Aside from Western-style clothing, what alternative forms of clothing could have remained popular?

Shutenmaru

So all around the world the most popular form of clothing is Western in origin. T-shirt and trousers. Formal clothing is almost always a suit and tie. The only countries I can think of where traditional clothing is popular in formal attire and for day-to-day use is South Asia (kurta-pajama or shalwar kameez) and the Gulf Arabs (thawb with agal/shimagh). Non-Gulf Arabs very rarely wear traditional clothing unless they are Bedouins or something. The leaders of India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE almost always wear their traditional clothes whereas even countries like China and Japan have wholesale adopted Western style dress aside from some very rare instances like weddings or festivals where they will wear something traditional.

Sure in some countries in rural isolated areas people will wear some traditional clothing but it is never seen as the mainstream in a society. However in the above mentioned regions people will wear traditional clothes on the streets and also wear it in the most formal settings and the top politicians will wear it. Are there examples of societies that could have promoted their traditional styles of dress and maintained them until the present day? Bonus points if you can provide photos or even modernized military uniforms that adhere to more traditional standards instead of Western-styles.

The_Prime_Minister%2C_Shri_Narendra_Modi_meeting_the_Prime_Minister_of_Pakistan%2C_Mr._Nawaz_Sharif%2C_at_Raiwind%2C_in_Pakistan_on_December_25%2C_2015.jpg

PMs of India and Pakistan
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For example this G20 meeting, only two people are wearing something other than Western suits and that is Prince MBS and PM Narendra Modi. Despite countries like Japan, China, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey having a history where they wore radically different clothings.
 

Broadwoodwidger

Banned
Metropolis45 said:
I have often wondered what the world would be like if a society with no nudity taboo, like the indigenous South Americans, had become dominant instead of Europe.
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I don't think Crete was into full nudity, they just liked to display the bust as part of the outfit as a fashion statement. Something similar went on in England and France in the late C16 and early C17.
 

Analytical Engine

In a world with a dominant China, I could see traditional forms of Chinese dress being very common.

Also, does this count as being "non-typical Western military dress?"

greek_guard_uniforms_3.jpg


At least the Indian army parade uniform has more traditional headwear.

soldiers-of-the-indian-army-marching-down-the-raj-path-in-preparation-APFGXM.jpg
 

Elfwine

With a POD at any point prior to 1900, it's hard to give a good answer to "Are there examples of societies that could have promoted their traditional styles of dress and maintained them until the present day?" because the list of possible worlds is so long.

It's unlikely that it'll look the same in a world where Carthage wins the First Punic War, or where Charles Martel dies young, to name two possible scenarios.

I don't mean to be unhelpful, just stress how many options there are depending on what path history has taken.
 
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Shutenmaru

Analytical Engine said:
In a world with a dominant China, I could see traditional forms of Chinese dress being very common.

Also, does this count as being "non-typical Western military dress?"

greek_guard_uniforms_3.jpg


At least the Indian army parade uniform has more traditional headwear.

soldiers-of-the-indian-army-marching-down-the-raj-path-in-preparation-APFGXM.jpg
Click to expand...

The first option certainly fits what I am looking for. While in the modern era that is simply just formal parade dress, I can certainly imagine 18th or 17th century soldiers dressing like that in battle. What country is that? Looks Balkan to me.

As for the second example aside from the head-gear it is pretty much just Western style military dress. I just stumbled upon the Pakistani Rangers border security force at the Wagah Ceremony and their uniform is very traditional looking. I can also imagine this being used in combat even though it is just parade dress.
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3D09A12C-8CBD-4B69-BB55-B7B62E736CDE.jpeg

Also this is an image I stumbled on in this forum some time back that kind of prompted this thread. It is uniforms of a modernized Ming Empire
 
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Shutenmaru

Elfwine said:
With a POD at any point prior to 1900, it's hard to give a good answer to "Are there examples of societies that could have promoted their traditional styles of dress and maintained them until the present day?" because the list of possible worlds is so long.

It's unlikely that it'll look the same in a world where Carthage wins the First Punic War, or where Charles Martel dies young, to name two possible scenarios.

I don't mean to be unhelpful, just stress how many options there are depending on what path history has taken.
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Well lets say we can keep the PoDs at such a level that only recognizable countries from our world will be affected.
 

Analytical Engine

Shutenmaru said:
The first option certainly fits what I am looking for. While in the modern era that is simply just formal parade dress, I can certainly imagine 18th or 17th century soldiers dressing like that in battle. What country is that? Looks Balkan to me.
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Greece.

They also have their own (very...different) marching style.


EDIT:

Here is a photo of some members of the "Ever-Victorious Army" of the Taiping:

Ever_Victorious_Army_members.png
 
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Elfwine

Shutenmaru said:
Well lets say we can keep the PoDs at such a level that only recognizable countries from our world will be affected.
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Okay, so let's say you have one with surviving Roman (Byzantine) Empire that dominates the eastern Mediterranean - something like a less steampunk Isaac's Empire, say.

It's very likely that (using OTL countries for the sake of easy reference to geography) the Balkans, Turkey (not Turkish here), at least southern Italy, Armenia, Syria, Georgia, and Russia will have different fashions than modern "Western" style - perhaps not the same as OTL Greek traditions, especially outside the empire, but probably not something overwhelmed by the styles of western Europe.

Possibly more, but that's what comes to mind off the top of my head.

I'd count a powerful and enduring Roman Empire as "recognizable" compared to "I don't even know if there's going to be OTL's France as such" (no Charles Martel), at least.
 
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Ivan Lupo

Thing about pants is that they were probably invented by steppe nomads, in fact, the oldest pair of trousers discovered were in western China and believed to be Tocharian. Pants/trousers it turns out are exceptionally convenient for horseback riding, and once horseback riding became more and more common, more and more people began wearing them. And once people realized that they were very useful in cold weather, they became the de facto bottom wear for most societies in Eurasia. Even when wearing long flowing robes, it really wasn't uncommon to wear some sort of pants underneath them.

But I think there are several kinds of hats and shoes that could have caught on worldwide, especially hats. Accessories too, for that matter. However, if talking specifically about actual clothing, I believe there are several types of Eastern Asian style robes that could have become really popular, especially if they were made more accessible to Europeans much earlier in history, and especially if they were made of expensive, rare material.
 

Hugh Third of Five

Casual and work clothes would obviously be limited by practicality. For formal wear, there a whole number of possibilities from poofy European renaissance styles staying in fashion (which would still be western) to East Asian robes
Broadwoodwidger said:
I don't think Crete was into full nudity, they just liked to display the bust as part of the outfit as a fashion statement. Something similar went on in England and France in the late C16 and early C17.
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No full nudity for women. I think for men, it wasn't uncommon, though male nudity was pretty common in many parts of the ancient Mediterranean.
 
Nassirisimo

Nassirisimo

Ivan Lupo said:
Even when wearing long flowing robes, it really wasn't uncommon to wear some sort of pants underneath them.
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This is true. People who wear the thawb/dishdasha/whatever they call it outside the Khaleej tend to wear very thin pants underneath.

Is there any way to make things such as the Qipao more popular? I think it is more likely to catch on outside of China than Hanfu, though of course Hanfu is unisex.
 

Arkenfolm

OxSpace said:
Traditional African gowns and robes could possibly become more popular

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Feels like it's fairly common to see some West Africans (especially Nigerians) dressed in their traditional robes in pictures of politicians, religious leaders, etc. in news articles.
 
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