Clothing
The Roman Sumptuary Laws
The Roman Sumptuary Laws were the laws that dictated which type of clothes could be worn by Romans. The laws included the types of material, colour and style of clothes that the people were allowed to wear. The clothes that citizens wore reflected their status in society. For example, only the Emperor was allowed to wear a toga that was entirely purple. Clothing for Men Ancient Roman men typically wore a tunic and a toga. The tunic was a white woollen undergarment that came down a little below the knees. Tunics were fastened by a girdle or belt around the waist, to keep it tight. The toga was an outer garment that was generally wrapped around the tunic. There were several different types of toga and each type symbolised something different. Clothing for Women Clothing worn by ancient Roman women was very similar to those worn by the men. The toga was originally worn by both men and women alike, but later married women wore a stola. The stola was an outer garment that extended to the feet. The stola was a symbol of marriage that proclaimed a women’s respectability and faithfulness to her traditions. The stola didn't indicate the social class of women. Prostitutes and women convicted for adultery were not permitted to wear the stola. Clothing Materials and Colours Ancient Roman clothes were made from different materials as the Empire became more powerful and came into contact with other cultures. Luxury materials were often imported by the Romans from different parts of the Empire. For example, fine linen was imported from Egypt, cotton fabrics from India and silk from China. Some were quite rare and extremely expensive. To obtain different colours a complicated dying process was used. Most dyes were also extremely expensive. Purple was the most expensive colour to produce which is why only Emperors wore it. Shoes In ancient Rome people wore a type of slipper or sandal that covered only the sole of the foot and was fastened with leather strings. The shoes of a senator came up to the middle of their legs and had a golden or silver arc on top. Hairstyles The hairstyles of the ancient Roman’s changed with the fashions of the time. The men often wore wigs, dyed their hair or used curling tongs to produce a curled effect. The women wore elaborately curled hairstyles. Hair was also arranged in layers and was twisted and waved. |