Vocabulary practice

1. Look up the words in bold in the dictionary.

II. Complete the following sentences using the words from the text.

1. The earliest clothing probably consisted of fur, leather, leaves or grass, ….., ….. or ….. about the body.

2. Archeologists have identified very early ….. ….. of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC.

3. Some human cultures like various peoples of the Arctic Circle, until recently made their clothing entirely of furs and skins, ….. clothing to fit and ….. it.

4. Other cultures have supplemented or replaced leather and skins with cloth: ….. , ….., or …… from various animal and vegetable fibres.

5. Making the …… that go into clothing is not easy.

6. Before the invention of the ….. ….., textile production was a tedious and labor-intensive process.

7. ……. is one of the methods were developed for making most efficient use of textiles.

8. To make dhotsi for men and sarees for women in the Indian subcontinent the clothes may simply be …. ...

9. In the Scottish kilt or the Javanese sarong ….. or ….. hold the garments in place.

10. Another approach involves ….. and ….. the cloth.

11. Industrial ….. ….. sell odd-shaped cloth remnants as waste; home sewers may turn them into …...

12. Humans spent thousands of years that humans to …… clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles.

III. Study clothing terminology and make up sentences.

• Classes of basic garments: shirt, coat, skirt, dress, suit, underwear

• Length for skirts and dresses: mini, tea length, ballerina length, full length

• Contemporary and historical styles of garments: corset, frock coat, t-shirt, doublet

• Parts of garments: sleeve, collar, lapel

• Styles of these: Juliette sleeve, Peter Pan collar

• Clothing details: pocket, french cuff, zipper

• Functional uses: base layer, insulation layer, outer shell

• Traditional garments: cheongsam, kilt, dirndl

• Fashions and "anti-fashions": preppy, New Look, hip-hop, rational dress

• Fabrics: denim, wool, chiffon, velvet, satin, silk

• Fabric treatments: fabric painting, transfers, ikat, tie-dye, batik

• Fabric manipulation: pleat, tuck, gather, smocking

• Colors and dyes: madder red, indigo, isabella

• Sewing terms: cut, hem, armscye, lining

• Patternmaking terms: sloper, toile

• Methods of manufacture: haute couture, bespoke tailoring, ready-to-wear

• Retailers' terms:

  • Size ranges: missy, plus size, big-and-tall

  • Retail seasons: back-to-school, holiday, resort

  • Degrees of formality: formal wear, bridal, business casual

• Market: high end, high street, ethical consumer, cut price

Language focus

I. Read the text once again. Translate the italisized sentences. Pay attention to the parts underlined. Analize the structures with the Participles and the Gerund. Formulate rules.

Project work

Surf the Internet. Prepare presentation “The History of Clothes”.

C. Lead in

Read the following, translate and make comments.

• Cut one's coat according to one's cloth, live within one's means.

• If one is not wearing a specific brand or style of clothing one's social status may fall.

• Clothes make the man.

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Pay attention to the words in bold.

clothes and Social status

Alim Khan's bemedaled robe is a social message.

In many societies, people of high rank reserve special items of clothing or decoration for themselves as symbols of their social status. In ancient times, only Roman senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple; only high-ranking Hawaiian chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa or carved whale teeth. Under the Travancore kingdom of Kerala (India), lower caste women had to pay a tax for the right to cover their upper body. In China before the establishment of the republic, only the emperor could wear yellow. In many cases throughout history, there have been elaborate systems of sumptuary laws regulating who could wear what. In other societies (including most modern societies), no laws prohibit lower-status people wearing high status garments, but the high cost of status garments effectively limits their purchase and display. In current Western society, only the rich can afford haute couture [ot kutyr]. The threat of social ostracism may also limit garment choice. If one is not wearing a specific brand or style of clothing one's social status may fall.

Traditionally Hindu women, once married, would wear sindoor, a red powder, in the parting of their hair. If widowed, they would abandon sindoor and jewelry and wear simple white clothing. Men and women of the Western world may wear wedding rings to indicate their marital status. Also women in the United States, depending on their heritage and/or religion, will usually wear a simple or extravagant white gown, although some movie stars have been known to wear a black party dress for their wedding.

Religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may also be worn everyday as a marker for special religious status. For example, Jains wear unstitched cloth pieces when performing religious ceremonies. The unstitched cloth signifies unified and complete devotion to the task at hand, with no digression.The cleanliness of religious dresses in Eastern Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism is of paramount importance, which indicates purity.Clothing figures in prominently in the Bible where it appears in numerous contexts, the more prominent ones being: the story of Adam and Eve, Joseph's cloak, Judah and Tamar, Mordechai and Esther. Furthermore the priests officiating in the Temple had very specific garments, the lack of which would make one liable to death.

Jewish ritual also requires rending of one's upper garment as a sign of mourning. This practice is found in the Bible when Jacob hears of the apparent death of his son Joseph.

Most sports and physical activities are practiced wearing special clothing, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Common sportswear garments include shorts, T-shirts, tennis shirts, tracksuits, and trainers. Specialised garments include wet suits (for swimming, diving or surfing), salopettes (for skiing and leotards for gymnastics). Also, spandex materials are often used as base layers to soak up sweat. Spandex is also preferable for active sports that require form fitting garments, such as wrestling, track & field, dance, gymnastics and swimming.