Fashion of the Early Civilizations

Toga ~ Rome ~ The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft (6 m) in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn exclusively by men, and only Roman citizens were allowed to wear the toga. After this time, women were expected to wear the stola.

Chiton ~ Greece ~ There are two forms of chiton, the Doric chiton and the later Ionic chiton. The "Doric" style was simpler and had no "sleeves", being simply pinned, sewn, or buttoned at the shoulder. The "Ionic" style was made of a much wider piece of fabric, and was pinned, sewn, or buttoned all the way from the neck to the wrists and the excess fabric gathered by the zone or girdled at the waist. By the late Archaic, Ionic chitons had become less common, especially for men.

Himation ~ Greece ~ Over a chiton a heavier tunic or cloak could also be worn; the cloak was called a himation.

Kimono ~ Japan ~ Before the year 794, Japanese people wore separate upper and lower garments. During the years 794 to 1192, the straight line method was invented. This method involved cutting long pieces of fabric and sewing them together in a long dress like a kimono. From the year 1192 to 1573, Japanese men and women began to wear bright colors on their kimono. Samurai warriors wore the colors of their leaders.

Obi ~ Japan ~ In its early days, an obi was a cord or a ribbon-like sash, approximately 8 centimeters (3.1 in) in width. Men's and women's obis were similar. At the beginning of the 17th century, both women and men wore a ribbon obi. By the 1680s the width of women's obi had already doubled from its original size. In the 1730s women's obis were about 25 centimeters (9.8 in) wide, and at the turn of the 19th century were as wide as 30 centimeters (12 in). At that time, separate ribbons and cords were already necessary to hold the obi in place. The men's obi was at its widest in the 1730s, at about 16 centimeters (6.3 in).[3]

Palla ~ Rome ~ The Palla is a simple rectangular drape worn for modesty and protection from the elements. It could be worn about the shoulders as shown, or drawn over the head. Use a full width of cloth, and hem or just fringe the ends to prevent fraying.

Strola – the overdress ~ Rome ~ The Stola was probably similar in cut to the Tunica. The arm openings would be deeper, open to the waist. Sometimes the material was gathered at the shoulder seam to show the sleeves of the Tunica underneath. These pleats would be held together by pins, or by sewing a strip of braid over the seam, as on this statue. The Stola would be of more colourful and luxurious materials than the Tunica.

Cheongsam ~ China ~ The cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women.

Kalasiris ~ Egypt ~ The robes worn by both sexes in Egypt were called kalasiris. Material and cut varied over the centuries, though the cloth of choice was always linen.