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.

http://xhorni.com/patricians-ancient-rome.html

http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/

Roman Weddings - the Wedding Dress and 'Tying the Knot'

The bride's attire, like that of today, was special and worn only once. On the wedding day the bride was dressed in a simple robe of pure white (a tunica recta) which was bound with a woollen belt. The ritual and complicated marriage knot of the bride's belt was called the Nodus Herculaneus which symbolized the virility of Hercules, who fathered seventy children, which her husband alone was to unloose. This is the derivation of the saying 'Tying the Knot'. Wearing her wedding dress the bride waited for the arrival of the bridegroom. Traditionally the bridegroom, accompanied by a party of friends, carried her off with an appearance of violence, from the arms of her parents, to denote the reluctance the bride was supposed to feel at leaving her paternal roof.

http://www.myshared.ru/slide/227166/

Roman Weddings - the Hairstyle of the Bride

The bride's hairstyle was unique to brides and was called tutulus. The hair was divided into sex crines, six locks, and was fastened with vittae, fillets, on the top of her head in a meta, cone. Her hair was parted with a hasta recurva or hasta caelibaris, bent iron spearhead and crowned with flowers. It is not really known why this ritual was practiced, except that the ancient Romans may have believed that this would drive out the evil spirits thought to be living in the hair.

http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/roman-wedding-clothing.htm

Roman Soldiers Clothing

Colors

The basic clothing including the tunic or cloaks of the Roman soldier was either red (dyed with madder) or undyed material giving an off-white color.

Loincloth

The loincloth was a basic item of clothing described as a one-piece male garment made of wool or linen.
http://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/Projects/caveman_clothes/caveman_clothes.html

Socks

The socks (udones) were quite common apparel (made sense with the marching requirements of Roman Soldiers). Full coverings or socks without a toe or heel were also worn.
http://www.medievaldesign.com/prodotti.asp?form_chiave=20
http://www.medievaldesign.com/eng-prodotti-uomo.asp?form_chiave=33

Leg Wrappings or Bindings (puttees)

Leg wrappings or leg bindings (puttees) were strips of material wrapped from the ankle up to the calf of the leg.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/roman-military

Trousers (Braccae)

Braccae is the Latin term for trousers, a style of pants, made from wool, which became popular with soldiers in the colder climates of the Empire. Braccae were fastened with a drawstring and were of varying lengths from just above the knee or to the ankles.

Military Tunic (Tunica)

The Military Tunic (Tunica) was a wide, shirt-like, undergarment made made of a long piece of rectangular cloth, made of wool, cotton or linen depending on the climate. It was originally sleeveless and usually white. The tunic later acquired sleeves. The tunic was girded with great care to the exact length considered correct for the rank of the wearer.

Military belt (Cingulum militare) 

The Military belt (cingulum militare) was wore around the waist of the soldier and acted as a holder for his dagger and the apron that hung from the front portion of the belt.

http://www.murphsplace.com/gladiator/legions.html

Cloaks (Sagum)

The sagum was the woollen cloak worn by the Roman soldiers and inferior officers, open in the front and usually fastened across the shoulders by a clasp. Another style of cloak was the paenula, a poncho style cape with a central hole for the head.

Scarf (focale)

The Scarf (focale) was a useful addition to the clothing worn and could be wrapped around the neck to prevent chaffing woolen scarves could be wrapped around the body for extra warmth.

http://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokal%C4%97
http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/roman-soldiers-clothing.htm

Roman Children's Clothing

The bulla 

Roman children were presented with an amulet on a necklace called a bulla when they were first born. The bulla worn by Roman boys was a neck chain with a round pouch containing protective amulets, often phallic symbols which emphasized their masculinity. Girls were given an amulet as a protection against evil and was worn on a chain, cord, or strap. Girls wore their bulla until the eve of their wedding day, when their bulla was set aside with other childhood things such as her toys.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjennings/62612598/in/photostream/

Boys Clothes

Although the colors, decorations and materials used in the manufacture of Roman clothing varied the tunic and the cloak were the main items worn by Roman boys: 

• The tunic (tunica) reached to the knees and had short sleeves. In the second century AD the style changed and long sleeves became acceptable in the tunic design;
•  Boys wore cloaks which were used as protection from the weather was called a paludamentum and was fastened at the shoulder with a clasp, called a fibula. The cloaks often had head coverings attached to them;
•  Boys wore a variety of different shoes, boots and sandals.

The Boy's Toga

By Roman Law only adult, male, Roman citizens were allowed to wear the toga virilis only upon reaching the age of political majority (seventeen). However wealthy and noble young men who were the sons of senators, from the age of fourteen until they were seventeen years of age were allowed to wear a toga bordered with purple, called the toga praetexta.

