Report Ancients Egyptian Weather in ancient Egypt was hot and dry, so Egyptians were always looking for ways to keep their bodies comfortable. Ancient Egyptian clothing was light, mostly made out of linen, adorned with gems and jewels, as these clothes were not only made to be comfortable, but also fashionable. They would also protect the body from the dry heat, but also look good, reflect the social status of the wearer and be appropriate to the gender and age. The ideal body form is a youthful and slim figure with narrow for both men and women (which anthropometric studies of pharaonic mummies have revealed is a fair representation of reality). Today s society has a similar ideal concept of beauty, but in reality, men and women have much more varied shapes and sizes. Linen was helping with keeping the body comfortable while in hot temperatures. It s made from the flax plant by spinning the fibers from the stem of the plant. Once harvested, the flax was soaked in water until soft. The soften flax was then separated into fibers which were beaten before being spun into thread which was then woven into cloth. Natural dyes were used to color the clothing, but it was usually left to have the natural color of the material.
Royalty was wearing much more luxurious clothing, with materials including leopard skins, and lion tails, with gold being an important material too. The wealthy people were usually wearing animal fibers, while peasants and people of modest condition were wearing clothing that was not covering the body completely; also, slaves were often wearing nothing.. Men were wearing wrap skirts (Shendyt), with a belt around the waist. The length of the skirts was varying, from being short during the Old Kingdom and reaching the calf in the Middle Kingdom, then they became longer, developing into tunics with sleeves. Women were wearing a simple sheath dresses (kalasiris). Compared to men s clothing, women s clothing was more conservative the dresses were covering the entire body, until the ankle and were held by straps on the shoulders (covering one or both shoulders); also the length of the dress was a reflection of the social class of the wearer. Over the dresses, women could wear other pieces of clothing (shawls, capes).
Until puberty, children were not wearing anything; however, starting with the age of 6, they could wear clothes to protect form the heat. If they were wearing no clothing, they would wear jewelry (anklets, collars, bracelets). Footwear was the same for both genders, mostly sandals made out of leather or papyrus (for priests) worn on special occasions on when the feet could get hurt. Golden sandals were worn by royalty, although they were proving to be quite uncomfortable.
A common article worn by both wealthy men and women were wigs worn over the shaved head. They could be made from human or horse hair, made into various hairstyles and were adorned. When it comes to jewelry, all social classes were wearing rings, bracelets, necklaces made out of beads, metals (gold, silver) and turquoise. A piece specific to ancient Egypt was the gorgerine, made out of assembled metal discs worn over the chest (bare chest or over clothes).
Cosmetics were an important part of taking care of the body. An important tradition was embalming, which led to the evolution of cosmetics and perfumes. Henna was used to paint the nails and hands, black kohl and crushed malachite were used as eye make-up, and ochre was used as lipstick basis. In order to make them last longer, animal fat was used in the production of such cosmetics. The eye makeup was worn by both genders and was specifically important as it protected the eye s from dust and dirt. If we look at fashion then, in ancient Egypt, and now, we can see many similarities between then and influences of the former on the latter. For example, the black kohl eyeliner mentioned above is still used today. When it comes to clothing, the runways are showcasing fashion inspired by the ancient Egyptian garments, such as draping - Balenciaga's 2009 Spring & Summer collection outfits were characterised by wrapped clothing around the body, covering it in similar ways with the Egyptian clothing. Other influences of ancient Egypt fashion are the tunics and tops with belts in the waist see the baby doll style for women dresses and tops. When it comes to accessories, hieroglyphs, scarabs, lotus flowers and the eye of Horus are prominent symbols. Dior One could say that just because the types of clothing described above were worn in a specific era and specific geographical region cannot influence the clothing now in any way. However, fashion designers are always looking for sources of inspiration and innovative ways of dressing, with ancient Egypt style being a valuable source.
