From what I understood in class, clothing is anything that alters the physical appearance of a person. It could be something that's so tiny that it may not be immediately noticable, like a toe ring, or it might also be something obvious like garments or even hair color. Clothing, in the most general sense includes accessories and body modifications, and not just the shirt and pants you're wearing.
The definition of clothing according to the dictionaries that I've consulted does not explicitly indicate that clothing is not limited to articles that are sewn and then used to cover up, but if you ask an ordinary person what they are wearing, they wouldn't include their earrings or tattoos. It's a little confusing. Language may be to blame for confusions regarding definitions that are generally accepted by the public but does not coincide with technical definitions or the accepted definition of the industry.
This issue is not the same for the filipino language. /damit/ is anything that we wear to cover up. /burloloy/ can describe jewelry and embelishments. just saying.
I don't know how this could be resolved, or if there is a need for a resolution, but we can't change the fact that whatever we wear is the first thing that the public can see. Our clothes are our social skins. It takes some people a great deal of effort to choose what to wear. Image can be big business. For people who constantly face harsh public scrutiny, tiny details matter. This is where image consultants and fashion stylists make their living. It's a fabulous job to be rubbing elbows with the elite. I bet there would be lots of people who dream of becoming this, but i would rather be part of the public, screaming at the television during fashion disasters than be the one to be blamed.
