Classical Culture FD1/HC/CC This module introduces the student to the ancient world, some of its important civilisations, culture and dress. We will specifically be studying the Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. The belief systems, manner of government and lifestyles all affect the way people of different cultures dress, and it is this relationship that we will study. Students must be able to identify each culture. Students should acquire basic knowledge of research methodologies. The ability to present information in an aesthetically pleasing manner. 1. Read and understand the tutorial material. 2. Choose either Egyptian, Greek or Roman culture to research in greater detail. 3. Create a scrapbook using the information that you have gathered.
FD1/HC/CC EGYPTIANS The Egyptian culture is one of the oldest in the world, dating from around 3000 BC up until around 90 BC. Egypt is situated in Northern Africa and attributes its success to the Nile. This river, which floods periodically, allowed those living around it to farm and sustain prosperous lifestyles. The Egyptian society was based on a strict hierarchy meaning that each person had their place in society, usually one into which they had been born. The pharaoh (king) was the absolute monarch of the country and had complete control of the land and its people. After the royal family, came the priests who were powerful beings and helped the pharaoh to rule. After them came the ordinary people and then the slaves. The Pharaohs were believed to be descended directly from the Gods and were regarded as Gods messenger on Earth. The Egyptians were deeply religious and their beliefs affected every part of their lives. They believed that if they led exemplary lives on Earth, when they died they would have a glorious afterlife. To prepare for this they built tombs, filling it with art, utensils and clothing - all that they would need for the other world. It is chiefly from these tombs that we know so much about the everyday life of Egypt. One exceptionally well preserved example of this is the tomb of Tutankamen, and the other famous royal tombs - the three Pyramids of Giza. The dry conditions of Egypt are instrumental in preserving the artefacts, wall murals and even clothing relics of the Egyptians. The warm climate meant that people wore very little clothing. Children and slaves are usually depicted naked or wearing simple loincloths. Clothing was an indication of status, nudity showed the lowly position of slaves. Most men wore a SCHENTI - a type of loin cloth held up with a belt. Royals or other important men wore more elaborate schentis - usually pleated, embroidered and longer. They would also wear a long semi- transparent robe sometimes and this was called a KALASIRIS. Woman also wore this long robe like garment called a kalasiris but on them it usually began under the breasts and flowed to the ground. It would be held up by a shoulder strap. The shoulders were sometimes covered with a short cape or a wide jewelled collar. The Egyptians had perfected the art of growing, and weaving the flax plant to create linen. This was the most popular fabric for Egyptians. It was easy to wash, cool in the extreme heat and could be starched and pleated. Wool was considered impure and only worn by slaves. Priests were allowed to wear animal skins eg. leopard skins, as this indicated their connection to the Gods. They also shaved their heads and bodies for hygienic purposes. The tradition of shaving the head was common practice in Egypt. Young princes usually shaved their heads but kept a sidelock to indicate their royal status. Adults who shaved their heads wore headdresses made of fabric or wigs made of human hair or flax. Women who kept their own hair generally wore it frizzed or waved, and decorated elaborately with beads, etc. People generally went barefoot but royalty did wear sandals, usually made out of plaited fibre and reeds. Lots of jewellery was worn for the purposes of protection and adornment. Sacred scarabs, ankhs, eye of Horus were worn to ward off evil. Gold, lapis lazuli, and garnets were popular for jewels. Men and women wore make up - black kohl around the eyes, blue and green (malachite) eyeshadow and ochre for the lips. Perfumed cones of wax were worn on the head, where they would melt and give off a sweet smell. (Refer to images on next pages) Cosgrave,B. The complete history of costume and fashion.
