Ancient Greek Clothing

 

Ancient Greek culture has marked many significant achievements and developments in the areas of arts, philosophy, and sciences that influence our lives even in today’s time. From the architectural influences to the arts, its reflections can be seen in the present age, and a major part of it can be seen in the clothing inspired from the Ancient Greece.

The present day Greece inspired clothing is a lot different from that of the ancient times. The ancient Greek clothing was primarily simple. With the brutally hot climate for major part of the year, the Greeks wore simple clothing that was made for easy function. It was generally a single piece of fabric that could be styled and pinned. The different style of garments was derived from a basic tunic, worn by both men and women. Length of the clothing varied according to the age, gender, and occupation of the person.

The clothing was typically made of homespun fabrics. The fabrics used at the time were silk, linen and the most commonly used wool. The colours of the clothing varied from natural, light, and earthy colours with simple borders to bright colours with elaborate designs.

 The most common tunic as the Chiton, and was worn by men and women of all ages. They were long and wide rectangular piece of fabric sewn or pinned up at the sides and shoulders. It was generally made of lighter linen material and allowed easy function. It could be draped over one shoulder or both. The length of the Chiton also varied, knee length for men and floor length for women.

                                 

 

Peplos was a large square piece of cloth made of heavier material like wool. It was a full length garment worn by women, which could be draped and pinned in different styles.

Himation was the cloak or the outer garment worn over the tunics by both the genders. It was a large rectangular piece of wool draped over the shoulders like a Roman Toga to keep the person warm.

The common footwear in the ancient Greece was leather sandals or boots, but it was common for people to go around barefoot.

These ancient Greek clothing styles are often seen as an inspiration for the present day designers.