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Clothing covers the body and changes how it meets its surroundings. Shoes form an interface between feet and the ground. Armour provides protection through materials and construction intended to resist particular forms of impact or attack.

These objects can be described in terms of fit, coverage, weight, flexibility and appearance. The same garment may be suitable for one activity and awkward for another. Wearing something, carrying it and being enclosed within it also create different relationships between the body and the object.

== Types and Characteristics ==

* '''Everyday clothing:''' Garments selected for comfort, climate, custom or appearance.
* '''Uniforms:''' Clothing that identifies membership, occupation or a role within an organisation.
* '''Costumes:''' Garments used to represent a character, period or assumed identity.
* '''Shoes and boots:''' Footwear whose soles, fastenings and shape affect contact with the ground.
* '''Protective clothing:''' Garments designed for particular hazards or working conditions.
* '''Armour:''' Protective equipment made from materials such as textile, linked metal rings or fitted plates.

A good fit concerns the relationship between an object and its wearer. Size alone does not describe whether a shoe grips, rubs, supports or restricts, and coverage alone does not describe whether a garment permits the movement needed for an activity.

== Historical Background ==

The Metropolitan Museum of Art challenges the common image of a person in plate armour being unable to move effectively. Its account explains that fitted armour distributed its weight over the body and used connected plates, straps and movable joints to permit movement. [https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/arms-and-armor-common-misconceptions-and-frequently-asked-questions The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Arms and Armor, Common Misconceptions]

This gives a useful historical qualification to the image of armour as an inflexible shell. The design and fit of the equipment affect what its wearer can do. Protection and mobility depend on the particular arrangement.

== Literary Examples ==

In Hans Christian Andersen's ''The Emperor's New Clothes'', two swindlers claim to make cloth that is invisible to people who are foolish or unfit for their positions. The emperor and his officials claim to see the garments rather than acknowledge what is in front of them. A child eventually states that the emperor is wearing nothing. [https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1597/pg1597-images.html Hans Christian Andersen: The Emperor's New Clothes]

The garments acquire significance through the claims made about them and the social consequences of admitting that they cannot be seen. The story can be read as an examination of appearance, status and participation in a shared pretence.

== In Religion ==

Ephesians 6:13-17 associates protective equipment with qualities including truth, righteousness and faith. The passage connects being equipped with the capacity to stand firm. Its clothing and armour images have specific meanings within that religious teaching. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians6%3A13-17&version=NIV Ephesians 6:13-17]

== Idioms ==

* '''Put yourself in someone's shoes:''' Consider another person's circumstances or perspective.
* '''Big shoes to fill:''' A role made demanding by the achievements of a predecessor.
* '''The shoe is on the other foot:''' Positions or circumstances have been reversed.
* '''Wear many hats:''' Perform several different roles.
* '''Roll up your sleeves:''' Prepare to work actively on a task.
* '''A wolf in sheep's clothing:''' A dangerous or hostile person presenting an innocent appearance.
* '''A chink in the armour:''' A weakness in an otherwise protected position.
* '''Dressed for the part:''' Wearing clothing appropriate to an expected role or appearance.
* '''Too big for your boots:''' Acting with an exaggerated sense of one's importance.
* '''Wear your heart on your sleeve:''' Make your feelings readily apparent.

== Homophones ==

'''Sole / soul:''' Sole can name the underside of a foot or shoe. Soul can refer to a person's spiritual or inner life.

'''Wear / where:''' Wear describes having clothing on the body or gradual deterioration. Where concerns location.

'''Seam / seem:''' A seam joins pieces of fabric. Seem concerns how something appears.

== Related Pages ==

[[Feet and Ankles]], [[Chest]], [[Shoulders]], [[Heart]], [[Burdens]].

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	[[Feet and Ankles]], [[Chest]], [[Shoulders]], [[Heart]], [[Burdens]].		[[Feet and Ankles]], [[Chest]], [[Shoulders]], [[Heart]], [[Burdens]].
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		+	== Browse the library ==
		+	[[:Category:Body and anatomy\|Body and anatomy]] \| [[:Category:Objects, constraints and resources\|Objects, constraints and resources]]
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