Ancient Roman Clothing

ROMAN CLOTHING

Roman clothing are often confused with the Greek clothing, even though they had similarities they can be distinguished easily.

Clothing in Ancient Rome was not a liability but a luxury for the civilians and especially clothing with linen and silk was not very affordable to be spun at home. The costumes of the civilians can be distinguished in two ways, which were slipped over the head and which were wound around the body. dying was a very common act among Romans.

TOGA was a wrapped garment which was also known as the Roman cloak. Toga was only worn by men and was an official garment for all public events. Toga also required a huge amount of spun cloth to be draped around the body. Earlier an outer garment for both the sexes which also served as a night blanket, it later became popular among men and worn on all occasions. The Toga came in different borders and embroideries according to ranks and classes.

Sometimes the Romans also wore various tunics under their Toga. For footwear the Romans wore sandals which had simultaneous strips of leather surrounding the feet and calves too.  Animal skins and various leather were used often for war garments.

The drapery became very complex and elaborate at the same time. Women wore a PALLA which was an equivalent to the male TOGA. This lengthwise fabric was held on the shoulders by FIBULA (Brooch). There was a variety of fabrics that were worn like wool and silk.

Here are few of my illustrations reflecting on Roman clothing.

Picture credits: Pinterest
References: http://www.historyonthenet.com/romans/clothing.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/romeclothing.html

Ancient Greek Clothing

GRECIAN CLOTHING

Clothing from the Ancient Greece can be seen as an inspiration quite often these days. Reflecting back in the times the clothing developed quite a lot since past ages. Greek clothing was mostly homemade draping rectangular linen and wool with little or no stitching involved in the dress-making process.

Men and women clothing was not necessarily differentiated and even often interchangeable. The garments were still draped but in new different styles and even sometimes stitched. The traditional permanence always remained in the Greek and Roman costumes. The garments were Chiton, Chlamys, Peplos and Himation.

Greek god Apollo

CHITON was the most common garment worn by both the sexes. This was a rectangular piece of cloth woven in various sizes. The men earlier worn a tunic belted at the waist called the EXOMIS.

Chiton was a smaller form of Exomis which could be pinned, belted or stitched. This could also serve as a night garment if it was not belted. HIMATION was a cloak like garment without any fixed fastenings. PEPLOS was mainly worn by the women which was a shawl attached with fibulae and could be open or close depending on modesty. Women even wore a bra like undergarment called Strophion around their breasts.

Greek clothing didn't necessarily have bright colors and was mainly in hues of white as they came. The Greeks were very utilitarian in nature and weren't had much extensive clothing expressions like the Egyptians.
Here are few illustrations of mine reflecting on ancient Greek clothing.

Picture Credits : Pinterest.com

References : http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Clothing/

http://www.ancient.eu/article/20/

Baroque and Rococo Fashion

Baroque and Rococo were one of the most glistening eras of the fashion history which might never return. The gilded elaborate clothing and the heavy Renaissance influence makes the eras stand out completely. Here is a look at these bygone eras. These eras existed from 1650-1800s. 

BAROQUE ERA (FASHION)

The classical Baroque era shined in all aspects of art, culture, architecture, fashion under the reign of Louis XIV. This was an extremely luxurious era with rich fabrics, colors textures and curve accentuating silhouettes. The clothing had a lot of surface ornamentation such as use of lace, sequins, pearls, gold embroidery. There seemed to be growing a new bourgeois class who followed nobility fashion fervently. Fashion Designers were on the rise about this time and bespoke dressmaking was indulged in by all. Women wore tighter corsets and flowing gowns with high cinched waistlines. The plunging neckline called the decolletage became overtly popular among women and was sometimes covered with a scarf tied at the bosom for modesty. This was also the period in which women wore two skirts, one the under skirt for giving the structure over the bustle and on top of that was the over skirt which usually was open-front and had a train behind. Lace, Brocades and Ribbons were very common element of decoration. Makeup was used by all of the women and not only courtesans like before. The most common was rouge on the cheeks and lips. Women even started wearing heels and minimal jewelry.

Cavalier style for men was very common during this era with tight patterned breeches, knee high boots with turned down lace trimmings, wide brimmed hats with feathers were common among the bearded romantics. 

