And the studies go on...

Notes from "Introduction: The Needle Before the Wheel", Week One's Lesson.

Maginni emphasises the most important role of clothing: aesthetics. Decoration being the original aim, and later finding other -practical- uses to it.
The idea that protection from weather is only a "side effect" to clothes is intriguing, "The moment we started deciding our own bodies were less attractive than the skins of other animals, and so wore the skins of our dead prey, we preserved body heat sufficient to allow us to live in any environment on the planet, including the arctic." Thus, the possibilty of migration was through the discovery of clothing, as she later adds "Fire and sewing gave humans the ability to cover the planet. This is one very important "side effect"."

Uses include:

• holding onto objects
• preserving body heat
• reducing body heat 
• reducing, and protecting from sun damage in desert climates
• protecting from rough surfaces and war projectiles
• reducing body dampness (rain, sweat, urination)

It is important to accept that people "make clothing choices on a combination of social, aesthetic, and practical factors."
Clothing <-> Social identity

• celebrate social/religious occasions
• visibly identify themselves with a group (can be gender)
• show status within their group (privilege of the aristocracy- "sumptuary laws"- punishing middle class for wearing such items to which they are not entitled)
• attract persons of one’s gender preference "Sexual attraction and repulsion are also served by clothing. [...] Actual bodily sex differences are less pronounced visually than gendered clothing differences." Fetishism- "more aroused by the fetish clothing than by the particular person in it"
• express individual taste-> deeply personal 

"Make me feel like buying..." that is exactly what The J. Peterman Company's way of illustrating clothes and writing about them does. They were mentioned in the Preface of the History of Fashion.

Villa Hopping Blouse

Such sentences as "She said the blouse makes her remember her roots" and...

Boticelli Sheer Puff Sleeve Blouse

"If Boticelli was around he'd have the best design company in the world" makes it personal, gives 'that piece of fabric' a story. Quite an admirable and smart move, and works all the time, be it the selling of clothes or toothpaste; packaging and explanation do count, as does the basic image of the company. (I know dear reader, I am stating the obvious, excuse me for it.)

And now I believe my timid-self might go to sleep as she is dosing off, or just continue listening (for the first time) to Leaves's Eyes newest album, Meredead.
More to come later!