Roman Clothing

Roman clothing is often confused with the Greek clothing, it is because of the certain similarities between the two, but it has its own distinct form.

Similar to the Greek clothing, Roman clothing was also based on similar forms. With minimal sewing or stitching the clothing were simply clasped or pinned.

The most common fabric used during that time was wool and linen, worn by the common people. Other fabrics like silk and cotton were rare and expensive and affordable only by the richer class.

The undergarments worn by the ancient Romans consisted of a simple loin cloth that was knotted on the sides. The loin cloth was known by different names like subligacula, subligar, or subligaria, because of their varied shapes. Women also wore a simple band like breast cloth known as the strophium.

The most commonly worn garment by the people in the ancient Rome was the tunica or tunic. This was also a part of the inner garments. The tunic was made of a large rectangular cloth that was sewn in a tubular shape and pinned around the shoulder, similar to a Greek chiton. The male tunics were generally knee length, whereas the tunics worn by the women were always longer, reaching the ankles or the ground.

The dresses also differed from one class to the other.The most distinguished and important article of the Roman clothing was the Toga. The Togas were made of a single, large, semi-circular cloth that was draped over one shoulder, leaving the other side free. In the early days, togas were worn by both the genders, irrespective of their social rank. It was only after 2^nd century BC that, the women wearing togas were marked as prostitutes, and men wore togas as an official garment for public events. The colours and materials of the toga also varied according to the social class or title of the person. The upper class wore natural coloured togas made of good quality wool, whereas the togas worn by the lower class were made of course material or thin felt. The different borders and embroideries of the togas also represented different social classes and ranks.

The women clothing included a simple garment known as the Stola, similar to the men’s Toga. The stola was a full length garment, worn over the tunics, and was pinned at the shoulders or held by Fibula (brooch). Another important element of the women’s clothing was the Palla; it had no specific size and could be worn as a shawl.

There were three main types of footwear worn by the Romans; Solea, Soccus and Calcae. The most commonly worn were the sandals made of leather thongs and straps.