore Capri pants in her role as an early 1960’s housewife. TV wives had, until that time, usually worn skirts or dresses.
Gauchos are loose, skirt-like pants with just below the knee hems, and look well paired with boots.
Shorts, at first worn only by children and boys under 8 years of age, gained popularity as the 20th century advanced. Burmuda shorts feature hems just above the knee and were popularized by the British in warmer climates. Burmuda shorts were paired with high socks, dress shirts, ties, and jackets.
In the United Kingdom, children still wear shorts as part of their school uniform paired with a school blazer and high socks.
Daisy Dukes are very short shorts.
Cut-offs are jeans that have been re-cut into shorts, usually without a finished hem.
Pedal Pushers appeared on the August 28, 1944 cover of Life Magazine. Shortened Capri’s or lengthened shorts, Pedal Pushers, also called Clam Diggers, end just below the knee, convenient for bike riding or clam digging. They are very similar to knickerbockers.
Knickerbockers are a form of kike pants or golf pants ending just below the knee with a fastener and were usually worn by boys or men.
Bell Bottoms, popular in the 1960’s counterculture movement, widen into a bell just below the knee and came in high or low waisted styles.
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA
Want to kno about sari history? Sit back and let us tell you about the oldest sari tradition that has withstood the test of time for more than 5,000 years. This ancient and exotic sari is India’s national dress for women and Indian women love to drape this 6-9 yard fabric around their body.
Though the origin of sari is a bit obscure, we are sure that ancient Indian women were using long and wide cloths to drape their body, gleaned from legends in ancient manuscripts such as the Vedic Scripts, Mahabharata, Silappadhikaram, Kadambari and Natya Shastra. This texts date back to approximately 1500 to 500 BC. Many scholars believe the earliest texts date back 5000 years!
he word sari itself is a corrupted version of Sanskrit word ‘sati’ which means ‘strip of cloth’. Silappadhikaram and the Kadambari an ancient Tamil poetry , describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. While the Natya Shastra- an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes, states that the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari. Sari or sari like long dress is also mentioned in the world longest epic Mahabharata. The legend has it that when the Pandavas lost their wife Draupadi to the enemy clan in a gambling duel, the victors caught one end of her sari and continued to pull and unravel, but could reach no end.
Saree History – Facts
Archeological fact dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (2800-1800 BC) around the western part of the Indian subcontinent. The earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape. Sari-like drape covering the entire body dates back to 100 B.C. A North-Indian Terracotta depicts a woman wearing a Sari wound tightly around her entire body in the trouser style.
Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6th century AD) show goddesses and dancers wearing what appear to be a dhoti wrap. While, Ajanta cave murals (circa 5th Century AD) shows women wearing sarees that cover the entire body. While a Portuguese traveller in the early 1500’s described women wearing white garments very thin cotton or silk of bright colour, five yards long, one part of which is girt round their below and the other part on their shoulder across their breasts in such a way that the arm and shoulder remains uncovered.
Saree History – Traditional Believes
Although in today’s world, the sari is more of a fashion statement, the traditional meanings and symbolism are still important to know apart from sari history. You will be surprised that this attire as very deep meaning and traditional which evolved around the following believes;
• First of all, Hindus believed stitched clothes are impure.
• Hindus considered navel as a source of life and creativity which explains why in a sari the midriff is left bare.
• The Ancient Indian concept of beauty was that of small waist and large bust and hips, and the sari seemed to be the perfect dress as it exposes the waist of a woman and emphasizes the waist and bust with the pleated fabric.
There is no other attire which does all the above. Making women more feminine, while covering her body from head to toe, exposing the waist of a woman, emphasizing the waist and bust and yet making a woman look modest and coy.
Even, celebrities like Angelina Jones, Elizabeth Hurley and Oprah Winfrey have worn sari. You should recal seeing Oprah Winfrey wearing a saree when Aishwarya Rai went to her show.
Designers like Valentino designed a saree dress for Jackie O way back in 50s and it was followed by other designers like John Galliano, Jean Paul and Gaultier, Armani and others. As time goes on the sari only becomes more and more important to the tradition and culture of Indian heritage.
