Why do not all desert people wear the same attire?

[Dr. D]

I'm curious. Arabic nations wear robes with turbans. African nations wear loin cloths and jewelry. It may be religious in nature only, seeing as Islamic nations prefer modesty. But There is also something to protecting from the heat, as South American nations wear full attire as well, for protection from the heat.

Are Africans more adapted to heat protection?

[TylerDurden]

Well, obviously. Negroes  have more melanin in their skin so block the sun's rays more effectively. I've read also that Orientals are more adapted to cold due to shorter stature and other characteristics while Caucasians are somewhere inbetween.

[Dr. D]

Many of arab descent are quite dark. Even black. Egyptians, for example.

[eveheart]

The loincloth is historically worn in pre-Columbian South America. And northern Africa has many different Islamic nations. And Egypt is not tropical - it's about as north as the southern United States. And Egyptians and Ethiopians are relatively light-skinned. So, your question is a little hard to answer, even though I know what you're getting at.

Since people influence each other for various reasons, such as fashion and religion, I think a good approach would be to look at historical costume, not modern dress. For example, the Indian dhoti is kind of an inspired loincloth. Extrapolating from that, even modern trousers are just loincloths that do not flap in the wind. As far as the robe goes, it evolved from an uncut cloth, too, and became all the variations of upper garment design.

This picture of pre-Columbian garb explains what I mean.

[Dr. D]

So basically you're saying clothes evolved as well? As all fashion tends to do, flows with the culture, religion, and climate, correct?

[goodsamaritan]

must have something to do with the climate.
the climates of today are far different than many centuries ago.

My grandfather said it was not hot in Manila in the 1930s, this is why they wore white suits.  But in the 21st century, outside of a fully blasted air-conditioned office, that would be unbearable.

[Dr. D]

must have something to do with the climate.
the climates of today are far different than many centuries ago.

My grandfather said it was not hot in Manila in the 1930s, this is why they wore white suites.  But in the 21st century, outside of a fully blasted airconditioned office, that would be unbearable.

I honestly have been wondering if diet has an influence here.

Mexican/Arab tend to use more plant foods and grains. Mexicans especially (sorry I use the term Mexican lightly because I live in a Mexican culture, I mean most Latin nations) use many corn/grains for their main food source. They wear more coverings, not out of religious modesty, but sombreros y ponchos are for protection from the weather (heat). However, it seems to me Africans that wear minimal clothing and live in a more nomadic, hunter style tribe are closer to carnivores, and potentially more adapted to the heat simply because of that.

I'm willing to find examples where I'm wrong, I'm just guessing at a correlation.

[eveheart]

The trend you are looking for is not continental or national. Climate and economic factors play a big role, but even before that, trade and colonization were world-changing factors.

The topic of "Columbian exchange" is a good place to start reading, because much of the world's current distribution of agricultural customs started with the Age of Exploration.