Fashions of the Roman World

In general, fashions from the Ancient Greek and Roman periods and before were simple, as clothing expressed practical function over stylistic form. Generally, women's garments were loose and flowing, never tight-fitting. Tunics often covered the wearer with layers of draped fabric, and were worn by both men and women.

The most basic garment for women of Ancient Greece was the Doric peplos, commonly worn through the beginning of the sixth century B.C. Made from a rectangle of woven wool, the Doric peplos measured about six feet in width and about eighteen inches more than the height of the wearer from shoulder to ankle. The fabric was wrapped around the wearer, with the excess material folded over the top and pinned on both shoulders. The extra fabric was allowed to fall freely, giving the impression of a short cape. Pins used for fastening the shoulders of the peplos were originally open pins with decorated heads, but they were later replaced by fibulae or brooches. Fabrics were plain and for the most part, undecorated. This was the general rule in the Western world. In particular, during the archaic period, clothing was generally white or off-white, and commoners were forbidden to wear red in theaters or public places. By the fifth century, however, clothing began to feature a wider range of colors.

Today's woman does not have a specific style of clothing that she is expected to wear, nor are there only certain colors that she can wear in everyday clothing. As for those that work in business, there are dress-codes that require a professional attire to be worn to the office. Women in corporate America are not expected to come into work wearing mini-skirts and no stockings. There is a standard that businesses expect from their employees. Most of our clothing designs are modeled after what is 'hot' also known as a 'fad', and they quickly change. No style of clothing really stays 'in' for any extended period of time. There are some styles of clothing that have become everyday wear, for example there are many women who wear pants and not long ago it was uncommon for a woman to wear pants in public.

The basic item of male dress was the tunic, made of two pieces of un-dyed wool sewn together at the sides and shoulders and belted in such a way that the garment just covered the knees. Openings for the arms were left at the top of the garment, creating an effect of short sleeves when the tunic was belted. Since tunics were usually not cut in a T-shape, this left extra material to drape under the arm. Men of the equestrian class were entitled to wear a tunic with narrow stripes, in the color the Romans called purple, extending from shoulder to hem, while broad stripes distinguished the tunics of men of the senatorial class. Working men and slaves wore the same type of tunic, usually made of coarser, darker wool, and they frequently hitched the tunic higher over their belts for freer movement. Sometimes their tunics also left one shoulder uncovered. Under their tunics, people wore stolas and pollas which were undergarments. There is evidence that both men and women wore a simple, wrapped loincloth (subligar or subligaculum, meaning 'little binding underneath') at least some of the time -- male laborers wore the subligar when working, but upper-class men may have worn it only when exercising. Women also sometimes wore a band of cloth or leather to support the breasts (strophium or mamillare).

There does not seem to be any real demand for certain clothing to be worn by men so that it may depict their social status. Just like women who work in office buildings wear 'professional' attire, so do the men. Men that work in corporate America are expected to wear a two or three piece suit with a tie and appropriate dress shoes. No business desires to see any employee come to work in shorts and a beach shirt. There are not any restrictions on what can be worn, but there are expectations on what is proper for that setting. Another article of clothing was the toga and it also varied in color but was mostly beige, tan, and white. Some togas were different in color depending on the rank of the particular person. Senators wore togas with purple bands (toga praetexta) and boots. Knights wore togas and tunics with purple bands and sandals. The color of the toga was significant, marking differences in age and status. The toga virilis also called toga pura was off-white and worn by adult male citizens. The toga pulla was made of dark-colored wool and worn during mourning, the toga candida was artificially whitened and worn by candidates for a political office and the toga pida was a purple toga embroidered with gold thread and worn by a victorious general during a triumphal parade. Most togas took an average two yards of nylon or cotton fabric to create. Often, people used ropes for belts.

The Romans inherited their style of dress from the Greeks, but as the Roman Empire expanded -- more cultures were forced to live together which made the look of the toga represent the different people of the Roman Empire. Togas differ from common man to the nobility. Typically, Roman garments were made of wool. In the early Republic, women spun the fleece into thread and wove the cloth in the home, and