Greek-style clothing has become a fashion archetype that remains in the collective imagination today. We are all familiar with "Greek-style" dresses, even Greek-inspired costumes and Roman or Greek-style sandals. Many designers draw inspiration from this unique style for their creations, and it appeals to a wide audience. In fact, there are even wedding dresses inspired by this distinctive style, known for its simplicity and elegance.
The clothing of Ancient Greece is a thing of the past, but its legacy has survived. If you want to learn more about the characteristics of Ancient Greek clothing , this article will explain everything about its history and the types of garments worn during that era.
General characteristics of Greek clothing
This is a very distinctive style of clothing characterized primarily by its simplicity and versatility : it was made at home using rectangular pieces of white linen or wool fabric, which were wrapped around the body and fastened with ornaments and sashes or belts, resulting in garments with little to no seams. Often, these fabrics were also used for other purposes—such as bed linens—and were interchangeable between men and women.
The garments from this period have not survived to the present day, but descriptions of them remain in various contemporary accounts, and they appear in numerous works of art. Due to their uniqueness and beauty, it is worth mentioning the main characteristics of Ancient Greek clothing, which we detail below:
- Display Type: rectangular pieces of cloth sound, pipeline and especially wool
- Color: fundamentally white. Other colors were only used in specific situations.
- Making: simple or not very elaborate, with little cutting or seams. Sometimes they were incorporated into fabrics decorative borders. Eventually more elaborate designs and bright colors were made.
- Crafting: homemade.
- Usage: multiple purposes. The same fabric could be used to dress, make diapers or bedding.
- unisex clothing: the pieces were often interchangeable between men and women.
- Number of pieces: two pieces wrapped around the body, an undergarment (Hush o peplos) and a layer (himation o chlamyds). Those two pieces surrounding the body were the fundamental clothing of the time for men and women.
- Types of garments: mostly chiton, peplos, himation y chlamys
- Accessories: belts, girdles, brooches, ornamental pins.
- Footwear: sandals, light shoes, boots.
Types of Greek garments
Chiton
The chiton or Greek chiton is the garment par excellence in ancient Greece. The most common garment of the time was worn by men and women of any age and also by children.
It was simply a light tunic , usually pleated, made of linen with a wide, rectangular cut. This tunic was draped over the body and fastened at the shoulders and upper arms with a series of clasps. The excess fabric was gathered around the waist with a sash or belt called a zone . To distribute the remaining fabric, a belt or cord was sometimes worn, which was wrapped around the neck, passed under the armpits, crossed at the back, and finally tied at the front.
This tunic was generally long, reaching to the ankles, but it could also be shorter when used for physically demanding activities, such as for athletes, warriors, or slaves. This is how the chiton underwent various variations:
- short tunics or exomis they were typical of workers or slaves, exposing the entire shoulder and right arm.
- La long tunic It was typical of nobles, philosophers and commonly used by women.
- Eventually men could wear a shorter chiton called chitonisk.
- And finally the diplois o double chiton that it was the longest tunic of all, very long, in such a way that it had to be redoubled around the waist so that it would not drag on the ground.
Beyond their variations, it should be noted that there are two essential types of chiton:
- El doric chiton: it is “sleeveless” since sleeve-making had not yet been developed. The Doric chiton has a fold at the top o apoptigma, attached to the shoulders and is tight at the waist.
- El ionic chiton It does not have an apoptigma, it is made with a very long rectangular-cut fabric so that when folded in half it covers the entire body. Before sleeve patterns existed, the Greeks fastened garments with hooks or fibulae along the arms to join the edges of the fabric in an attempted "sleeve." The Ionian chiton, like the dorid, was also cinched at the waist.
Peplos
It is the predecessor of the himation and consists of a square piece of fabric that was originally worn over the chiton . The upper third of the fabric was folded and fastened at both shoulders, leaving the fabric open on one side. Sometimes, the peplos was worn alone as an alternative form of chiton. A sash or belt was often used to secure the folds at the waist.
himation
The himation was a cloak worn as an outer garment over the peplos or chiton . It was made of a heavy, rectangular piece of material that passed under the left arm and was secured at the right shoulder. The cloak would then be wrapped around the body and fastened with straps at the right shoulder.
The bulkier himations were used when it was cold and occasionally as a head covering if the person found themselves in an embarrassing situation.
chlamys
It is a square or rectangular woolen cloak , seamless, that was draped over the left shoulder and fastened at the right with a brooch or button. It was used for military or hunting purposes and was the typical Greek military attire from the 5th to the 3rd centuries BC.
spargana
It was a garment for babies , a kind of swaddling band that wrapped them. Children generally appear naked in Greek depictions, revealing their genitals, but in Athens and other metropolises (except Sparta), infants who were still being breastfed were wrapped in a swaddling band, forming the garment for infants of the time, the spargana. It has been suggested that this garment was also used as a diaper, and apparently, according to Plato, children were wrapped in these garments as diapers to aid in the proper development of their limbs.
Underwear
Women usually wore what was then the bra of the time, the strophion . It consisted of a wide band of linen or wool that wrapped around the breasts and was tied at the back at the level of the shoulder blades.
Similar to what today would be panties and underpants, women and men used triangular loincloths called perizomas.
A corset-like garment commonly worn by women on the island of Crete has also been described. These garments partially supported and lifted the breasts, sensually highlighting the female bust. This garment is exemplified by the style of the Snake Goddess , who wore a suggestive garment over her clothing that lifted and exposed her breasts, similar to what would be considered a lace corset today. Later civilizations adopted similar garments as breasts acquired special cultural and religious significance, becoming a symbol of fertility.
accessories of the time
Due to its sparse tailoring and particular style, Greek clothing used characteristic accessories that we list below:
Accessories
As we have seen, in Ancient Greece clothing was rarely cut or sewn; in other words, tailoring was practically nonexistent. Therefore, fasteners and buttons were often used to keep garments in place, as well as pins and brooches (also called fibulae ). Large pins were used to fasten chitons or peplos to the shoulders . And for the rest of the body, depending on the need and type of garment, sashes, belts, straps, and cords were used , as we have already seen throughout this exploration of ancient Greek clothing.
Ornamentation
They were primarily used in women's clothing, which was often decorated with small sewn-on gold ornaments that shimmered with the movement of the fabric. The use of jewelry, elaborate hairstyles, and makeup was also common.
Footwear
Women and men typically wore sandals, slippers, soft shoes, or boots. At home, it was common to go barefoot.
Greek garment making
In ancient Greece, it was socially accepted that textile production and garment making were primarily women's tasks . Those who produced high-quality fabrics also enjoyed a high and prestigious social status.
The production of fabrics was a long and laborious process, which made these garments pieces of high value and economic cost.
The fabrics were made from silk, linen , and especially wool . The resulting cloth was rarely cut, much less sewn. These rectangular pieces, with minimal sewing involved , covered the body in various ways, resulting in the typical garments of Greek clothing.
Without a doubt, we have just witnessed a wonderful journey through ancient Greece, the cradle of culture and the birthplace of philosophy. Her story is as fascinating as her clothing. We hope you have enjoyed as much as we did walking through this beautiful culture and its clothing, as singular as it is unique, a fashion icon whose legacy survives today.