Square-toed high heeled boots were very common along with riding cots with puffed sleeves. Men continued wearing wigs too.

ROCOCO ERA (FASHION)

Fashion became excessively elaborate and shifted from Versailles to Paris. The raging fashion had an impact not only on royalty and aristocrats but also on middle and lower class. The most important figures of fashion during this era were Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette. Madame Pompadour was the promiscuous mistress of Louis XV. She established Rococo fashion adorning a lot of pastels and floral patterned flowing silhouettes with plunging necklines and feminine forms. This light and happy style came to be known as Rococo. Fashion magazines were very popular among the aristocrats and later among the lower class. Rococo spread from France to other European countries as well. For instance the Robe e la Francaise, Robe e la Anglais and Robe e la Polonaise were staple fashion across countries. Later the extravagant Marie Antoinette along with her dressmaker Rose Bertin became fashion icons eventually leading to the French Revolution.

Women wore sashes tied at neck like Marie Antoinette with everyday gowns. Wide hoops and panniers were worn extensively with formal wear. This look gave the illusion of full lower skirt and very tight, cinched upper bodice with a structured corsets. Heels became slimmer and higher with dainty decorations. Women wore flowers, feathers, jewels and other accessories with their extravagant and towering powdered wigs.

Men's fashion didn't go under great changes from the Baroque period. Except coats became more structured and not as flowing and had further elaborate designs on them. The breeches worn shortened in length worn till the knees with high white stockings showing their slender legs. French aristocrats and royal men who dress in an extensive and dainty manner came to be known as the Macaronis and were often mocked by the lower societies. The middle and lower class during the French Revolution showed a lot of patriotism in their fashion wearing a lot of reds, blues and whites from their national flag. As this era highlighted the beginning of the French Revolutions, the fashion held a lot of importance in future decades.

Reference : https://historyofeuropeanfashion.wordpress.com/category/baroquerococo-1650-1800/
Photo Credits : Pinterest 

Contrast emotions evoked from a single image (Visual Research)

This picture was captured on August 9, 1945 with America initiating a nuclear attack on Nagasaki, Japan during the end of WWII.  The reason I chose this picture because somehow it evokes contrast emotions. It highlights the horrifying devastation and doom of the catastrophe but at the same time the cloud formation several feet above in the sky creates a beautiful imagery. The enveloping cloud in a mushroom form looks serene yet scary. There is a natural beauty in the clouds floating and taking a certain shape but the it even is a proof of one of the most tragic event of all times. 

Ancient Egyptian Clothing

EGYPTIAN CLOTHING

Ancient Egyptian costumes mainly focused on lower body garments than upper body counterparts. Hence, most of the civilization had bare body with a skirt or any drape garment underneath. Due to the extreme heat in this region, they tend to adorn light translucent preferably cotton garment covering their hips. Until later the New kingdom, when robes were worn.
The Egyptian clothing combined beauty and comfort together.

                                                             

The uniqueness of the garments of this civilization was the numerous pleats seen on the draped garment. A simple loin cloth which was the oldest draped male garment was known as SCHENTI. It was a single strip of linen draped around the hips differentiated by ranks among people. For the Pharaohs, this cloth was much finer, elaborate and pleated. And often accessorized with a tail representing their spirit animal. 

In later periods the length of the skirt grew longer varying from mid-length to calves. The men and women extensively started wearing tattoos, wigs, cosmetics and jewelry. Even the royal ones adorned cosmetics.
Egyptians wore sandals in the later kingdom. The nobility wore sandals made of leather and the common people wore sandals made of papyrus.

Royal men wore a draped elaborate material with folds at shoulders and hips called the royal HAIK. 

The clothing was mainly unisex but women wore a sheath like tunic with thin pleats called KALASAIRES and sometimes a cape on it too. Egyptians even adorned religious and ritualistic garments like their shawl. For modest reasons these were sometimes held by one or two straps too. Of course the lengths of these dresses denoted social classes and ranks too.
The children more than usually wore no clothing at all. 

This are few of my illustrations reflecting on Ancient Egyptian clothing.

Picture Credits : Pinterest
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_ancient_Egypt
http://www.historyonthenet.com/egyptians/clothing.htm