Although sari has evolved over the millennium and became fashionable with sophisticated patterns, vibrant colors and drape styles, sari has retained its originality and has long captivated people’s fascination. It is impressive for a type of clothing to survive and thrive for such a long period of time. Apart from sari history, the other pages will introduce you to various uses of sari fabric from designer dress to a table cloth, curtain, or framed portrait.
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA
The Bengali cotton sarees
The climate in West Bengal is not only hot but also humid. That is why, the Bengali cotton sarees are so very commonly known! Cotton sarees provide comfort to you and at the same time, can be really colourful and gorgeous. Whether you want a sober and dignified look or you wish to flaunt a frivolous spirit, you have Bengali cotton sarees to suit every occasion. The borders of the sarees are wonderful and the texture is either soft and papery or crisp! It tends to soften with every wash.
The tradition of handloom weaving is an ancient art of Bengal and based on that, you have various sarees named:
• Tant sarees– The Bengali ‘Tant’ is very popular and it is cotton-based. Bright colours and heavy borders characterize the ‘tant’ sarees.
• Daccai Jamdani sarees– The Daccai Jamdanis’ origin can be traced back to the East of Bengal and has been named after Bangladesh’ capital city- Dacca. These hand-woven sarees have a fine, transparent and light texture and it takes a lot of time to get weaved. The sarees are price range is very wide, ranging from Rs 2000 to Rs 20,000 and adds a different dimension to your personality!
• Dhonekhali/Dhaniakhali sarees– The name comes from the ‘Dhianiakhali’ district of Hoogly in West Bengal. These cotton sarees are normally of six meters drape and have a thread count of 100 by 100. The borders are brightly set in sharp contrast and are about 2 inches wide. They come affordable in price and are quite bright to look at.
• Shantipuri sarees– The name comes from a small village in the district of Nadia in Bengal. The sarees are fine and looks classy when worn.
• Tangail sarees– Tangail sarees are generally woven in a combination of two or three colours, like a majority of other Bengali sarees. The name comes from the ‘Tangail’ village of Bangladesh. Butti designs, flowery patterns and modern art comprise some of the embellishments of the Tangail arees
The Bengali silk sarees
• Baluchari sarees– In the district of Murshidabad, there is a village situated on the banks of River Bhagirati. The village is named Baluchari. The Baluchari sarees owe its origin to this village. The process of making a Baluchari saree is quite long and the production process include cocoon cultivation, yarn processing, motif making and finally weaving. These sarees mark a sense of Bengal aristocracy. Whether you have the scenes of the Mahabharata or Ramayana or the the Mughal reign, different historical allusions are used as the design theme of these sarees. The sarees are generally five yards long and the silk is polished thoroughly after weaving to give an elegant look.
• Garad sarees– These are traditional silk sarees of Bengal and you find Bengali women wearing them during pujas and religious occasions. The texture is smooth, the ground is natural and the borders are usually red. Whether created out of tussar or mulberry, Garad sarees are mostly undyed and are also quite pricey!
• Korial Sarees– If you want something gorgeous yet sober, sensuous yet graceful and dignified, Korial saree is what you want. Often these sarees are associated with the most pompous festival of Bengal- the Durga Puja.
Experiments are going on to improve and modify the texture as well as the design of Bengali sarees so that they have a universal appeal. However care is taken to preserve the individuality of each saree because it is this sense of individuality that sets the Bengali sarees apart from the rest.
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA 
Since before the Center Age groups the outfits has persisted as a item of outfits, but then only as lingerie for men or as a night dress. In the beginning the outfits had neither receiver nor cuffs, but a hem that could be stiffened and buttoned. And you always put it on by taking it over your head. In the Center Age groups one could choose between set or removable receiver. The outfits was often created out of sheets and pillowcases and some times soft silk. In the 1700s the outfits was no longer used only as lingerie, the receiver increased into tremendous ratios and was designed with embroidering and ribbons. Later the the receiver increased back to smaller dimension
The article of clothing often symbolizing elegance and refinement but also an expression of liberty, the shirt for centuries has accompanied and characterized the life of men. Worn by emperors, generals and by common people without distinction, with the passage of time it assumes different roles and meanings.
