Three answers to Michael Blankenstein's questions, learned from the
school of hard knocks and lots of reading (I don't know the sources at
this point).  First, dark colors and rough textures are more likely to
irk bees than light colors and smooth textures.  A friend of mine new
to beekeeping had his worst(!) experience working his bees wearing a
dark plaid flannel shirt.
 
Next, bees are most likely to attack the face, particularly around the
eyes, perhaps due to a darker target on a lighter background.  They
don't aim for the veil/net, it's just in their way enroute to your face.
 
Finally, the lore about smoke is that it makes the bees 'think' that
there is a nearby fire and that they may have to vacate the hive for
a new location, post haste.  Therefore, they gorge themselves on
honey, as their stores may soon be consumed by flames.  Once full, it
is hard for a bee to bend its abdomen into a proper stinging position
(Similar to doing situps after Thanksgiving dinner)!
 
These answers, and your questions are given and asked from a very
anthropomorphic point of view.  A beekeeper must remember that bees
are bees and humans are humans and any attempt to understand them on
our terms is like trying to compare apples to oranges!