FD1/HC/CC GREEK CULTURE Around 1200 B.C, the Greek culture began to flourish. They had a highly developed civilisation, producing some of the first mathematicians, philosophers and writers. our own alphabet is derived from the Greek one. The Greeks believed in the beauty of symmetry and perfect proportion. This is evident in the many great sculptures and buildings that they created. As one can see in Greek art, they had a great appreciation for the beauty of the naked body. Early Greek society did not forbid public nakedness, at least for men. Men always went naked when exercising or competing in athletic games, and both men and women bathed naked in public baths, though not together. Women were required to keep their bodies covered when they were with men. By the seventh century B.C. Greek society was dominated by a wealthy class who wore luxurious woven clothes and decorative jewellery. From this time until they were defeated by the Romans in 146 B.C, Greeks developed several different styles of clothes. In general, Greeks did not cut and sew their clothes until the fourth century B.C.E. Instead they draped finely woven cloth over and around their bodies to create distinct styles of dress and protective wraps. The wealthiest Greeks could afford fine wool and finely woven linen, which was an almost transparent soft cloth. Others used cloth woven from the flax plant soaked in olive oil, and peasants used textiles made of coarse wool. The most distinctive Greek garment is the CHITON, or tunic. Two different styles of chiton were developed: the Ionic chiton and the Doric chiton, with variations, usually of length, to distinguish styles for men and women. Men usually wore a short chiton (knee length) especially workers, horsemen and soldiers. The fabric of chitons was crinkled, or pleated, to enhance the drape of the garment. A girdle (belt) was fastened around the chiton to give it shape - usually around the waist or hips. A type of pin called a FIBULAE was used to fasten the garments. Over the chiton, Greeks kept themselves warm with a variety of wraps, including the HIMATION, CHLAMYS. Although these draped fashions continued to be popular, by the fourth century B.C. both women and men began wearing sewn tunics. Since much of what we know about Greeks comes from the marble sculptures they left behind, many people think that they wore only white clothes. However, experts now know that many of the statues was once covered with bright paint that wore off over the centuries. Greeks, in fact, loved colour and many dyed their clothes. Wealthy aristocrats wore purple clothes dyed from a species of shellfish or pure white linen robes. Yellow clothes were worn mostly by women. Black clothes were worn by those in mourning. Peasants dyed their clothing a variety of greens, browns, and greys. Soldiers wore dark red garments to minimize the appearance of blood on the battlefield. In addition to dyeing, decorative designs were also painted, embroidered, or woven onto garments in many colours. Garments were also adorned with patterns of geometric shapes or trimmed with colourful border designs. Women wore their long hair in a variety of elaborate hairstyles, usually curled and held up in knots or buns and adorned with ribbons or a FILLET. Men and women all wore sandals which were attached to the feet and ankles with straps and thongs. Soldiers also wore GREAVES - a protective leather shin guard on their legs. For further protection in battle, they wore leather tunics reinforced with metal plates over their chitons. (Refer to images on next pages) Cosgrave, B. The complete history of costume and fashion.
FD1/HC/CC ANCIENT ROMAN CULTURE The ancient Roman culture flourished between 700B.C. and 1st Century A.D. originating in west central Italy. The Romans were warlike, ambitious and intelligent; they succeeded in conquering and ruling most of Europe. The Roman's originated many sophisticated systems of government, initially they were a republic and then, later an Empire. Leaders were assisted by a Senate - comprised of older statesmen from ancient noble families. Roman's systems of law, 12 month calendar and methods of road building and architecture are innovations that we still appreciate today. As they conquered towns throughout Europe and Britain, they 'civilised' them by building roads, bridges, town halls, baths and aqueducts, similar to those in Rome. They were pagans who worshipped many Gods, who are similar in many ways to Greek Gods. Romans admired and copied much of Greek culture, especially their art and sculpture. Their clothing is also similar in appearance to the Greeks and they believed in draping fabric around the body and sewing was seldom used. INDUMENTA are garments that were pulled over the head, and AMICTUS were those draped over the body. Women wore a strophium, a type of bust bodice and over this a short tunic. Over that a STOLA would be worn, this garment was a long sleeved tunic, which fell to the ankles. A PELLA, a voluminous cloak was