1.
Sweden
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Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, at 450,295 square kilometres, Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10.0 million. Sweden consequently has a low density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre. Approximately 85% of the lives in urban areas. Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times, emerging into history as the Geats/Götar and Swedes/Svear, Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, while the north is heavily forested. Sweden is part of the area of Fennoscandia. The climate is in very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. Today, Sweden is a monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a monarch as head of state. The capital city is Stockholm, which is also the most populous city in the country, legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister, Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire, which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries, the last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Norway was militarily forced into personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, maintaining a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs. The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905, leading to Swedens current borders, though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars, Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts, such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 and it is also a member of the United Nations, the Nordic Council, Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides health care. The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Swēoþēod and this word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means Realm of the Swedes, excluding the Geats in Götaland, the etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic Swihoniz meaning ones own, referring to ones own Germanic tribe
2.
Suit (clothing)
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In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, usually consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits, which originated in Britain as country wear, are the most common style of Western suit and this article discusses the lounge suit, elements of informal dress code. The variations in design, cut, and cloth, such as two- and three- piece, or single- and double- breasted, determine the social, often, suits are worn, as is traditional, with a collared shirt and necktie. Until around the 1960s, as with all mens clothes, a hat would have also worn when the wearer was outdoors. Suits also come with different numbers of pieces, a suit has a jacket and the trousers. Originally, as with most clothes, a tailor made the suit from his clients selected cloth, the suit was custom made to the measurements, taste, and style of the man. Since the Industrial Revolution, most suits are mass-produced, and and it was in the search for more comfort that the loosening of rules gave rise in the late 19th century to the modern lounge suit. As a suit covers all or most of the wearers body, brooks Brothers is generally credited with first offering the ready-to-wear suit, a suit which was sold already manufactured and sized, ready to be tailored. It was Haggar Clothing that first introduced the concept of suit separates in the US, the concept of separately sold jackets and trousers, there are many possible variations in the choice of the style, the garments and the details of a suit. The silhouette of a suit is its outline, tailored balance created from a canvas fitting allows a balanced silhouette so a jacket need not be buttoned and a garment is not too tight or too loose. A proper garment is shaped from the neck to the chest, shape is the essential part of tailoring that often takes hand work from the start. Good tailoring anywhere in the world is characterised by strongly tapered sides and minimal shoulder, more casual suits are characterised by less construction and tailoring, much like the sack suit is a loose American style. The acid test of authentic tailoring standards is the wrinkle that comes from poor tailoring, for interim fittings, Rock Of Eye, drawing and cutting inaccuracies are overcome by the fitting. Suits are made in a variety of fabrics, but most commonly from wool, the two main yarns produce worsteds and woollens. These can be woven in a number of ways producing flannel, tweed, gabardine, other materials are used sometimes, either alone or blended with wool, such as cashmere. Silk alone or blended with wool is sometimes used, synthetic materials, while cheaper, e. g. polyester, are very rarely recommended by experts. For hot weather, linen is also used, and in North America cotton seersucker is worn, the main four colours for suits worn in business are black, light grey, dark grey, and navy, either with or without patterns. In particular, grey flannel suiting has been very widely since the 1930s
3.
Coat (clothing)
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A coat is a garment worn by both men and women, for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, other possible features include collars, shoulder straps and hoods. Persians were the first people who made coats, coat is one of the earliest clothing category words in English, attested as far back as the early Middle Ages. The Oxford English Dictionary traces coat in its meaning to c. 1300, when it was written cote, the word coat stems from Old French and then Latin cottus. It originates from the Proto-Indo-European word for woolen clothes, an early use of coat in English is coat of mail, a tunic-like garment of metal rings, usually knee — or mid-calf length. The medieval and renaissance coat is a midlength, sleeved mens outer garment, fitted to the waist and buttoned up the front, with a skirt in its essentials. In the early 19th century, coats were divided into under-coats and overcoats, the term under-coat is now archaic but denoted the fact that the word coat could be both the outermost layer for outdoor wear or the coat worn under that. However, the coat has begun to denote just the overcoat rather than the under-coat. The older usage of the coat can still be found in the expression to wear a coat and tie. Nor do the terms tailcoat, morning coat or house coat denote types of overcoat, indeed, an overcoat may be worn over the top of a tailcoat. In tailoring circles, the tailor who makes all types of coats is called a coat maker, similarly, in American English, the term sports coat is used to denote a type of jacket not worn as outerwear. The term jacket is a term usually used to refer to a specific type of short under-coat. Typical modern jackets extend only to the thigh in length. The modern jacket worn with a suit is called a lounge coat in British English. The American English term is rarely used, traditionally, the majority of men dressed in a coat and tie, although this has become gradually less widespread since the 1960s. Because the basic pattern for the stroller and dinner jacket are the same as lounge coats, a topcoat is a slightly shorter overcoat, if any distinction is to be made. The length of an overcoat varies, mid-calf being the most frequently found, designs vary from knee-length to the ankle length briefly fashionable in the early 1970s and known as the maxi
4.
