At the end of the sixteenth century, the mantle became democratized in all social classes in France. Men usually have two or more, even in the homes of modest craftsmen, and at least four among the better-off, but it remains very rare among women. These coats are very often made of cloth: they are often black, but sometimes colored more or less brightly. The coats are usually lined and wear a velvet collar. The coat can be particularly long, especially to accompany the dress of older men or wearing the ecclesiastical or legal uniform: it then reaches the ankles and also serves to accompany the convoy at funerals. The coat is then gradually replaced by a leotard, with the remaining coats dying more and more often in gray rather than black2.

Under Louis XIII, fashion codifies how to wear the coat: until then, it drapes the way you want and can hang it anywhere if it interferes, for example on a shoulder. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the cloth was replaced by the serge, which was much more affordable. In the notables, the camelot replaces the silk. Women's coats are also appearing among older, wealthy widows2.                                                       
                                                             Beyond the weather, clothing has always been used to protect the body from possible external aggression. For example, 17th-century doctors used cloths when they had to treat plague victims6.

In the twenty-first century, some garments retain a specific protective role, especially against mechanical and chemical risks. This role is very important in professional clothing which frequently constitutes personal protective equipment (PPE). This is the case of blouses, work blues, helmets, aprons, and, in the extreme cases of armor (including bullet-proof vests). By contributing to the cleanliness of the body, some clothes finally help to protect against external dirt, perspiration and bad smells. Marc-Alain Descamps ideally summarizes this dimension: "The clothes protect us from the elements (cold, heat, rain, wind, sun ...), abrasions, animal bites or insect bites, men's blows in the war or in sports, etc. But you must never exaggerate the functional aspect of clothing. Usefulness in this area ultimately explains very little. If we only take into account the cold, the Mediterranean people would live naked 10 months out of 12. Moreover, instead of protecting us from the cold, clothes weaken our resistance and make us lose our thermoregulation nature