The dress in Roman times

The dress in Roman times was more than just wearing clothes on top of the skin. Depending on
the type of garment they wore, they showed their rank or social status, this was also seen in
their qualities.

For us, the best known clothing was the toga , clothing only used by men who also had to be
Roman citizens, that is, whoever did not hold this status, either because they were a slave, a
foreigner, etc., was prohibited from wearing this garment.

The Roman toga was a very complicated type of clothing to put on, in fact there were slaves
specialized in putting them on their masters. Before wearing the toga, the Romans put on a
tunic, usually made of wool or linen, with elbow-length sleeves and knee-length, over which
the toga, which was a rectangular or trapezoidal piece of cloth, was placed. , which could
measure 6 meters or more. This enormous cloth was supported on the left shoulder and rolled
around the body, forming a multitude of folds. Its color used to be the natural color of wool, a
whitish tone, but in case of mourning, Roman citizens wore a black toga.

There were different types of togas that used to be differentiated by colors, either in wider or
narrower bands, horns, etc., the most prominent were:

– The toga virilis was the one worn by all Roman citizens once they reached the age of
majority, which used to be between 16 or 17 years of age.

– The toga praetexta was worn by both children who had not reached the age of
majority and magistrates.

– The pulla toga was black or dark gray that was used when mourning.

– The picta toga was adorned with motifs embroidered in gold thread, it was used by the
military or authorities in great moments or presiding over an act. This toga evolved
into the purpurea, which was used by the Roman emperors in prominent events and,
as its name indicates, was purple.

There was another type of simpler clothing such as a simple tunic gathered at the waist used
by workers or slaves, a tunic with a cloak, etc.