<P> Humans have shown extreme invention in devising clothing solutions to environmental hazards . Examples include: space suits, air conditioned clothing, armor, diving suits, swimsuits, bee - keeper gear, motorcycle leathers, high - visibility clothing, and other pieces of protective clothing . Meanwhile, the distinction between clothing and protective equipment is not always clear - cut--since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value and clothes designed for function often consider fashion in their design . Wearing clothes also has social implications . They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, and serve other social purposes . </P> <P> Although dissertations on clothing and its function appear from the 19th century as colonising countries dealt with new environments, concerted scientific research into psycho - social, physiological and other functions of clothing (e.g. protective, cartage) occurred in the first half of the 20th century, with publications such as J.C. Flügel's Psychology of Clothes in 1930, and Newburgh's seminal Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing in 1949 . By 1968, the field of environmental physiology had advanced and expanded significantly, but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little . While considerable research has since occurred and the knowledge - base has grown significantly, the main concepts remain unchanged, and indeed Newburgh's book is still cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development . </P> <P> In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing is considered appropriate . The differences are in styles, colors and fabrics . </P> <P> In Western societies, skirts, dresses and high - heeled shoes are usually seen as women's clothing, while neckties are usually seen as men's clothing . Trousers were once seen as exclusively male clothing, but can nowadays be worn by both genders . Male clothes are often more practical (that is, they can function well under a wide variety of situations), but a wider range of clothing styles are available for females . Males are typically allowed to bare their chests in a greater variety of public places . It is generally more or less acceptable for a woman to wear clothing perceived as masculine, while the opposite is seen as unusual . </P>

When was the first piece of clothing made