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2. Ancient Greeks and Romans report The Ancient Greeks were keeping their clothing simple, focused on functionality, having their clothes styled and restyle according to the occasion. The summers were very hot, so using less or lighter fabric was the best option. When it comes to the ancient Greek body type, the muscled, fit bodies were appreciated and to strive for, just like today. In reality, both then and now, people had different shapes and sizes. Ancient Greek clothing was mainly consisting of the chiton, peplos, himation, and chlamys; they were rather loose, not tight on the body. This is based on historical accounts and artistic depictions; the clothes were home-made, and mostly very elaborate and brightly-colored. The preferred materials were linen or wools, and clothes would be secured with pins (fibula) and belts or girdles around the waist. Peplos and chitons were inner tunics. The peploses were worn by women, were heavy and made of wool, with shoulder clasps, and the upper body folded down to the waist. The chitons were worn by people of both genders and all ages, were lighter and made out of linen. Men s clothing was covering the body until the knees, while women s clothing was until the ankles. Women could wear under their clothes strophions, covering the mid-portion, and over tunics a shawl (epiblema). At public events and at the market, they would also wear a veil. Chlamyses were made of wool, in the shape of a rectangle and were worn by men as cloaks. They were typical military attire, worn by soldiers and wrapped around the arm, used as light shield in combat. Himation is a cloak worn in winter, over the peplos or the chlamys.
Archaeological excavations in various Greek sites showed that jewellery (rings, necklaces, bracelets) was popular in ancient Greece. In early Greece, both men and women were wearing jewellery, but by the fourth century, men did not do so anymore. Hairstyles have encountered changes over time. In the early days, men were wearing their hair short and were growing bears. Free women were normally wearing l, while slave women were wearing their hair short. In early Greece, the hair could be curled and braided; later, it was tied back or put up into a bun. When it came to make-up, pale skin was highly appreciated and was a sign of prestige. Women were applying white lead or chalk to their faces to lighten it up, with the former being very toxic, while the latter not lasting that long. Dark powder was used to enhance the eyebrows, while red powder was used as blush for the cheeks. Just like ancient Greece, the clothing of ancient Romans is well known from the archaeology, art and literature. Probably the most significant piece of Roman clothing was the toga, the basic piece of clothing for adults in ancient Rome. It was one piece of garment, made of wool, draped loosely from the shoulders and down, and could be wrapped around the body in various ways. Free citizens were wearing togas, while slaves and children were wearing tunics. After the 2 nd century BC, tunics were worn under togas, becoming a basic garment for both genders. Women were wearing stolas, similar dress to the Greek chitons.
There was Roman pressure on girls to diet to meet the social expectations for thinness, to maintain a particular body shape in order to be considered attractive. When in reality, there were also plumpier girls just like in today s society. There were also other types of clothing except togas, specific to the military or various occupations. Until puberty, a special kind of toga was word, with a red-purple band on the lower edge, also known as the toga praetexta. As a sign of growing up, at the age of 16, boys would burn their clothes. Until marriage, girls were wearing white to signify purity and virginity. The same kind of toga was also worn to indicate high status (magistrates and high priests). The toga candida (white) was worn by political candidates. Prostitutes were wearing different togas than other women - toga muliebris. For mourning, the toga pulla (dark colour) was worn. The purpurea (purple colour) was worn in times of triumph and by the Roman emperor. Over the time, the toga became to be worn only by the men citizens of Roma, especially in business situations. Women, slaves, and foreigners were forbidden to wear a toga. The late toga of adult citizens, the toga virilis, was made of plain white wool and worn after the age of fourteen. Women accused of adultery were forced to wear a toga as a badge of shame, symbolising the loss of her female identity. Cosmetics were first used in ancient Rome for rituals. Working women and slaves would rarely apply make-up, as they would use cheaper versions; because of weather condition and poor composition, the make-up would need to be applied regularly. Cosmetics were usually applied in rooms were men were not allowed, where slaves were adorning their mistresses with make-up, perfume and jewellery; women who were smelling good were assumed to be healthy. Influences of Roman and Greek clothing later in time were used to symbolize power Renaissance (15 th -16 th centuries) art was depicting rulers wearing Romaninspired military garments (cuirass, military cloak, and sandals). Also, the modern Western bridal clothing consists of ancient Rome inspired attire such as the veil and the wedding ring. Gladiators Sandals Inspiration When it comes to fashion nowadays, both ancient Greek and Roman fashion are considered influences, such as toga-style wrapped around the body dresses and tops, to Roman sandals and golden bracelets, which could be seen in street style as well as on the runway.
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