[geeks] The Dog's Breakfast: Microsoft Windows Vista

[velociraptor]

On 5/8/07, Charles Shannon Hendrix <shannon at widomaker.com> wrote:
> Kevin wrote:
> > Interesting...
> >
> > I've heard, though cannot verify, that the original purpose for the
> > cravat/tie was to protect the shirt from stains.
>
> I heard it was used to wipe hands and sword blades clean after a right.  Also
> the cloths worn around the waste.

High collars (such as you still find on formal military uniforms)
were/are intended to keep folks standing up straight and not
slouching, e.g. "formal military bearing".

I believe that you are correct on protecting shirts and waistcoats
(the more expensive of the two) from stains.  Remember that these
folks didn't have mechanized washing.  Many types of fabrics could not
really be "washed" in the sense that we think because the dyes were
not really "set", the fabrics were prone to shrinking.  The clothing
was also pretty delicate, since they were hand sewn until the
production of the sewing machine in the 1800's (it was invented
earlier, but never built, modified to work, and put into production).

Some of the more interesting things I looked at in the Museum of
American History in DC was General Washington's uniform, as well as
the uniforms of some British soldiers.  Pretty cool stuff.

=Nadine=