Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Jeanne Heitmeyer, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Textiles and Consumer Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 14, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 122 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

In the history of sartorial reflection, the usual offerings for human motivations to dress are: protection (i.e. from the elements), modesty, decoration, and socio-political self-expression. The literature on clothing rarely attends, however, to the question of garments' impact on wearers' self-experience. There is some social science research, for example, suggesting that when we wear clothing we associate with individuals who have a high degree of mental focus and attention to detail, it causes us - probably, in most cases, pre-reflectively - to experience ourselves as such and therefore to perform better on tests that measure these qualities. Apart from this research, exploration into the matter, regardless of field, is scant, but it is especially thin in philosophy and theology. This thesis seeks to address the shortfall in these fields by providing at least one model of the human relationship to clothes that, unlike what is currently on offer, accounts for findings like the above. To do so, it draws on the sartorial reflection of the British artist and essayist Eric Gill, who understands clothes as architectural spaces of sorts, as encasements that house our being, and the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, whose philosophy of being and 'thinking about building' can do similar work less explicitly but more robustly. After outlining this new way of looking at humanity's relationship to clothes, the thesis will conclude by discussing some theological implications. In particular, it discusses how the overlap between Gill's sacramental perspective and Heidegger's similar understanding of an inherently meaning-infused 'world' can yield an account of clothes as facilitators (or hinderers) of the attunement or comportment of openness and/or proximity to God through their potential to bear theological resonances.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between clothing conformity and personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), of a selected group of adult males. Past research indicated that the MBTI had been used in relation to many characteristics such, as creativity, management style, and conformity. Clothing conformity had been investigated in relation to group membership and self-esteem. The researcher was unable to find any research done prior to this study in which clothing conformity and the MBTI had been used to study the relationship between personality type and clothing conformity. The sample consisted of 83 fraternity men from four Greek organizations at Georgia State University. Each respondent filled out the MBTI questionnaire, a clothing conformity scale, and a demographic form. A two to the fourth factorial ANOVA was used to analyze the relationships between clothing conformity scores and various personality types. The results indicated a significant difference in clothing conformity between extraverted and introverted personality types, with extraverts being more conforming than introverts. It also indicated a tendency for judging types to be more conforming than perceiving types. Although not statistically significant, the analysis showed some interaction effect between the extraversion-introversion and the thinking feeling dimensions on clothing conformity. The conclusions from this research are that the extraverts are more conforming in their clothing behavior than introverts, that judging personality types tend to be more conforming than perceiving types, and that the interaction between extraversion-introversion and thinking-feeling shows a tendency for the dependency of one dimension on the other. / Master of Science

In this study, clothing fit concerns of women age 55 years and over will be associated with their level of clothing interest (psychological) and the social setting and frequency of their leisure activities (sociological). Subjects’ body measurements with the body measurements in the PS 40-72 standard for sizing women’s apparel (physiological) will be made. The data will be analyzed to determine indicators of continuity of clothing fit concerns. The objectives for this study were; (a) to identify current apparel fitting problems reported by the respondents; (b) to identify dissimilarity between PS 42-70 sizing standards and respondents reported current size of ready-to-wear dresses; (c) to examine current and recalled clothing interest of the respondents for continuity; (d) to determine the continuity of frequency and social setting of participants’ recalled and current leisure activities; (e) to define the association between satisfaction of apparel fit with current clothing interests and with current leisure activities. The waist, was reported as a fit problem by 67% of the sample. Less than 50% of the sample reporting fit problems reported fit problems at the neck, shoulder, and bust. The younger age group exceeded the older age group by a margin of only 4% for too tight fit at the waist. The younger group reported tight fit for the upper arm and the maximum thigh more often the older group. The difference between the proportional relationship for: the sample and PS 42-70 standard in height and weight, back waist length and front waist length, shoulder to bust point and back of neck to center front waist, and shoulder length and armscye to waist was statistically significant at .001 to .01 for the comparison of the mean ratios. For 13 of 17 selected upper body measurements for size 12, 12 for size 14, and 10 for size 16 there was a significant difference between the subjects measurements and corresponding measures in the PS 42-70 standard. There was no significant difference between current clothing interest levels and recalled clothing interest levels for subjects at ages spanning decades in their twenties and forties. A Duncan’s (MRT) of the solo leisure activities and the group leisure activities show there to be a significant difference across the sample for the subjects in their twenties and forties. The subjects in the over 75 age group results were insignificant for the difference when they were in their sixties. The frequency of current leisure activities was different for the sample in their twenties and sixties. The mean scores for both age periods were not significantly different from the mean for when they were in their forties. There was no association found between clothing interest and satisfaction with apparel fit, between frequency of leisure activity and satisfaction with apparel fit or, between the setting of current leisure activity and satisfaction with apparel fit. / Master of Science

The present study was undertaken to determine how the urgent wartime need for clothing reclamation is being met, by the home economics departments of the Virginia Public Schools. It was felt that one procedure for this was to determine the various clothing reclamation processes being taught in the schools as well as those which are being performed by the students. It was decided to limit the study to the schools offering vocational home economics for white students in Virginia. Data used were secured from 31 teachers and 123 students in 29 schools. The period of time covered was from 1940-43. / M.S.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1956 R85 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1963 P48 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1964 L89 / Master of Science

The Islamic dress code has been forcibly imposed on the women in Sudan, since 1983, and many feminists researchers have criticized the practices of the veil as a tool to oppress women. This study aimed to explore a group of Sudanese women, currently living in South Africa, experiences and perceptions of the veil, whether the veil is a religious dress code or a tool that has been used to exercise inequality.