Fashion

Daily Life in the Republic: Fashion __Summary Sentence:__ Roman clothing in the republic was simple and elegant, and it was often based on social status or wealth. In Rome, people’s clothing was based on their social status or wealth. The higher the status, the more markings one’s clothing would have. Both men and women would wear a diaper-like loincloth underneath their clothing. ( http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html ) Clothes in the Roman Republic were usually made of cotton or wool, but some wealthy women had silk clothing. ( http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/c/clothing_in_roman_britain.aspx ) Men’s clothing changed more over time than the women’s clothing did. In the early republic men would just wear a loincloth, but later on they started to wear tunics and cloaks. Tunics were made up of two pieces of wool joined together at the shoulders and sides, and a belt or girdle was usually worn at the waist. During the cold weather, men would wear cloaks over their tunics. Tunicas were tunic-like clothing that were only worn at home. During the Republic the tunics were worn at ankle length. A small purse/pocket could be added to the tunic to carry small objects or money. (Cosgrave, Bronwyn. //The Complete History of Costume and Fashion From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day.// Page 73) Only men that were citizens were allowed to wear the toga. With the toga they would wear a shoe that encased their whole foot, but when going inside they would switch to a leather sandal. ( http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html ) During an excavation, archaeologists found a bronze foot that seemed to have been wearing a sock with a leather sandal. ( http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/08/26/london.roman.socks/index.html ) The main article of clothing for women was the stola, which was one piece cloth that was gathered in two different places: Below the bust and at the hips. Worn beneath the stola was a lightweight, sleeveless dress called a subucula.Wealthier noblewomen would wear silk tunics in bright colors with golden fringe. Women sometimes would also wear a bust bodice underneath the subucula, called the strophium. During colder weather, women would wear a cape-like garment called a palla. The palla fastened at the shoulders and often had a hood. Instead of the palla, wealthy women would opt for the osapparum, that had half sleeves, or a oliculla that was a short cape that covered the upper arms. (Cosgrave, Bronwyn. //The Complete History of Costume and Fashion From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day.// Page 73) Women did not accessorize very much, but if they did it was with jewelry and elegant hairstyles. ( http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html ) __ Bibliography __ Cosgrave, Bronwyn. //The Complete History of Costume and Fashion From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day.// New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. “Explore/ Highlights”. //Clothing and fashion in Roman Britain.// December 3, 2008 ( http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/c/clothing_in_roman_britain.aspx ) McManus, Barbara F. “Roman Clothing”. The College of New Rochelle. December 3, 2008. ( http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html ) Shmueli, Sandra. //Roman foot reveals fashion blunder.// 2003. CNN International. December 3, 2008. ( http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/08/26/london.roman.socks/index.html ) __ Picture Bibliography __ December 4, 2008. ( http://kileenroos.com/1/clothingrome.jpg ) December 4, 2008. ( http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MEPOD/10140801~Ancient-Rome-Clothing-Worn-by-a-Public-Orator-Posters.jpg )

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