Conniya Gardner
The History of Roman Clothing and Fashion
Section One- Fabrics and Materials Due to a lack of modern technology, Ancient Roman clothing was made with different fabrics than those of today. Wool was the most commonly used fiber in Roman clothing and was likely the first material to be spun (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). In early Rome, women spun the fleece into the thread and wove the cloth used to make Roman garments (“Roman Clothing”). Upper-class Romans did not weave their own wool; instead, they relied on their slaves to weave for them (“Roman Clothing”). The sheep of Tarentum were esteemed for their high quality of wool, so much so that the Romans attempted to improve the quality furthermore by cross-breeding (“Clothing …show more content…
A Roman could tell how wealthy a person was from their toga, a national garment of Rome (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”; “Roman Clothing”). After the 2nd century BC, togas were only worn by free male citizens; women seen wearing togas were marked as provocative (“Roman Clothing”; “Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga was made from white wool or white Egyptian linen and was rectangular and worn draped around the body (“Roman Clothing”). The differentiation between rich and poor was made through the quality of the material; upperclassmen wore thin, naturally colored wool togas (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The upper-class Romans also differentiated by colors (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga praetexta had a purple border and was worn by male children and magistrates during official ceremonies (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga picta (or toga palmata) had a golden border and was worn by generals in their triumphs (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The traeba was a toga that was entirely purple and was worn by statues of deities and emperors (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). There was also the saffron toga, which was worn by augurs and priestesses (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). It was white with a purple band and was also worn by consuls on public festivals (“Clothing in Ancient …show more content…
The two classes did not have distinctive clothing that determined their exact status (“Roman Clothing”). In Roman fashion, the more distinguished the wearer, the more his dress was distinctively marked, while the dress of lower-class Romans was often not marked at all (“Roman Clothing”). When it came to togas, lower class Romans wore coarse or thin felt material. Working men and slaves wore the same type of tunic, which was similar to a toga in that it was made of thicker, coarser wool. It was easy to spot lower-class working men because they wore hitched up tunics to allow freer movement to work (“Roman
The History of Roman Clothing and Fashion
Section One- Fabrics and Materials Due to a lack of modern technology, Ancient Roman clothing was made with different fabrics than those of today. Wool was the most commonly used fiber in Roman clothing and was likely the first material to be spun (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). In early Rome, women spun the fleece into the thread and wove the cloth used to make Roman garments (“Roman Clothing”). Upper-class Romans did not weave their own wool; instead, they relied on their slaves to weave for them (“Roman Clothing”). The sheep of Tarentum were esteemed for their high quality of wool, so much so that the Romans attempted to improve the quality furthermore by cross-breeding (“Clothing …show more content…
A Roman could tell how wealthy a person was from their toga, a national garment of Rome (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”; “Roman Clothing”). After the 2nd century BC, togas were only worn by free male citizens; women seen wearing togas were marked as provocative (“Roman Clothing”; “Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga was made from white wool or white Egyptian linen and was rectangular and worn draped around the body (“Roman Clothing”). The differentiation between rich and poor was made through the quality of the material; upperclassmen wore thin, naturally colored wool togas (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The upper-class Romans also differentiated by colors (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga praetexta had a purple border and was worn by male children and magistrates during official ceremonies (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The toga picta (or toga palmata) had a golden border and was worn by generals in their triumphs (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). The traeba was a toga that was entirely purple and was worn by statues of deities and emperors (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). There was also the saffron toga, which was worn by augurs and priestesses (“Clothing in Ancient Roman”). It was white with a purple band and was also worn by consuls on public festivals (“Clothing in Ancient …show more content…
The two classes did not have distinctive clothing that determined their exact status (“Roman Clothing”). In Roman fashion, the more distinguished the wearer, the more his dress was distinctively marked, while the dress of lower-class Romans was often not marked at all (“Roman Clothing”). When it came to togas, lower class Romans wore coarse or thin felt material. Working men and slaves wore the same type of tunic, which was similar to a toga in that it was made of thicker, coarser wool. It was easy to spot lower-class working men because they wore hitched up tunics to allow freer movement to work (“Roman