Peter Bogatyrev - Essay Example

Presentation Faculty Central Points of Readings Peter Bogatyrev (1971) has wrote a monograph describing the relationship between traditional dresses with certain characteristics of people wearing that, Place of the Wearer Bogatyrev described 28 costume districts on the basis of which people belonging to particular area can be recognized. Further he has illustrated two examples: Man from Pozlovice would wear two velvet bands round his hat and two carmine ribbons with green one between them while man from Biskupice would wear only one velvet band and a red ribbon.

Social Class of wearer Bogatyrev described that occupation and social class of a person in traditional wearing can be identified with his wearing. E.g. magistrate wears boot, peasants wear black or coarse white breeches etc. Marital Status of Wearer: Mutinee-Novorany district unmarried man wore hats and narrow rims and red and white ribbons while married men would widen the rim and wear a broad gold band. The paper further describes that the denotive “languages of dresses” no longer existing in the modern age apart from the uniforms wore by people in particular industry.

For instance uniform of cabin crew of particular airline, uniforms of military and police and others. These uniforms also indicate the level of employment like uniform of officer will be different from the other crew member or uniform of pilot will be different. There are various factors of uniform indicating various things. Factors like fabric, color, types of garments and others indicate the origin of the company. The color and presentation of the uniforms also indicate the industry within which the company is performing.

These are also utilized by the companies to communicate about their organization and create a brand identity. It is described in the paper that clothes import the values and ideas of their place of origin. This is according to the principle of Semiotic Import. Further it is explained by the example of use of hurdy-gurdies instrument in French Music during late eighteenth century by symphony orchestra because these were used in the folk music of the country. Interactive Questions: 1. Do dresses communicate about one’s background? Yes 2. Dresses talk much more about the background of a person?

Yes, the fabric of clothes gives the idea of availability of material, the color choices indicates the popular color and acceptable color of the people of that social class and many other things. 3. How will you make out difference between pilot and other crew member in a plane? Their uniforms are different from the cap, batches, shirts, trousers and overall components of their uniform. 4. How many costume districts was described by Bogatyrev? 28 5. People belonging to the same occupation may have almost similar taste for their clothes and fashion.

It is possible. Reference Van Leeuwen, J. Introducing Social Semiotics, pp 39-42 and 140-147