Roma Antica - Imbracaminte

MEN’S CLOTHING
Roman clothes were made of wool, spun into cloth by the women of the family. Later on the
richer people had slaves to do this work for them. If you could afford to buy clothes, you
could buy linen, cotton or silk, which was brought to Rome from other parts of the Empire.
Washing clothes was difficult because the Romans did not have washing machines or soap
powder. They used either a chemical called sulphur or urine.
These are the clothes that Roman men wore
The Toga
This man is wearing a toga. Only male citizens of Rome were allowed
to wear togas. They were made out of wool and were very large. The
material was not sewn or pinned but was draped around the body and
over one arm. Togas were very expensive because of the large amount
of material needed to make them and very heavy. It was the law that
all citizens wore togas for public events. They were even told which
colour of toga they had to wear:
A plain white toga was worn by all adult male citizens
An off-white toga with a purple border was worn by magistrates and
upper class boys
A toga made of dark coloured wool was worn after someone had died
A bleached toga was worn by politicians
A purple toga with gold embroidery was worn by a victorious general
and later by emperors.
In later times it became more acceptable to wear togas of different
colours with embroidery but this was frowned on by those who
preferred to keep to the established order.
The Tunic
The tunic was standard dress for all men from slaves to the nobles.
It could be worn plain, belted at the waist or under a cloak.
Citizens of Rome would wear a tunic under their toga.
The simplest and cheapest tunics were made by sewing two pieces
of wool together to make a tube with holes for the arms. For those
that could afford it tunics could be made of linen or even silk. The
tunic would be worn belted at the waist and just covering the
knees.
Underwear
Both men and women wore a simple loincloth called a
subligaculum under their clothes.
Shoes
Indoors, the Romans wore open-toed sandals. However, outdoors they

preferred to wear shoes that covered their toes. The Romans made
shoes and sandals by fixing strips of leather to a tough leather or cork
base. Sandals, to be worn indoors or in the summer, had a smaller
number of leather strips. Shoes for walking, for winter or for soldiers
had many more leather strips to cover the toes and provide more
warmth.
Jewellery
Men were only allowed to wear one piece of jewellery – a ring that was used to make a mark
in wax for sealing documents. However, many ignored the rules and wore several rings and
brooches to pin their cloaks.
Hairstyles
All men had their hair cut short and shaved. After the time of Hadrian some men began
growing beards.
WOMEN’S CLOTHING
The Palla as Roman Dress for Women

The palla was a woven rectangle made of wool that the Roman
matron put on on top of her stola when she went outside. She
could use the palla in many ways, like a modern scarf, but palla is
often translated as a cloak. A palla was like the toga, which was
another woven, not sewn, expanse of cloth that could be pulled
over the head.Photo: Woman Wearing the Palla. PD "A
Companion to Latin Studies," edited by Sir John Edwin Sandys
The Stola as Roman Dress for Women

The stola was emblematic of the Roman matron: adulterers and
prostitutes were forbidden to wear it. The stola was a garment
for women worn under the palla and over the undertunic. It was
usually wool. The stola could be pinned at the shoulders, using
the undertunic for sleeves, or the stola itself could have sleeves.
The picture shows the fourth-century figure Galla Placidia clothed in stola, under tunic, and
palla. The stola remained popular from Rome's early years through its imperial period, and
beyond.
Tunica
Although not reserved for women, the tunica was part of the
Roman costume for women. It was a simple rectangular piece
that might have sleeves or might be sleeveless. It was the
basic garment that went on under the stola, palla, or toga or
could be worn alone. While men might belt up the tunica,
women were expected to have fabric extending to their feet,
so if this was all she wore, a Roman woman would not belt it.
She may or may not have had some form of underwear under
it. Originally, the tunica would have been woolen and would
have continued to be wool for those who couldn't afford more
luxurious fibers.
Strophium and Subligar

The breast band for exercise shown in the picture is called a
strophium, fascia, fasciola, taenia, or mamillare. Its purpose
was to hold the breasts and may also have been to compress
them. The breast band was a normal, if optional, item in a
woman's underwear. The bottom, the loincloth-like piece is
probably a subligar, but it was not a normal element of
underwear, so far as we know.

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MEN’S CLOTHING

Indoors, the Romans wore open-toed sandals. However, outdoors they

The Palla as Roman Dress for Women

The Stola as Roman Dress for Women

Strophium and Subligar

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