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Around 1425 to 1405 BC, a light tunic or short-sleeved shirt was popular, as well as a pleated skirt. Women often wore simple sheath dresses, and female clothing remained unchanged over several millennia, save for small details. Draped clothes, with very large rolls, gave the impression of wearing several items.
By the 2nd century BC, however, it was worn over a tunic, and the tunic became the basic item of dress for both men and women. Women wore an outer garment known as a stola , which was a long pleated dress similar to the Greek chitons.
Statue of Livia Drusilla wearing a stola and palla. The stola (Classical Latin: [ˈst̪ɔ.ɫ̪a]) (pl. stolae) was the traditional garment of Roman women, corresponding to the toga that was worn by men. [1] It was also called vestis longa in Latin literary sources, [2] pointing to its length. [3]
- Female Clothing in Ancient Rome
- Tunics
- Stolas
- Pallas
- Fabrics and Color
- Ancient Roman Underwear
- Hairstyles
- Jewelry
- Cosmetics
- Fashion in The Past
We often hear of togas, the Roman clothes for men, yet almost nothing is said about women’s clothes. Although the female fashions were just as amazing and impressive as the male ones, maybe even more so. The Roman woman’s clothes were a part of the culture of the empire and often could say a lot about the person who wore them or even about the pros...
The women of the lower class, just like the men, would wear a simple tunic, something more or less resembling a modern dress in its fashion, or even closer, the chemiseof older times. The female tunics were a little bit tighter than the male ones, accentuating the woman’s figure. Young girls wore tunics as well, tied with a belt (and sometimes more...
While the tunic was considered a simple cloth, or often even an underclothes, the stola was something that Roman ladies saw as the “real” dress. Stolas were long dress-like garments, usually with short sleeves, held together with clasps called fibulaeand with a beautiful flounce on its bottom. They were fastened by a girdle high above the waist. Ev...
The palla was a long shawl that any Roman woman would wear while she went outside. The palla was wrapped around a woman’s shoulders and her body, often in a rather elaborate manner by her servants, if she had any. These shawls were usually rectangular in shape, though their sizes could differ. Pallas added to the beauty of the woman, for the more f...
The most common fabric for clothes was wool. The richer women desired to get imported silk from China, which was the most valuable fabric of the time, though not many could afford or even find it since it had to come all the way from the Silk Road. The other typical fabrics for the female outfit were linen, cotton, and felt. The most high-quality l...
Not much is known about underwear in Ancient Rome and on which occasions it could be worn, but women had some kind of equivalent of a bra called a fascia. The fascia was a simple band made of fabric or soft leather tied around a woman’s breasts. Such were also worn during sports and exercising, and no doubt served as a good comfort for the women du...
The variety of hairstyles was huge in the Roman Empire and increased with time. The young women would tie their hair in simple buns behind their heads, while the older ones would make more complicated hairstyles. Plaiting hair was very popular and was often added to different hairstyles, as were curls and waves. During the late times of the Republi...
Roman women loved jewelry. Most jewelry was owned by wealthy women, those of all possible designs and shapes, and decorated with all possible stones found in the Roman Empire. Among the popular ornaments was the snake bracelet, which was often “wrapped” around the woman’s arm. Many were imported from Egypt and Greece, or their designs were inspired...
The excessive use of cosmetics was considered gross in Rome and was usually a sign of a loose woman or a courtesan. A great variety of things were offered to the Roman woman: creams, rouges, lip colors, flower oils used as perfumes, eyeliners, and eye shadows among them. The best cosmetics were expensive, and only rich women could afford them, whil...
There you have it, the entire Ancient Roman woman's wardrobe. In the past, the clothing one wore was much more representative of one's lifestyle, marital status, wealth, and rank in society. Nowadays, clothing feels a lot more casual. Imagine if someone could assume your income just based on how many folds you had in your scarf!
6 days ago · Dress - Ancient Rome, Tunic, Toga: The civilization of ancient Rome spanned more than a thousand years, from the traditional founding of the walled city in the mid-8th century bce to the final collapse of the western part of the empire in 476 ce.
Jul 13, 2021 · The types of garments were essentially the same from the Archaic through the Classical periods: Strophion – a cloth band which served women as a bra. Perizoma – a loincloth worn by men and women as underwear. Chiton – a tunic of two different styles, Doric and Ionic, worn by both sexes.
6 days ago · A variation on the chiton style for both sexes was achieved by wearing a double girdle, one at waist level and one around the hips, the material being bloused out in between. The peplos was an additional garment worn by women.
