Fashions In Ancient Societies

In ancient societies of the world fashions had its strong existence. The whole world had ancient civilizations, but some civilizations had their penetrating impacts on man’s every day life. In Europe GREEK and ROMAN traditions are identical and parallel. In EGYPT we see similar rich culture and fashion. Moreover ancient INDIAN civilization and society was likely rich. INDIAN civilization was so rich and strong that it has its not only traces, but continuity in present fashion too.

Fashion has never been constant at any stage and this is revealed by the kind of fashion ideas followed since ancient times. So to understand continuity and follow-up we would discuss these rich civilizations one by one.

Ancient Greek Fashion

Greeks are the father of knowledge and wisdom .They is unique in their social interaction and response towards the society. Ancient Greeks had certain types of clothing that were characteristic of that era. Here’s a look at some various styles of clothing that belonged to ancient Greek fashion.

Ancient Greeks were known for many things, from the beautiful art to the very rich literature. Ancient Greek fashion was unique and equally interesting and had certain characteristic features about it. WOMEN in ancient Greece were quite modest as far as their clothing was concerned. Here is a detailed look at ancient Greek fashion.

Ancient Greek Dress Fashion

Greek-fashion of dress was the fashion of non-stitched clothing. We observe the kind of clothing worn in ancient Greece was loose and flowing and hardly were the garments ever sewn together. Their used fabrics were mainly linen or wool. They had certain typical garments that belonged to the ancient Greek fashion only. Women of the era also wore a veil with their clothing whenever they stepped out of the house. In fact, the ancient Greek fashion was quite modern in its outlook. As far as men were concerned to the extent that male nudity was really not a big deal in ancient Greece. Reason being, though weaving industry was impressive but stitching industry was not existing.

Fabric of Chiton:The fabric of chitin was worn in the ancient Greeks by women as well as by men. This form was of clothing was most popular in ancient Greek fashion. The chitin could be worn with an added halation (a kind of cloak) or it could be worn without this accessory. When worn without the halation, it was known as the Mono-Chiton. The chitin appeared on the scenario after the Persian invasion. A belt was also worn with the chitin, which was called the zoster. The chitin was also seen in two varieties- the Ionic chitin and the Doric chitin. The Doric chitin consisted of two pieces of cloth, which were rectangular in shape, and was worn long. The Ionic chitin differed from the Doric chitin in terms of the overbold. The overbold was worn longer on the Doric chitin.

Importance of Himation:

This was a formal dressing of Greeks of the era. When the Himation was being worn in ancient Greece; it represented a form of outdoor wear. The Himation is also an important garment of ancient Greek fashion. This was generally made from a rectangular piece of wool. With the use of lighter fabrics, the Himation was worn at any time of the day. The Himation was loose and flowing, therefore, it can be termed as a modern cloak. It was also used as a form of drapery to be worn over the Chiton. The Himation can be compared to the Roman toga, the only difference being that the Himation has less volume in the fabric. When worn solo, the Himation was known as the Chiton!

Chlamys, The Royal Shivelry Cloth:

The Chlamys was also flowing in its appearance and was mainly worn by the soldiers in ancient Greece. The chlamys was used as a cloak and was pinned at the right shoulder. The chlamys was also worn with other forms of clothing but generally, soldiers only used it as a form of a cover. This was worn pinned at the right arm.

Peplos for Women:

Women often wore the Peplos and these go back to the period before 500 BC. This can be described as a piece of woolen material and was styled as per the height of the wearer. The Peplos consisted of a tubular shaped cloth. This was folded from the inside out. The top area of the tube usually gathered at the waist and the bottom area extended till the ankles. The cloth on the upper area was brought underneath the left arm. This was secured with the help of tapes or pins on the right shoulder. The top layer of the cloth, which draped the waist often, gave the appearance of two pieces of cloth. There were many types of the styles that were used for the Peplos. Some of the common patterns included checks, flowers, waves or even stripes. When women wore the Peplos, the arms were generally left bare. When the fabric hung at the front area, folds were generally formed and these were also fastened on the shoulders.

Ancient Greek Fashion: Jewelry and Makeup

Jewelry did form a significant part of ancient Greek fashion. This was discovered with the findings of jewelry at the Greek sites which proves that women in ancient Greece loved to wear all sorts of jewelry with their flowing garments. Bracelets, earrings and beautiful necklaces were worn with Greek attire. Even men were not left behind as far as ancient Greek fashion was concerned. It is known that men wore jewelry till the 4th century.

Ancient Greek women also used make up. Pale or light skin was considered a status symbol for women. Women used honey and olive oil to improve their skin. They often used substances as a substitute for cosmetics for enhancing their looks. Dark powder was dusted over the eyebrows and red powder was used over their lips. Women also loved to wear their hair long during this period.

These are some of the interesting bits and bites of ancient Greek fashion. Thus we see the ever-changing scenario of fashion since the ancient days.