Metamorphosis of Roman ethnic costumes

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 mid-200s. C., but later they developed their own style of dress, known as Roman dress. For the Romans, clothing was not just a means of covering their body, but was highly symbolic, showing an indication of their class, social status, age, gender, and occupation. They wanted to represent everyone around them; and to the rest of the world, what their place was in society. It varies in color, style and decorations indicating the position of the people in the Empire. In recent years, these clothes have become attractive garments for fans of modern fashion. As time went on, there were advances in weaving methods, but the basic pattern of the garments remained the same.

Traditional Roman Wardrobe: Tunics and Togas:

The ancient Romans wore two types of basic garments, tunics and togas. Tunics were indoor and informal attire, while togas were outdoor and official attire. Both were made of spun wool. Robe was comfortable to work and move around inside. Mostly white in color, the robe was often neither dyed nor embellished. Still, upper-class people wore tunics with some decorations to distinguish themselves from slaves. 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 robes both at home and when going out. Similar in appearance to a long shirt, the type of tunic differed from class to class. The robe worn by common people, herdsmen, and slaves was made of coarse cloth and was usually dark in color. The patricians wore white tunics made of wool or linen. Magistrates wore the tunic called the augusticlavia, senators wore it with wide straps called the tunica laticlavia, and the military wore shorter tunics. On special occasions, they covered the tunic with a white woolen coat called a toga. It was square or rectangular in shape and wrapped around the body. The toga was an indication of a person’s social status. The togas of the consuls and senators were edged in purple. The togas of the emperors were completely purple. Blacks were worn 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:

Women’s clothing was very simple and lacked luxury and exquisite elegance. They had no distinctions in dress like men that would indicate their social status. Their only distinction was the stoles, which were only worn by married women. To compensate for this, they relied more on hairstyles and jewelry. Roman women also wore a tunic that usually reached to the knee. Over this they covered 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 canopy and also covered their heads with the edge. 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 time of the republic, togas were worn only by men. However, a certain category of women, the Roman prostitutes, used it ironically to indicate their lower status in society.

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