Trousers
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Trousers or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately. In the UK, the word generally means underwear and not trousers. Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come only to around the area of the knee. To distinguish them from shorts, trousers may be called long trousers in certain such as school uniform. Made of wool, the trousers had straight legs and wide crotches, breeches were worn instead of trousers in early modern Europe by some men in higher classes of society. Since the mid-20th century, trousers have increasingly been worn by women as well, jeans, made of denim, are a form of trousers for casual wear, now widely worn all over the world by both sexes. Shorts are often preferred in hot weather or for sports and also often by children. Trousers are worn on the hips or waist and may be held up by their own fastenings, leggings are form-fitting trousers, of a clingy material, often knitted cotton and spandex. In Scotland, trousers are occasionally known as trews, which is the root of the word trousers. Trousers are also known as breeks in Scots, a related to breeches. The item of clothing worn under trousers is underpants, in North America and Australia pants is the general category term, whereas trousers often refers more specifically to tailored garments with a waistband, belt-loops, and a fly-front. So informal elastic-waist knitted garments would be called pants, but not trousers, North Americans call undergarments underwear, underpants, undies, jockey shorts, shorts, long johns or panties to distinguish them from other pants that are worn on the outside. The term drawers normally refers to undergarments, but in dialects, may be found as a synonym for breeches. In these dialects, the term underdrawers is used for undergarments, many North Americans refer to their undergarments by their type, such as boxers or briefs. In Australia, mens underwear also has various terms including under-dacks, undies. In New Zealand mens underwear is known as undies, or y-fronts, various people in the fashion industry use the words trouser or pant instead of trousers or pants. The words trousers and pants are pluralia tantum, nouns that generally appear in plural form—much like the words scissors. However, the form is used in some compound words, such as trouser-leg, trouser-press
5.
Wool
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Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids. Wool has several qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur, it is crimped, Wool is produced by follicles which are small cells located in the skin. These follicles are located in the layer of the skin called the epidermis. Follicles can be classed as primary or secondary follicles. Primary follicles produce three types of fiber, Kemp, medullated fibers and true wool fibers, secondary follicles only produce true wool fibers. Medullated fibers share nearly identical characteristics to hair and are long but lack crimp, Kemp fibers are very coarse and shed out. Wools scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece by helping the individual fibers attach to each other, because of the crimp, wool fabrics have greater bulk than other textiles, and they hold air, which causes the fabric to retain heat. Wool has a specific heat coefficient, so it impedes heat transfer in general. This effect has benefited desert peoples, as Bedouins and Tuaregs use wool clothes for insulation, felting of wool occurs upon hammering or other mechanical agitation as the microscopic barbs on the surface of wool fibers hook together. The amount of crimp corresponds to the fineness of the wool fibers, a fine wool like Merino may have up to 100 crimps per inch, while coarser wool like karakul may have as few as one or two. In contrast, hair has little if any scale and no crimp, on sheep, the hair part of the fleece is called kemp. Wool fibers readily absorb moisture, but are not hollow, Wool can absorb almost one-third of its own weight in water. Wool absorbs sound like many other fabrics and it is generally a creamy white color, although some breeds of sheep produce natural colors, such as black, brown, silver, and random mixes. Wool ignites at a higher temperature than cotton and some synthetic fibers, Wool carpets are specified for high safety environments, such as trains and aircraft. Wool is usually specified for garments for firefighters, soldiers, Wool is considered by the medical profession to be allergenic. Sheep shearing is the process by which the fleece of a sheep is cut off. After shearing, the wool is separated into four categories, fleece, broken, bellies. In Australia before being auctioned, all Merino fleece wool is objectively measured for micron, yield, staple length, staple strength, the sheep is given a dip in antiseptic solution after shearing, so as to cure the wounds caused during shearing
6.
