Nephites going into battle have “thick clothing,” which offers some protection. Since the Zoramites and Amalekites are specifically described as not naked, while the Lamanites are, the differences between Nephite and Lamanite dress seems to be one of degree. The Lamanites are “naked” even though they are wearing loincloths and breastplates. Thus, they are “naked” because their manner of dress is inappropriate and ineffective, compared to that of the Nephites.
Nudity versus appropriate covering is a zone of cultural definition. In some tropical countries, women’s apparel dictates some type of skirt but not a shirt. In this case, “nakedness” means exposed genitals, but does not include exposed breasts. Nineteenth-century Westerners encountering such cultures, however, routinely defined these women as naked. Similarly, the Lamanites are naked compared to the Nephites, but they are not, in the objective sense, nude.
Variation: The printer’s manuscript reads “… save it were skin which was girded about their loins… ” but the first edition reads: “save it were the skin.… ” The typesetter may have added this article. In Mesoamerican battles, the warriors frequently wear an animal skin. Possibly the original might reflect a slightly different meaning, pointing to the skin(s) worn, rather than a particular type (the skin) which might sound like simply leather.