HISTORY OF COSTUMES

ASSIGNNMENT TITLE: ANCIENT EGYPT COSTUMES

(1ST HOURLY)
SUBMITTED BY: SIDRA FARHAN
FDM-3A
2016-2321

18 Oct 2018
Egypt has hot and dry weather because so much of it is a desert. The ancient Egyptians had to have
clothing that was not too hot and allowed free flowing air to cool their bodies. Most of the clothes they
wore were made of linen that was made from the flax plant. The type and quality of linen depended
upon how rich the person was.

During the Old, Middle and New Kingdom, ancient Egyptian women mostly wore a simple sheath dress
called a kalasiris. Women's clothing in ancient Egypt was more conservative than men's clothing.[2] The
dresses were held up by one or two straps and were worn down to the ankle, while the upper edge
could be worn above or below the breasts. The length of the dress denoted the social class of the
wearer. Beading or feathers were also used as an embellishment on the dress. Over the dress, women
had a choice of wearing shawls, capes, or robes.

Until the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty women wore a tight-fitting sheath dress, a simple garment that falls
from just below the breasts to just above the ankles, being held up by two shoulder straps. On statues
the straps cover the breasts, but in painting and relief the single breast depicted in profile is exposed.
The dress hugs the body with no slack. Also when women are shown in movement, sitting or kneeling,
the dress still clings to the outline of the body as if elasticated. However Egyptian clothes were mostly
made from linen, which tends to sag. Surviving dresses consist of a body made from a tube of material
sewn up one side, supported not by straps but by a bodice with sleeves. In contrast to dresses shown in
art, such linen garments tend to be baggy, and would conceal rather than reveal the body.

Egyptians wore headpieces made of fabrics, gems, jewelry and gold for both class status and practical
reasons. They are often the most extravagant and recognizable part of the ensemble. Without them, it
can be difficult to distinguish Egyptian clothing from that of Rome or Greece.

Many of the Egyptians went barefoot, but the rich are shown with sandals that are made from leather;
poor people wore sandals made of woven papyrus reeds, which were a kind of straw.

The Egyptians were quite soberly dressed in white linen fabrics, and jewelry offered a possibility for
contrast. The Egyptian preference was towards the use of bright colors, lustrous stones and precious
metals. Both men and women adorned themselves with earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and neck
collars that were brightly colored. Those who could not afford jewelry made from gold or other stones
would make their jewelry from colored pottery beads.

If someone was very wealthy, they would be seen wearing a much better type of linen and would often
add jewelry made of fine gemstones for decoration. The linen was so fine that you could almost see
through it. It seems that the Egyptians do share some of the same things as people of today. The
wealthy were very fashion conscious and were always trying to keep up with whatever fashion trends
would happen. Some of these trends were set by the royal family, while others were influenced through
the imported fashions and things from other countries.