Girls Clothes

Roman girls were not allowed to wear the stola until they are married. Although the colors, decorations and materials used in the manufacture of a children's clothing varied, the tunic and the cloak were the main items worn by Roman girls:

• The tunic. Girls wore a simple tunic with a belt at the waist. When they went outside, they wore a second tunic that reached their feet;
• Girls wore cloaks which were used as protection from the weather and was fastened at the shoulder with a clasp. The cloaks often had head;
• Girls wore a variety of different shoes and sandals.

http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/roman-childrens-clothing.htm 

Roman Clothing for Men

 Roman Sumptuary Laws ensured that the clothing worn by Roman men immediately provided information about the status of the person wearing them. Clothes did not just indicate the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing. For instance, only Roman citizens were allowed, by law, to wear the Toga. The colors and width of the bands, or stripes on tunics and togas were called the clavus. The clavus, together with its style and color, were instantly recognisable as an indication of office or rank and dictated by the Roman Sumptuary Laws. 

In typical    Roman fashion, the more distinguished the wearer, the more his dress was distinctively marked, while the dress of the lowest classes was often not marked at all. 

In the above diagram, for example, we can deduce that the first man on the left is a Roman citizen (because he wears a toga) but is not an equestrian or senator (because he has no stripes on his tunic).

http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html

The Toga 

The toga was a loose outer garment without sleeves which was open from the waist upwards. The material to make a toga consisted of a single broad piece of woollen cloth of a shape similar to a semicircle. The toga was draped gracefully by placing an edge on the left side of the body which extended from the lower legs up over the shoulder, around the back and beneath the right arm and the loose end of material was thrown over the left shoulder.  It was generally made of undyed white wool, except the border of the toga which was colored according to the status of the wearer.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/clothing/a/063010-Toga.htm

The Tunic 

The tunic was usually made of wool. The tunic in its variety of different forms was worn by people of all classes and those worn by men were with and without sleeves and cut in a variety of lengths. Tunics were made from many different types of materials. The tunic was fastened by a girdle or belt about the waist, to keep it tight, which also served as a purse. Roman senators wore a tunic with broad band or strip called the tunica laticlavia

http://www.bible-researcher.com/headcoverings3.html

The Cloak 

The purpose of Roman Cloaks was primarily to provide protection from the weather, the cold and rain. Some cloaks had hoods (cucullus) attached to them. The paenula was a very simple type of Roman cloak consisting of a piece of material with a central hole allowing the wearer to slip the cloak over the head. The abolla was the name of a cloak worn by wealthy and aristocratic Patricians and were made of different types of rich, costly materials.

http://www.creatinghistory.com/abolla-roman-military-cloak/

Roman Clothing for Women

Roman women wore a simple bra in the form of a band called a fascia. The fascia was tightly tied around the body across the bust and under clothing. The Roman Clothing of women also included of an item of underwear called a tunica interior, or subucula which was like a chemise which was worn next to the skin and reached the knees. This tunic was usually made of wool. The tunic in its variety of different forms could be worn by people of all classes and was worn usually with sleeves and cut in a variety of lengths and could be made from many different types of materials. Roman women's tunics were fuller and longer, usually extending to the feet. Outside the tunic was a chord or girdle was often worn which supported the breasts and was called a strophium. Over the tunic married Roman women wore a stola. 

Stola

The stola was an outer garment reaching the ankles. The stola was fastened round the body by a girdle with broad folds above the breast. The essential distinction between the tunic and the stola was that the latter always had an Instita or flounce sewed to the bottom of the garment reaching to the instep. The stola was usually fastened over the shoulder by a Fibula or clasp, and generally had sleeves. Over the stola the Roman women wore a long shawl, called a palla, when they went outside.

http://www.fashion-era.com/ancient_costume/roman-costume-history-women-hair.htm

Palla 

The palla was a shawl like garment worn over the stola. Roman cloaks were a practical accompaniment to the basic clothes worn by Roman women such as the tunic and the stola. The purpose of Roman Cloaks were primarily to provide protection from the cold and rain. Some had hoods (cucullus) attached to them. The palla was rectangular in shape and was usually draped over the left shoulder, under the right arm and back across the body. It was carried by the left arm or thrown back again over the left shoulder. The palla could also be pulled up to cover the head.

http://favriellesatelier.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/

Veil

Roman Clothing for Women also included a variety of different veils or head coverings. Veils were short and and kept in place with a brooch or pin called a fibula.

https://www.pinterest.com/annamercedees/chapter-4-etruria-and-rome/

http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/roman-clothing-for-women.htm

Introduction

Roman Clothes 

The content of this article provides interesting history, facts and information about Roman Clothes. The clothes of the Romans were simple. They usually wore 2-3 articles of clothing, not including shoes. All of the garments varied in the Roman clothing materials which were used. There was little change in fashion and style during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Early contact with the Greeks on the south and with the Etruscans to the north gave the Romans a taste for beauty that was expressed in the grace of their flowing robes.


http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/roman-clothes.htm