Tag Archives: Fashion

Instead of putting socks in someone’s mouth, put some in their brain.

• A sock is a popular article of clothing designed to fit on a human foot, and it is usually sold in a pair, that match in colour and style, so that both feet can be covered by them.
• People wear socks for a number of reasons, including keeping feet warm; absorbing sweat; increasing foot comfort in shoes; and as a fashion accessory; and they are used in sport and hiking to protect the leg area from abrasions.
• The English term ‘sock’ comes from ‘socc’, an Old English term, meaning ‘light shoe’ or ‘slipper’, which originates from ‘soccus’, a Latin word that has an almost identical meaning.
• Socks are found in a wide range of lengths, including foot, ankle, shin and knee lengths, with some reaching the thigh, although these items are generally named ‘stockings’.
• Synthetic and natural fibres are generally used to make socks, including nylon, silk, wool, linen, polyester and cotton, while thousands of years ago, leather or cloth fabric wrapped around one’s feet, or felted animal hair, were used.

• Socks come in a wide variety of colours, and they can be plain, patterned or feature an image, while some are host to protruding ornaments like bows and pompoms, or trimmed with items like decorative lace.
• The use of socks made from felt in Ancient Greece around the 700s BC is evident, and a knitted pair of Egyptian ones have been found that date back to 200 to 500 AD.
• A knitting machine was invented in 1589 by William Lee, an English clergyman, that quickened the production of socks, although the process was not widely adopted until the late 1700s and early 1800s, and eventually machines completely replaced hand knitting.
• A sock is generally a flexible enclosed item with a small opening at the upper end where the foot is inserted, although some versions of the clothing are flat cloth wrapped around the foot, while others have separated toe pockets.
• Between 400 and 1300 AD, socks became a popular accessory and were adopted by many Europeans, especially the wealthy; and in modern times, socks, which are generally machine knitted, have become readily available and inexpensive in the Western world.

Bibliography:
F Nancy, A Brief History of Socks and Hand-knitted Footwear, 1997, Crofters, http://www.crofters.org/personal%20essays/history%20socks.htm

Sock, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock

Sock History, n.d, Lonely Sock, http://www.lonelysock.com/SockHistory.html

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Do suitcases suit your travelling well?

• Suitcases are a specific type of luggage that is, like all luggage, used to transport possessions and other items while travelling.
• ‘Suitcases’ may also be referred to as ‘luggage’ or ‘baggage’, and when they were first used on a wide basis in the late 1800s, they were used primarily to carry actual suits.
• Suitcases come in a variety of sizes, and those that are smaller in size and suitable for airplane cabin compartments are often known as ‘cabin’ or ‘carry-on’ baggage or luggage.
• Sturdy materials are usually the common substances utilised to make suitcases, that can include plastic, wood, leather, and metal, although fabric may be used.
• Generally suitcases are a rectangular shape that open in half, or open to reveal a main compartment and a lid, and sometimes they feature extra compartments or pockets.

• Suitcases ended up replacing trunks, which were quite rigid, heavy and bulky, making them quite difficult to transport; and they began being made from durable cardboard in the early 1900s, and plastic also became a popular material.
• Suitcases usually feature a handle so that the item can be carried, and they typically have zips or latches to enable closing, though to prevent unwanted opening or tampering, a locking mechanism is often included.
• Suitcases often have wheels attached at the base for greater ease in transporting, of which variants are sometimes called ‘trolley cases’ or ‘roll alongs’, and they frequently have an extendable handle that allows for easier movement.
• Despite various ideas for wheeling luggage in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until Bernard Sadow attached four rollers to the base of a suitcase and patented the idea in 1970 as ‘rolling luggage’, that the world embraced the idea of a wheeled version, although initial uptake of the invention was slow.
• Suitcases are sometimes personalised to highlight the piece among other baggage, particularly when bulk luggage is transported, and an identification tag with the owner’s name and other details is commonly attached to the handle.

Bibliography:
Gross D, The History of the Humble Suitcase, 2014, Smithsonian, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-humble-suitcase-180951376/?no-ist

Suitcase, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase

Do you take the invention of the buckle for granted?

• Buckles are inventions with the primary purpose of linking the ends of two objects, usually strips.
• Buckles are commonly used in fashion either to decorate and/or fasten an item, like belts, sandals or other shoes, and bags, although they can be used to hold strings, strips or other items together, and are used on straps for safety purposes when restraining children in car seats, prams, shopping trolleys, and high chairs.
• ‘Buckles’ are also known as ‘clasps’ and they are available in numerous designs, sizes and colours.
• The term ‘buckle’ comes from the Latin word ‘buccula’, which translates as ‘cheek strap’, referring to helmet straps.
• Buckles were used in Ancient Rome where soldiers utilised the item to fasten together armour, and knights from the Middle Ages also used this invention for a similar purpose.

• Originally buckles were reserved for soldiers or those with lots of money due to the expensive manufacturing process, until the 1400s when methods were created to make the process less expensive.
• Traditional buckles are made of a chape to hold the invention in place on an object, a prong used to secure the opposite end of an object, and a frame and a bar used to support the said parts.
• Buckles were originally made of a metal, normally bronze, while today they can also be made of shell, wood, plastic, and leather.
• Before the invention of the zipper, buckles were one of the main ways to clasp an item together.
• Many modern buckles typically made of plastic, have two ends that snap securely and snugly together, and are perhaps more common than the traditional version, and they are often known as ‘snap fit’ or ‘side release’.

Bibliography:
Buckle, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckle

History of belt buckles, 2013, Fort Tumbleweed, http://www.forttumbleweed.net/beltbucklehistory.html

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