Linen
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Linen /ˈlɪnᵻn/ is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is laborious to manufacture, but the fiber is very absorbent, many products are made of linen, aprons, bags, towels, napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and mens and womens wear. The word linen is of West Germanic origin and cognate to the Latin name for the plant, linum. This word history has given rise to a number of terms in English, most notably line. Textiles in a linen weave texture, even made of cotton, hemp. Such fabrics generally also have their own names, for example fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave is called Madapolam. The collective term linens is still used generically to describe a class of woven or knitted bed, bath, table. The inner layer of fine composite cloth garments was traditionally made of linen, Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world, their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns, and various types of dating to about 8000 BC have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Dyed flax fibers found in a cave in Georgia suggest the use of woven linen fabrics from wild flax may date back even earlier to 36,000 BP. Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt, egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand-spun yarns, were fine for their day. In 1923 the German city Bielefeld issued banknotes printed on linen, today, linen is usually an expensive textile produced in relatively small quantities. It has a long staple relative to cotton and other natural fibers, the word linen is derived from the Latin for the flax plant, which is linum, and the earlier Greek λίνον. The discovery of dyed flax fibers in a cave in Georgia dated to thirty-six thousand years ago suggests that ancient people used wild flax fibers to create linen-like fabrics from an early date, in ancient Mesopotamia, flax was domesticated and linen was first produced. It was used mainly by the class of the society. The Sumerian poem of the courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi, translated by Samuel Noah Kramer and Diane Wolkstein and published in 1983, mentions flax and linen. It opens with briefly listing the steps of preparing linen from flax, in a form of questions, in ancient Egypt, linen was used for mummification and for burial shrouds
7.
Silk
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Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity, Silk is produced by several insects, but generally only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacturing. There has been research into other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level. Silk is mainly produced by the larvae of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis, Silk production also occurs in Hymenoptera, silverfish, mayflies, thrips, leafhoppers, beetles, lacewings, fleas, flies, and midges. Other types of arthropod produce silk, most notably various arachnids such as spiders, the word silk comes from Old English sioloc, from Greek σηρικός serikos, silken, ultimately from an Asian source. Several kinds of silk, which are produced by caterpillars other than the mulberry silkworm, have been known and used in China, South Asia. However, the scale of production was far smaller than for cultivated silks. Thus, the way to obtain silk suitable for spinning into textiles in areas where commercial silks are not cultivated was by tedious. Commercial silks originate from reared silkworm pupae, which are bred to produce a silk thread with no mineral on the surface. The pupae are killed by either dipping them in boiling water before the adult moths emerge or by piercing them with a needle. These factors all contribute to the ability of the cocoon to be unravelled as one continuous thread. Wild silks also tend to be difficult to dye than silk from the cultivated silkworm. Genetic modification of domesticated silkworms is used to facilitate the production of more types of silk. Silk fabric was first developed in ancient China, the earliest example of silk fabric is from 3630 BC, and it was used as wrapping for the body of a child from a Yangshao culture site in Qingtaicun at Xingyang, Henan. Legend gives credit for developing silk to a Chinese empress, Leizu, because of its texture and lustre, silk rapidly became a popular luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants. Silk was in demand, and became a staple of pre-industrial international trade. In July 2007, archaeologists discovered intricately woven and dyed silk textiles in a tomb in Jiangxi province, Silk is described in a chapter on mulberry planting by Si Shengzhi of the Western Han
8.
Savile Row tailoring
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Savile Row tailoring is traditional and modern, men and womens bespoke tailoring that takes place on Savile Row and neighbouring streets in Mayfair, central London. In 1846, Henry Poole, credited as being the Founder of Savile Row, the term bespoke is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to be spoken for by individual customers. With increasing rents the number of tailoring businesses on Savile Row had declined to 19 by 2006, there were also criticisms from Giorgio Armani of falling behind the times. By 1803 some were occupying premises in Savile Row, but none of those original tailors survive today, the Savile Row Bespoke Association was founded in 2004 to protect and to develop bespoke tailoring as practised in Savile Row and the surrounding streets. Founder members include, Anderson & Sheppard, Dege & Skinner, Gieves & Hawkes, the member tailors are required to put at least 50 hours of hand labour into each two-piece suit. This represented a turnover of approximately £21 million, the Fashion Industrys contribution as a whole to the British economy is an estimated £26 billion a year. As of August 2014, Norway’s Oil Fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, had acquired a 57.8 percent interest in the Pollen Estate and this includes properties in Mayfair, among which is Savile Row. Henry Poole & Co are the acknowledged Founders of Savile Row, the company has remained a family-run business since their establishment in 1806. They opened first in Brunswick Square, in 1806, originally specialising in military tailoring and their business moved to Savile Row in 1846, following the death of founder James Poole. Gieves & Hawkes is a traditional British gentlemans bespoke tailor located at No.1 Savile Row, the business dates from the late 19th century, and was formed by the merger of two separate businesses, Gieves and Hawkes. Starting out with roots from two suppliers who focused on the British Army and the Royal Navy, it was the first Savile Row tailor to provide ready-to-wear clothes, there are various Gieves & Hawkes shops and concessions around the UK and in several other countries. It holds a number of Royal warrant of appointments, which all three British Royal Warrants. Dege & Skinner is known for its expertise in military as well as civilian clothing and it remains a family-run business and is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2015. Located at No.10 Savile Row, the firm was founded as J. Dege & Sons, after the Skinner family took full ownership, the business was renamed Dege & Skinner, reopened by customer Colin Montgomerie. The company is by appointment to Queen Elizabeth II, His Majesty the Sultan of Oman. TRHs Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry can be seen wearing Blues & Royals uniforms made by the company in the National Portrait Gallery, davies and Son is an independent tailors on the West side SR, having started in Hanover Street in 1803. It moved to its current location in 1986, making it the oldest independent tailors on Savile Row. It is now owned by Alan Bennett, who stated in an interview, but I realised that by buying into other firms, where the owner might be approaching retirement age, I could add to my customer lists
9.
