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

Ancient Near East Costumes

At various periods of time in history, clothing with different cuts, silhouettes, colours, fabrics in started developing in certain places and parts of the world. Some costumes were important for leading civilian lifestyle while others were designed to meet the specific functional  and practical requirements. Elements of one genre of clothing permeated into another over centuries. Draped costumes were essentially one of the common archetypes which were seen in past cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece etc.

Sumerian Costumes

Inhabiting Mesopotamia as an ancient civilisation, Sumerians started wearing draped garments. These were simple ankle-length wrap around skirts adorned by both men and women alike. There was a certain kind of commonality in draping methods. The Sumerians wore a particular 'Kaunakes' skirt which had to be tied back at waist level with a broad width waistband forms. 

Christian Dior inspired by the Sumerian skirt showcased a haute couture garment in Fall 2013.

Babylonian costume

The Babylonians further developed the draped Kaunakes into a thicker tougher version. These were worn under shawls. The shawls were lined with fringes and tassels. The drapes complicated with fabrics over the shoulder or under the armpits. They are seen to be pinned to in few statuettes.  A significant difference was the drapes were elaborate among nobilities but the lower rank simply wore linen skirts. 

London Fashion Week Summer 2009 had a Babylonian costume inspired gown.

Assyrian Costumes

Assyrians had further ornate and decorated garments than the Babylonians. Assyrians draped elaborate shawls with short sleeve tunics. These were either rectangular or semi-circular. These shawls were worn like aprons, tied a the back and belted at the waist. The fringes and tassels edging along these extensively decorated shawls also portrayed ranks of the civilians. Two belts were sometimes cinched to hold the tunic and shawl in a particular position as none the garments were stitched.