Roman Male Dress - The Tunica and the Toga
Roman men generally wore two garments, the tunica and the toga.
The tunica was a short woolen under garment with short sleeves. By contrast, to wear a long tunic with long sleeves was considered effeminate and was generally avoided by society as a whole.
It was originally worn mainly by the working class plebes, freedmen and slaves, though its function as an undergarment for any class of people is attested.
As the toga was specifically meant as a public display garment, the tunica was also worn by any person within the comforts of their own home.
The tunic worn by patrician men was made from white wool or expensive linen, while the poor would wear whatever fabric was readily available.
Similar to the toga, distinct tunics were worn to signify one's title. Magistrates wore the tunic augusticlavia, and senators wore a tunic with broad strip called the tunica laticlavia.
In addition, a belt would be worn around the waist of the tunica to hold the waist of the garment snug, giving the impression of a two piece garment.
The Roman Toga
The classic toga was a distinct Roman garment that only actual Roman citizens were allowed to wear. Its distinct purpose was to indicate peaceful endeavors, as opposed to the sagum cloak, worn during times of war.
The toga was a large, cumbersome robe-like garment of white wool, and used up to nine yards of material.
Being such a bulky and uncomfortable article of clothing, it became customary in later times to wear it only on state occasions. During the time of Augustus, however, he implemented a strict moral code requiring the toga to be worn in all facets of public life.
As time passed and Roman societal tradition shifted and absorbed new cultures, these rules were relaxed. The more comfortable tunic, covered by a cloak called the lacerna, became commonplace in all facets of society.
All togas were not the same, and each distinctive type could mark a Roman person's societal status or title.
Some common, known types of toga are:
- Toga Virilis Was a plain, unadorned toga made in off-white color. It was worn by any adult male.
- Toga Praetexta Was an off-white toga with a broad purple border. This toga was reserved for Senators and Curule Magistrates such as Consuls.
There were minor distinctions between stripe indications for various magistrate positions. - Toga Pulla Was a dark toga worn strictly in times of mourning.
- Toga Candida Was an artificially whitened toga worn by candidates for political office.
It was important to be white to indicate both purity of intention by the candidate, and for the candidate himself to stand out from the crowd. - Toga Picta Was a special, all-purple toga embroidered with gold thread worn by a Roman general during a triumphal parade.
Julius Caesar later adopted it as part of his regular dress, and later emperors followed suit by using this type of toga during many state occasions.
The toga picta was likely adapted from the aptly named toga purpura, an all-purple toga worn by the early kings of Rome.
Roman Tunic
In today's world where there is a clear excess of clothes, it is easy to forget that clothing items were once amongst the most important possessions people had through most of recorded history.
In ancient times, the cultivation of fibers that were then transformed into clothing was a complex and time consuming process that usually involved several different parties combining their labor, which made the development of these necessities quite expensive.
The societies from this age that were able to develop a distinct sense of fashion were the most successful civilizations of their respective eras, such as ancient China, Achaemenid Persia, and ancient Rome.
This is because purely aesthetic habits in clothing design can only be deeply considered in civilizations that have evolved beyond the point of mere sustenance, freeing up people to become artisans who foster such cultural developments.
This was certainly the case in ancient Rome, where clothing and fashion trends were complex and deeply ingrained.
Since at least the 3rd century BC, all members of Roman society wore a type of shirt called a tunica, or tunic. Unlike a modern shirt, this tunic extended down to about the knees and covered the entire body.
Tunics for men and women were similar in construction, but a woman’s tunic was often cut differently to fit a female body type and had different ornamentation.
Some people wore these tunicae belted at the waist, depending on their financial means or fashion sense.
Their quality ranged greatly, from two pieces of simple wool sewn together with three holes for the arms and head, to fantastically ornate tunics made from silk and adorned with colorful patterns.
Roman men wore tunicae whether they were citizens or non-citizens, but there were plenty of other factors in their wardrobes that would signal their place is Rome’s highly stratified social class system.
For example, male citizens would wear the iconic toga - a flowing cloth draped over the entire body - over the tops of their tunics, while non-citizens were not allowed to wear togas.
Another way class was demonstrated was by the length, presence or lack of stripes, and the degree of ornamentation on their tunics. The tunics of senators had broad purple stripes, while members of the equestrian class had tunics with red stripes that were thinner.
Military Tunic
Soldiers in the military wore tunica that were plain white with a yellow or brown robe. Their tunics were cut shorter than those of a common man and sat just above their knees to immediately signal their status to others.
Roman military tunics often extended up to the neck or included a linen scarf in order to prevent the soldier’s armor from chaffing.
While white was the standard color, archaeologists have also found military tunics dyed red, purple, green, or blue.
The exact reason for this dying is still unclear, but it seems as though blue and green tunics were worn by guardsmen who remained stationed in cities and colonies. It may also be the case that some members of the military dyed their tunics to demonstrate their wealth.
Roman Female Dress
Roman women also wore tunica in much the same fashion as the men. There were two types, both adapted from Greek fashion.
One, the peplos, was made from two rectangular pieces of cloth partially sewn together on both sides with the open sections at the top folded down in the front and back. It was pulled over the head and fastened with two large pins, forming a sleeveless dress. A belt was then tied over or under the folds.
The more common tunic worn by women was similar to the Greek chiton. This sleeved garment was made from two wide pieces of cloth sewn together near the top. This garment was pulled over the head and fastened with several pins or buttons to form a dress with various styles and fits. A belt could be worn under the breasts, at the waist, or at the hips.
Tunics could be made of various colors and fabric types depending on social status and wealth.
Married women were required to wear the loose, toga-equivelant, stola. This long sleeveless tunic was strapped at the shoulder, gathered in and girdled at the waist with the garment extending to the feet. In addition, the pulla was a sort of shawl to throw over the whole figure, and to be worn out of doors.
Fashion of the various times also indicated how much make-up, jewelry and perfume would be worn. Suffice to say that such adornments were as popular in the ancient world as in any time.
Roman Footwear
Footwear was mainly of two kinds, but was worn in many styles and customs. The rules for shoes weren't as strict as those for regular clothing.
The calceus was a sandal like shoe strapped to the foot, mainly for internal wear.
The soleae was a full shoe completely enclosing the foot, much more similar to the modern shoe.
Shoes and sandals were made in varying materials and colors, again depending on social status. Leather was by far the most common material and could be easily dyed to reflect position such as red shoes for patricians.
Roman Rings
Like people today, the ancient Romans wore rings for a number of different reasons, as well as displaying a great variation in the style and metal used.
To find out more, see our page on Roman rings by clicking here.
Did you know...
A bulla is a type of necklace with pouch that was worn by ancient Roman children as a type of protection from evil spirits. The pouch was made of gold, leather, or cloth depending on how wealthy the family was. The inside of a bulla contained amulets or charms. The bulla was presented to a child at birth. A Roman boy would wear the bulla until he became a man, and a Roman girl wore the bulla until she got married.
