History permeates every corner of the ancient city of Rome known as the eternal city. Their culture is the foundation of today’s society, culture and fashion. Much of the Roman clothing culture is based on Greek fashion. They were also influenced by the Egyptians in the middle of 200 BC. C., but later they developed their own style of clothing, known as Roman clothing. For the Romans, clothing was not just a means to cover your body, but was highly symbolic, showing an indication of your class, social status, age, gender, and occupation. They wanted to represent everyone around them; and to the rest of the world, what was their place in society. It varies in color, style, and decorations indicating the position of the people in the Empire. In recent years, these garments have become attractive garments for modern fashionistas. As time passed, there were advances in weaving methods, but the basic pattern of the garments remained the same.
Traditional Roman Wardrobe: Tunics and Robes:
The ancient Romans wore two types of basic garments, tunics and togas. Tunics were casual and indoor outfits, while robes were official and outdoor outfits. Both were made of spun wool. Tunic was comfortable for working and moving indoors. Mostly white in color, the tunic was often undyed and unadorned. Still, upper class people wore robes with some decorations to distinguish themselves from slaves. The togas were adopted from the Greek fashion. It was an important garment and an indication of Roman citizenship. No foreigner was allowed to wear a toga even if he lived in Italy or Rome. The toga was the official garment for men and women in Rome. Later the trend changed and togas were worn only by male Roman citizens.
Mens clothing:
Men wore tunics both at home and when going out. Similar in appearance to a long shirt, the type of tunic differed from class to class. The tunic worn by common people, herdsmen, and slaves was made of coarse cloth and was usually dark in color. The patricians wore a white tunic made of wool or linen. The magistrates wore the tunic called the augusticlavia, the senators wore it with wide straps called the tunic laticlavia, and the military wore shorter tunics. On special occasions, they covered the tunic with a white wool coat called a toga. It was square or rectangular in shape and wrapped around the body. The toga was an indication of the person’s social status. The robes of the consuls and senators were edged with purple. The emperors’ robes were completely purple. Black ones were used during mourning. The Romans did not wear trousers, but later wore one while hunting or riding, called a Gallic bracae. It was also used by soldiers to keep warm.
roman woman:
The women’s clothing was very simple and lacked luxury and exquisite elegance. They did not have distinctions in dress like men that indicated their social status. Their only distinction was the stoles, which were only worn by married women. To make up for this, they relied more on hairstyles and jewelry. Roman women also wore a tunic that usually reached the knee. Over this they draped a stole which was a long dress from the neck to the ankles, with a belt around the waist. The stole used to be white, gray or brown in color and all married women had the right to wear it. When they went out, they covered their shoulders and arms with a cloak called a pallium and also covered their heads with the hem. Covering the head was a custom for all Roman women when they went out in public. Initially, togas were considered official garments for both men and women. During the republican era, togas were worn only by men. However, a certain category of women, the Roman prostitutes, used ironically to indicate their lower status in society.
Copyright © 2008