Some days ago, I don't remember in what context, I was wondering if fashion, from the ancient times, was differentiated between the genders. I did a bit of research on the internet (google) and ran in some difficulties...
First as I started with the word "mode", as it is in French, Dutch and German I realized at the end that it was "fashion" in English. Then as I searched with "origin of fashion" all information was related to "fashin design" and that seems to have only started in the 19th century in Europe...
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-fashionAs I see "mode" as a behaviour of how people wear their clothes, I saw that "fashion" in this context wasn't perhaps not the right word. So I started with the history of "clothing" and of course wiki was the first more common entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textilesBut that entry was so vast and general that it at the first sight brought no answer to my question.
So I sought more in the direction of the history of "clothing" and found indeed nearly immediately something interesting even under the title "history of fashion"
from the Egyptians on...
http://www.softschools.com/timelines/history_of_fashion_timeline/267/And they say always about the Americans...
http://mathforum.org/library/view/67186.htmlAnd so I saw that it was from mathschool
https://www.nctm.org/About/Already from 1920...and again, who say the Americans...
As it was a bit American related, I found better
https://bellatory.com/fashion-industry/History-of-Clothing-Why-We-Wear-ClothesAnd the "about us" of Bellatory
https://bellatory.com/about-usAnd here I found for the first time what I sought. And "gender" was only one part of the many purposes of clothing, and of course the first one was "protection" and one had also "status" and that many others
From the article:
"People wear clothes for many reasons, primarily for protection and decoration. While it may seem that protection from the elements is the main function of clothing, the concept of decorating the body is an ancient practice, going back to the days of the Neanderthal who disappeared 30,000 years ago.
Garments have been worn for thousands of years as gender identification, to promote sexual attractiveness, to display status, age, occupation, religion, group membership, and political affiliation, for ceremonial occasions, and for personal expression. Primitive cultures of the modern world who live in clothing optional societies adorn themselves with scarring, tattoos, body paint, amulets, and headgear.
Throughout history, clothing choices were limited by available materials. When people began to devise garments, they were limited by their environment, technology, and geographical place in the world. An abundance of sheep offered wool. In or near places where flax grew, linen became a primary source of woven fabric. As trade routes grew, people were able to expand their use of various materials.
Functionality also played an important role in the wearing of clothing. Hard working peasants needed garments that allowed for ease of movement while the elite displayed their status and power by wearing more elaborate costumes that often restricted movement."
And she comments each item apart as the "gender related one"
"Throughout history, people have worn clothing as gender identification and to appear attractive to the opposite sex. In most cultures, men and women wear slightly different types of garments.
In ancient times, the length of a robe depended on gender. In Ancient Rome men wore shorter hems wile women wore long, draped gowns. The costumes of Ancient Egypt are also gender specific. In medieval Europe men wore tunics exposing their legs, while women's legs were covered at all times.
The idea of what is sexually attractive can change over time. After long years of deep decolletage that highlighted the bosom, style changes were made to emphasize the hips. When hemlines rose in the early 20th century, women's legs were emphasized as the object of attraction.
While the occasional appearance of women in trousers seemed ridiculous and unfeminine in the late 19th century, one hundred years lager, slacks came to be viewed a quite fetching."
I will comment the gender related clothing in an addendum.
Kind regards from Paul.