Hong Kong
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Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total area of 1,106 square kilometres. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945, under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative, in addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of appropriate fields. Hong Kong is one of the worlds most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the worlds most competitive and freest economic entity. As the worlds 8th largest trading entity, its legal tender, Hong Kongs tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by simple taxation with a competitive level of corporate tax and supported by its independent judiciary system. However, while Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and it has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the worlds longest life expectancy. Over 90% of the population use of well-developed public transportation. Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring areas of Mainland China. Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island, before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour, literally means Little Hong Kong)—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was a point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time, fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbours fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour, the name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926. Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric. As of 1997, its name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. This is the title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law. Hong Kong has carried many nicknames, the most famous among those is the Pearl of the Orient, which reflected the impressive nightscape of the citys light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour
10.
The Emperor's New Clothes
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Finally, a child cries out, But he isnt wearing anything at all. The tale has been translated into over 100 languages, the Emperor’s New Clothes was first published with The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, by C. A. Reitzel, on 7 April 1837, as the third and final installment of Andersens Fairy Tales Told for Children. The tale has been adapted to various media, and the title, the phrase The Emperor has no clothes. The Emperors ministers cannot see the clothes themselves, but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions, finally, the weavers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him, and the Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. The townsfolk play along with the pretense, not wanting to appear unfit for their positions or stupid. Then, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all, the Emperor suspects the assertion is true but continues the procession. Andersen did not know the Spanish original but read the tale in a German translation, Andersens manuscript was at the printers when he was suddenly inspired to change the original climax of the tale from the emperors subjects admiring his invisible clothes to that of the childs cry. There are many theories about why he made this change, most scholars agree that from his earliest years in Copenhagen, Andersen presented himself to the Danish bourgeoisie as the naïvely precocious child not usually admitted to the adult salon. The Emperors New Clothes became his expose of the hypocrisy and snobbery he found there when he gained admission. Andersens decision to change the ending may have occurred after he read the tale to a child. He later recalled standing in a crowd with his mother, waiting to see King Frederick VI, when the king made his appearance, Andersen cried out, Oh, hes nothing more than a human being. His mother tried to silence him by crying, Have you gone mad, whatever the reason, Andersen thought the change would prove more satirical. The Emperors New Clothes was first published with The Little Mermaid on 7 April 1837, Reitzel in Copenhagen, as the third and final installment of the first collection of Andersens Fairy Tales Told for Children. The first two booklets of the collection were published in May and December 1835, and met with little critical enthusiasm, Andersen waited a year before publishing the third installment of the collection. Andersens tales eventually became a part of the repertoire, and readings of The Emperors New Clothes became a specialty of, on 1 July 1844, the Hereditary Grand Duke Carl Alexander held a literary soiree at Ettersburg in honor of Andersen. Sight becomes insight, which, in turn, prompts action, prince suggests the ring was an attempt to curb Andersens sudden bent for political satire by bringing him into the royal fold. Hollis Robbins, in The Emperors New Critique, argues that the tale is itself so transparent that there has been little need for critical scrutiny, Robbins concludes that the storys appeal lies in its seductive resolution of the conflict by the truth-telling boy. Its beauty, however, is obscured at the end of the tale with the moral message for children
Media related to Tailors at Wikimedia Commons
