Ancient Greek Fashion

Ancient Greece was known for many things right from the beautiful art to the very rich literature. Ancient Greek fashion was equally interesting and had certain characteristic features about it. Women in ancient Greece were quite modest as far as their clothing was concerned. Here is a detailed look at ancient Greek fashion.

Ancient Greek Fashion: Types of clothing
The kind of clothing worn in ancient Greece was loose and flowing and hardly were the garments ever sewn together. The fabrics used were mainly linen or wool. There were certain typical garments that belonged to the ancient Greek fashion. Women also wore a veil with their clothing whenever they stepped out of the house. In fact, the ancient Greek fashion was quite modern in its outlook as far as men were concerned to the extent that male nudity was really not a big deal in ancient Greece.

Chiton:
The chiton was worn in the ancient Greece by men as well as women. This form was of clothing was quite popular in ancient Greek fashion. The chiton could be worn with a himation (a kind of cloak) or it could be worn without it as well. When worn without the himation, it was known as the monochiton. The chiton appeared on the scenario after the Persian invasion. A belt was also worn with the chiton, which was called the zoster. The chiton was also seen in two varieties- the Doric chiton and the Ionic chiton. The Doric chition consisted of two pieces of cloth, which were rectangular in shape, and was worn long. The Ionic chiton differed from the Doric chiton in terms of the overfold. The overfold was worn longer on the Doric chiton.

Himation:
When the himation was being worn in ancient Greece, it represented a form of outdoor wear. The himation is also an important garment of ancient Greek fashion. This was generally made from a rectangular piece of wool. With the use of lighter fabrics, the himation was worn at any time of the day. The himation was loose and flowing, therefore, it can be termed as a modern cloak. It was also used as a form of drapery to be worn over the chiton. The himation can be compared to the Roman toga, the only difference being that the himation has less volume in the fabric. When worn solo, the himation was known as the achiton.

Peplos:
Women often wore the peplos and these go back to the period before 500 BC. This can be described as a piece of woolen material and was styled as per the height of the wearer. The peplos consisted of a tubular shaped cloth. This was folded from the inside out. The top area of the tube usually gathered at the waist and the bottom area extended till the ankles. The cloth on the upper area was brought underneath the left arm. This was secured with the help of tapes or pins on the right shoulder. The top layer of the cloth, which draped the waist often gave the appearance of two pieces of cloth. There were certain types of patterns that were used for the peplos. Some of the common patterns included checks, flowers, waves or even stripes. When women wore the peplos, the arms were generally left bare. When the fabric hung at the front area, folds were generally formed and these were also fastened on the shoulders.

Chlamys:
The chlamys was also flowing in its appearance and was mainly worn by the soldiers in ancient Greece. The chlamys was used as a cloak and was pinned at the right shoulder. The chlamys was also worn with other forms of clothing but generally, soldiers only used it as a form of a cover. This was worn pinned at the right arm.

Ancient Greek Fashion: Jewelry and Makeup
Jewelry did form a significant part of ancient Greek fashion. This was discovered with the findings of jewelry at the Greek sites which proves that women in ancient Greece loved to wear all sorts of jewelry with their flowing garments. Bracelets, earrings and beautiful necklaces were worn with Greek attire. Even men were not left behind as far as ancient Greek fashion was concerned. It is known that men wore jewelry till the 4th century.

Ancient Greek women also used make up. Pale or light skin was considered a status symbol for women. Women used honey and olive oil to improve their skin. They often used substances as a substitute for cosmetics for enhancing their looks. Dark powder was dusted over the eyebrows and red powder was used over their lips. Women also loved to wear their hair long during this period.

These are some of the interesting bits and bites of ancient Greek fashion. Thus we see the ever-changing scenario of fashion since the ancient days.