The Code of Dress is Closely Linked with Character

The code of dress that each individual sets for himself are obviously based on the tastes of the individual. In turn, we can say that the tastes of a person are wholly or at least partly dependent on basic tenets of his character. It is in this way a man depicts or tells about his character through the medium of the dress he wears, as he wears only what is characteristic of his tastes.

At least in these modern times, we can see so many different kinds of apparel emerging from readymade shops and boutiques, and all these as a whole depict the varied natures and characters blooming in today’s world. For those who love to show off and attract the attention of passersby, there are the gaudy colors, gaudy prints, and of course peculiar-looking clothes. Such gaudy and awkward-looking clothes are chosen to be worn by those who like to invite attention. If we observe carefully, we are sure to find that people who dress gaudily are really those who like to show off.

On the other hand, there are some others who are very careless about how they dress. They are seen to wear any clothes, any shoes, clothes without ironing, shoes with laces open. This category of people are those who are not only indifferent to their clothes, but they are sure to be too lazy at home and at work.

Let us now study how the intellectual dresses. We will find that this person never dresses too attractively but he is neatly and meticulously, but simply dressed. This is because, like the gaudy man, the intelligent man does not have to attract attention by his dress; he is already attractive by his cool manners, intellectual talks, and sober behavior.

The code of dress is not only enough to study the behavior of individuals, but it is also sufficient to study the trend of the character of a full generation. In this we need not go too far, let us only study the two present reigning generations, the younger, and the older generations of today. The senior generation, even when it was young, did not believe in showing off, its riches, bodies, or smartness. This is clearly indicated in the simple but neat and good dresses worn by the senior generation of today. When they were young, dresses like jeans, short blouses, deep neck blouses, backless dresses were not prevalent. This was obviously because the generation did not like such dresses, so they did not come into being. This scenario of dress code could thus account for the character of the then younger generation. The character, at that time, was thus, clean, submissive, and intellectual, not interested in glorifying their bodies. It was believed then that, if we are to attract attention we should do it and could do it by so many other means like being courteous and intellectual. This is why showing off by gaudy dresses never found a place in the dress code of the senior generation of today.

On the contrary, the younger generation of today has obviously no sterling qualities of head and heart to boast of or to attract, so they take recourse in vulgar and gaudy dressing. So, when we study these two generations and their prevailing dress codes, we can come to a near conclusive decision that, that the way we dress does depict to a very great extent our character. Even today, the children who are intellectually sound and culturally better than the general lot, find themselves dressing in a more sober style than the others of their own colleagues

Sobriety should mean that a person is dressed as though outdated but, even in this there can be some standard of ethics of dressing. If the fashion is to wear salwar kameez, without a chunni, it will not be considered too backward, for a girl to use a chunni, if she so likes. This will only point at her as a distinct entity, more graceful through the modem

It would be nice if we could dress more decently and depict our clean thoughts to the people instead of showing them our bodies.