Roman Era Dressing
The Roman Era owned
much of their clothing to that of the ancient Greek era. In all ancient times,
the clothing worn was generally very simple and functional. The only material
available to the Romans was wool or linen. The needles used back then were very
coarse. This meant that the stitch work done on clothes was minimal. Buttons
were also used tot he minimum. Clothes were held together by fastening them
together or with broaches.
Undergarments
The Romans would wear a
simple loincloth underneath their clothing. The loincloths had a variety of
names and different shapes to suit different body types. Women would also wear
a basic brassiere under their tunics. It consisted of tightly tied band that
would go under or over the tunic they wore. All their undergarments were made
up of a light type of linen.
Men’s Dressing
Tunic
The tunic was the most
basic component of the Roman clothing. It would be worn by men and women of all
class. The servant class would only wear the tunic along with their footwear.
Men’s tunics would end by the knees, but the tunics worn by women were longer
and have longer sleeves.
During colder season,
the Romans would layer their tunics with other tunics for warmth. Different
kinds of tunics were worn by men of different social ranks.
A purple stripe worn on
the tunic was called a clavus and indicated membership to a
particular order:
- the latus clavus (or laticlavium) denoted senators.
- the angustus clavus was the mark of the equestrian order.
- the latus clavus (or laticlavium) denoted senators.
- the angustus clavus was the mark of the equestrian order.
Toga
The toga was allowed to
be worn only by free Roman citizens. Foreigners, or even exiled citizens, could
not appear in public wearing a toga. In earlier times, the toga was worn all by
itself. But later, it was worn over a tunic with a belt at the waist to cinch
it.
The toga basically is a
large blanket that would be draped over a basic tunic in a way that would leave
one hand free. The toga was said to be in a semi-circular form. It was made out
of wool. The rich had a choice between the different grades of wool used to
make it. Togas were made in different colours and materials for various
occasions. People of higher ranks had a different type of toga reserved for
them.
Women’s Dressing
By law, there were
fewer restrictions and rules on the way women chose to dress. The basic garment
the Greek women would wear was called a stola. The stola was basically a long
tunic with or without sleeves. It was supposed to be worn over a basic tunica. The
stola used to be long, reaching the ground. It was often shorter, so that when
worn over tunica, different layers of clothing could be seen. Women belonging
to wealthier families would have ornamental borders on the hemlines of their
stolas. Their clothing was often made out silk, because of the feminine touch
it added to the garments.
Footwear
There was little or no
difference in the kind of footwear worn by Roman men or women. There were three main kinds of footwear known
to the Romans. The calcei was a crossover between a sandal and a shoe.
Made out of soft leather, it was often worn with a toga. It made a part of the
national dress. It was worn by people when they ventured outdoors.
Sandals were strictly
confined to the insides. Hence a lot of wealthy Romans would have their slaves
carry their sandals from them when they stepped out. Another type of footwear
that were worn in the outdoors were the slippers.
Refrence
Roman Dress (no date) Available at: http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-dress.html (Accessed: 30 November 2015).
Inline Citations:
- (Roman Dress, no date)