Until the time of the Italian Republic (1860s), as can be deduced from Latin sources, known by the term “subucula” the shirt had the function of modern undergarments. His historians report that Charles the Great “…wore directly on his person a shirt and pants of linen cotton.” Men and women in the city and the country dressed in the same manner: shirt and long tunic with sleeves of different dimensions. The popularity of the shirt continuously increased and it became a gift object for both the privileged and the needy.
Beginning in the 1300s also art and literature give prominence to this top garment: in the canvases of many painters among which is Caravaggio, or in the literary works such as Boccaccio’s Decameron, where often men and women wore shirts. We suppose therefore that its wide adoption was above all for reasons of hygiene.
Many cities became famous for their shirt production, such as Venice, where for the wedding of noblewoman Lucieta Gradenigo a “shirt of gold” was created. In the 1500s the true protagonist was the collar: from the small flat collars called French to the Italian version that took the form and name of “frill”, to the “giorgiera” that required an enormous expanse of fabric up to 11 meters (36 ft.).
In 1843 at Montevideo in Italy the famous red shirt of the Garibaldini was born.
The shirt, its success constantly growing, began to alter its style according to the occasion: white without a collar and with wide sleeves for the painter, white and at times without a right sleeve for the sword duel, or well hidden under the jacket for pistols. In the 20th century it was above all the American cinema that popularized different types of shirts. Pure white shirts with flowing sleeves worn by Rudolph Valentino, the “Oxford” of Humphrey Bogart, the type suited for the hard life of the far west worn on screen by John Wayne, or to finish, the mythic Hawaiian worn by Tom Sellek in the cult series “Magnum P.I.” of the 1980s.
Of the many types of shirts, how can one forget the “button down”, in particular for the varying accounts of its true origin and authorship. The most memorable suggests that the founder of this most famous American shirt industry, the cult following of this leader of shirts, was inspired in England at a polo match where the players had their collars attached to keep them from flapping in the wind. The more credited version however is another in which its anonymous inventor found himself on a pier in the New York harbor during a particularly windy day and, annoyed by his collar blowing in the wind, attached it at the ends with buttons made of mother of pearl. Whichever is its true genesis, the “button down” is found in formal settings, with the collar open, in moments of relaxation, and dressed up with a tie or bowtie for important occasions, demonstrating that it is the most versatile leader of the many models of shirts.
With this brief voyage through the history of the shirt we can see that from its first appearance in ancient times to today man has never stopped producing it in new shapes and fashions, wearing it in different ways and loving it with an immutable passion,
The golden days of tailoring
During now interval no tops were produced in higher quantities in industries. The well suited man bought his outfits from the customize, just like many do these days again, whilst the common man used tops created by his wife. For lengthy the outfits was a outfits of simple style, but in the center of the Nineteenth millennium the outfits was designed more to the shape of the body, the set receiver disapeared and the outfits started to show up in more vibrant designs espescially as sports tops and labor tops. The white outfits was, until the end of the Nineteenth millennium, considered to be an important feature of success.
The modern shirt
At the end of the World War 1 the outfits went through a major modification. It was only in those times the contemporary outfits with control buttons all along the front became popular, even if the first buttoned outfits was authorized by Brown, Davies & Co as soon as 1871. In the 1930’s the outfits with the set receiver enhanced and it has been with us ever since. Many years later the plastic outfits was presented and during one time interval the more bold short sleeve outfits became designer. In the Sixties the chest pocket was presented as a consequence of the coat under the fit coat becoming more and more unusual.
Nowadays the outfits is a item of outfits for him as well as for her even if most of the tops are manufactured for men. The design and style modifications of recent tops are limitless. The receiver comes in many different cuts and dimensions and is very delicate to style trends. The fabric used come in many features and designs. That is the way it has always been. You can find tops in various features in almost any store these days such as well various food stores. But a fine outfits – one that you wear with pride – you get customized from your customize.