then carefully draped over the stola, and would sometimes be drawn over the head as well. Garments were made out of wool, cotton or linen while the very wealthy could afford to wear silk. Popular colours were red, yellow and blue- with lavish embroidery and sometimes, gold fringing. TOGAS are usually associated with the Romans, but they were only meant to be worn by Roman citizens and forbidden to women, slaves or foreigners. Men usually wore a knee length sewn garment called a TUNICA and over this was draped, the toga. The toga was usually about 5.5 metres long and about 3.5 metres wide, and draping it required great skill. Different colours indicated different professions or status, eg. senators only wore white, the emperor/ leader could wear purple. A cloak called a LACERNA, could also be added for warmth. All Romans wore sandals called CARBATINA - which was made of leather sole and thin leather straps to attach it to the foot. Indoors women wore the SOCCUS, a type of cloth slipper. Soldiers wore BUSKINS, a type of closed boot as extra protection when at war. Grooming was very important to Romans and everyone regularly attended the public baths, where they could exercise, enjoy thermae (sauna) and bathe. Olive oil was used instead of soap and milk baths were believed to be good for the skin. Blonde hair was believed to be very attractive and women used many different concoctions to achieve this. Hairstyles were very elaborate- hair was frizzed, curled and waved with hot irons. Head bands or even tiaras were worn to keep the styles in place, and a veil (flammeum) was sometimes added. Men and women wore rings, but women also adorned themselves with bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Young boys would wear an amulet called a bulla around the neck, for protection from evil. (Refer to images on next pages) Cosgrave, B. The complete history of costume and fashion.
FD1/HC/CC SCRAPBOOK A scrapbook is a valuable tool for any designer to have. It is generally a way to collect and keep ideas, sketches and thoughts which can serve as inspiration for the design process at some later stage. Artists and writers keep sketchbooks which can serve the same purpose. They record drawings, write down thoughts and stick in photos, which later become the starting point for great paintings or books. For the purposes of this module we will call the 'book' we are going to create a scrapbook, but it is really a something in between a sketchbook and a scrapbook. At present there is a type of craft called 'scrapbooking' which entails presenting personal pictures in an attractive manner. That is not what is required here although some display ideas may be interesting. HOW TO CREATE YOUR SCRAPBOOK : * use interesting paper- each page can be different colours or textures. * each page should have some text and some images - ideally the images should relate to the text. * do your own sketches from books or computer images -it will be more personal and unique. * you can also create borders for pages relating to your chosen group for example - Greek lettering. * if you have pieces of fabric that you are discussing - for example linen, cut it out neatly and paste it in your book. * you can also do the same with ribbon, buttons, or other small objects. * write down your own thoughts about pictures that you have stuck in - for example - "I really like the drape of this garment because it looks so modern" * once all your pages are completed you will photograph each one separately for submission. * for your own purposes, put your pages together in a presentation folder and keep as part of your portfolio. (Refer to images on next page)
Fashion Design 1 History of costume FD1/HC/CC JPEG FD1-HC-CC-B1 Submission of scrapbook. Completed scrapbook. Research on different cultures. Presentation & lay out. The successful completion of the scrapbook will indicate the student's ability to carry out basic research techniques. They should be able to use the information gathered to create a meaningful and aesthetically pleasing work. * First read and understand all the tutorials. * Choose ONE of the groups - Egyptians OR Romans OR Greeks to create your scrapbook about. * Research more information about that group - use books from the library or use the internet. * Find out more about their art, clothing, jewellery, hair or culture. * Using the information that you have gathered, create a scrapbook. * The scrapbook should be made up of 5 or 6 loose sheets of A4 paper. * The pages can include sketches, images, hand written or computer printed text, as well as fabric swatches, beads, etc. * The aim of the scrapbook is to present information in a creative an interesting way - so you should have a good mixture of information and visuals. * The scrapbook should be neat, well presented and writing should be legible. * Each page of the scrapbook must be photographed and submitted as a JPEG. **Please note your specific due date will be allocated for this module after successful registration.