Clothes are the things we wear on our bodies: shirts, pants, dresses, socks, jackets, and everything else that covers us. The word is also called clothing or garments.

Clothes serve several purposes. They protect us from weather, keeping us warm in winter and shielding our skin from the sun in summer. They help us move comfortably through our day, whether we're playing soccer, sitting in class, or sleeping. And they let us express ourselves: you might choose a favorite color, a sports team logo, or a style that feels like you.

Throughout history, clothes have looked dramatically different depending on climate, culture, and time period. Ancient Romans wore togas, medieval knights wore tunics and armor, and your great-grandparents probably wore very different styles than you do now. Even today, traditional clothes vary widely around the world: kimonos in Japan, saris in India, kilts in Scotland.

The phrase clothes make the man suggests that people judge you by what you wear. Choosing appropriate clothes for different situations can be practical: wearing neat clothes to a job interview, comfortable clothes for hiking, or formal clothes to a wedding.