The designed shirt
A tailor-made outfits is a valuable outfits that you treat with pride and care and you are quick to put it on as soon as you get it in your hands. And then you lengthy for wearing it again and again. Associated with a fit and a tie of fantastic taste or gently unbuttoned together with your preferred denims the tailor-made outfits make your clothing complete. Your are quite simply very perfectly well clothed.
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA
The beginnings
Denim and jeans – where do the names come from?
The word jeans comes from a kind of material that was made in Europe. The material, called jean, was named after sailors from Genoa in Italy, because they wore clothes made from it. The word ‘denim’ probably came from the name of a French material, serge de Nimes: serge (a kind of material) from Nimes (a town in France).
The 18th century
At first, jean cloth was made from a mixture of things. However, in the eighteenth century as trade, slave labour, and cotton plantations increased, jean cloth was made completely from cotton. Workers wore it because the material was very strong and it did not wear out easily. It was usually dyed with indigo, a dye taken from plants in the Americas and India, which made jean cloth a dark blue colour.
The 19th century – The California Gold RushMiner panning for gold
In 1848, gold was found in California (not too far from San Francisco) and the famous Gold Rush began. The gold miners wanted clothes that were strong and did not tear easily. In 1853, a man called Leob Strauss left his home in New York and moved to San Francisco, where he started a wholesale business, supplying clothes. Strauss later changed his name from Leob to Levi.
Rivets
A big problem with the miners’ clothes were the pockets, which easily tore away from the jeans. A man called Jacob Davis had the idea of using metal rivets (fasteners) to hold the pockets and the jeans together so that they wouldn’t tear. Davis wanted to patent his idea, but he didn’t have enough money, so in 1872, he wrote to Levi Strauss and offered Strauss a deal if Strauss would pay for the patent. Strauss accepted, and he started making copper-riveted ‘waist overalls’ (as jeans were called then).
In 1886, Levi sewed a leather label on their jeans. The label showed a picture of a pair of jeans that were being pulled between two horses. This was to advertise how strong Levi jeans were: even two horses could not tear them apart.
How jeans became popular
The 1930’s: WesternsDude ranch
In the 1930’s, Hollywood made lots of western movies. Cowboys – who often wore jeans in the movies-became very popular. Many Americans who lived in the eastern states went for vacations on ‘dude ranches’ and took pairs of denim ‘waist overalls’ back east with them when they went home.
The 1940’s: War
Fewer jeans were made during the time of World War 2, but ‘waist overalls’ were introduced to the world by American soldiers, who sometimes wore them when they were off duty. After the war, Levi began to sell their clothes outside the American West. Rival companies, like Wrangler and Lee, began to compete with Levi for a share of this new market.
The 1950’s: Rebels
In the 1950’s, denim became popular with young people. It was the symbol of the teenage rebel in TV programmes and movies (like James Dean in the 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause). Some schools in the USA banned students from wearing denim. Teenagers called the waist overalls ‘jean pants’ – and the name stayed.
The 1960’s: Hippies & the Cold WarHippy with guitar
In the 1960’s many, many university and college students wore jeans. Different styles of jeans were made, to match the 60’s fashions: embroidered jeans, painted jeans, psychedelic jeans…
In many non-western countries, jeans became a symbol of ‘Western decadence’ and were very hard to get. US companies said that they often received letters from people all around the world asking them to send the writer a pair of jeans
The 1970’s: Sweatshops
As regulations on world trade became more relaxed in the late 1970’s, jeans started to be made more and more in sweatshops in countries in the South. Because the workers were paid very little, jeans became cheaper. More people in the countries of the South started wearing jeans.
The 1980’s: Designer Jeans
In the 1980’s jeans finally became high fashion clothing, when famous designers started making their own styles of jeans, with their own labels on them. Sales of jeans went up and up.
The 1990’s: Recession
In the worldwide recession of the 1990’s, the sale of jeans has stopped growing.
And the 21st century……?
By
Ambadi Group Of Textiles
Perambra, Calicut , Kerala , INDIA
ambadipba 