Roman Clothing

Roman Emperor Clothing

Public display of status was an extremely important feature of Roman society. The Romans required that their status and rank was immediately recognized, in order to be meaningful, and the the clothing worn by the Roman Emperor, especially on state occasions had to be the most expensive, made from the rarest and finest materials. The material, style and color of the clothing worn by a Roman Emperor was the very best and the Emperor was instantly recognised by what he wore. Although the colors, decorations and materials used in the manufacture of a Roman Emperors clothing he wore the basic garments of the Romans: The tunic, the toga and the cloak:
 The Toga was the standard loose flowing outer garment which was elaborately draped around the body
 The tunic (tunica) was worn below the toga. The original tunic designs reached to the knees and had short sleeves. In the second century AD the style changed and long sleeves were acceptable in the tunic design
 The cloak called a paludamentum which was fastened at the shoulder with a clasp, called a fibula.

Roman Emperor Clothing - The Color Purple and the 'Trabea' Toga

The most associated color with Roman Emperor Clothing is the color purple. Only a Roman Emperor was allowed to wear the 'trabea' which was a toga entirely colored in purple and worn on ceremonial occasions. Statues of gods were also dressed in the purple trabea toga, emphasising the importance of the color and of course associating the Emperor with the Roman gods. The purple toga was also referred to as the Toga purpurea. Lesser mortals such as kings, senators, young sons of senators, augurs and some other important priests were allowed to have purple stripes on their togas. The width of the stripe varied accordance to their status.

Roman Emperor Clothing - Toga picta

The Toga picta was another piece of Roman Emperor Clothing, which was also worn on special occasions such as the opening of gladiatorial games. Unlike all other types of toga, the material was not just dyed purple but was also richly embroidered and decorated with gold.