Good clothes are functional, comfortable and elegant. These are the three virtues of clothes.
But these virtues cannot be simultaneously present at the highest degree in the same piece of clothing, therefore every garment has to focus on a particular one – without totally neglecting, of course, the other two.
Fortunately, this is not a problem, since we have mainly three different occasions to wear clothes (excluding particular ones like swimming, mining or acting), each one with its different requirements: in the open, at home and during celebrations.
During celebrations our clothes are naturally focused on elegance. We will call this dress code “formal wear” (àbito formale in Human).
The main source of inspiration for our formal wear are the Caucasian male and female dresses (Ingush, Circassian, Chechen, Ossetian, Georgian…), that are the most elegant in the world.
At home our clothes should be focused on comfort. We will call this dress code “home wear” (àbito intɛrno in Human).
The main source of inspiration for our home wear are the clothes of the hot regions (South Asia, Southeast Asia, Mediterranea, East Africa, West Africa…), where people typically wear loose garments – like the sarong –, that are the most comfortable.
In the open our clothes should be focused on utility. We will call this dress code “street wear” (àbito estɛrno in Human).
The main source of inspiration for our street wear are the clothes of the cold regions (Northern Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, North America…), where people typically wear tight garments – like the trousers –, that are the most practical.
Clothes that are equally practical, comfortable and elegant (i.e. that fall in the grey area), without any particular focus, are bad clothes even if they are good, because there are better options in every context.
There is no point in wearing something that is elegant but not too much, comfortable but not too much and practical but not too much.
Human males and females wear different formal clothes, because their bodies are differently elegant: a beautiful female body has a narrower waist than its hips and shoulders, while a beautiful male body has wider shoulders than its hips.
The formal wear reflects these differences.
On the other hand, we wear substantially the same informal clothes, since what is comfortable or practical for females is comfortable or practical for males too.
Cultural focus: Indoor clothes and hospitality
When you enter someone else’s home you should take off your shoes. It is disrespectful to walk on boots in a house, as if you were on the street.
When a guest (for example a relative or a close friend) enters your house you should give him home clothes, in order to make him feel at home. It is direspectful to leave your guests in street clothes, as if they were on the street.
Another point of difference between foreigners and us, linked to the previous one, is that home clothes are more appropriate at home than street clothes.
Foreigners are usually embarassed to show themselves in home clothes when someone visits them or when they have a video call.
Instead we find funny and weird to show yourself in street clothes at home, as if you were a servant at your house.
Il Vento d'Oriente 