Clothing and Fashion in Ancient and Modern time

By: Toktam Movassagh

Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamians made their clothes from natural resources usually from wool or flax which they grew and harvested.

The density of the clothes showed which season it would be worn in.

The rich wore more expensive types of the clothing with the same style as the poor

Men wore skirt-like garments that tied at the waist and they either shaved clean or had long beards and hair.

Women wore gowns that covered them from shoulders to ankles with the right arm and shoulder left bare. They had long hair, usually braided or wrapped around their heads.

Both men and women wore earrings and necklaces.

Ancient Egypt

Clothing in Ancient Egypt was mostly made from linen which is woven from fibers of a flax plant.

Wealthier people often wore garments of white transparent clothes.

Practical loincloths and simple tunic dresses were worn by workers but Egyptians often worked naked and servant girls sometimes only wore belts.

Both men and women wore eye makeup and lip makeup as well as black wigs made from wool or hair.

The wealthy and the poor must wear rings, necklaces, and ear studs made from gold or beads.

Egyptians would carry around their sandals and wear them only if needed.

Ancient Greece

Little sewing was required for Greek clothing. Pins and folds created different designs and beautifully spun fabrics as well as embroidery trims showed quality.

All wealthy Greeks wore makeup from coloured earths and berry juices.

Greek men wore very little clothes or none at all. In hot areas or events, men would often become nude because it seemed practical.

Unless a women was a dancer or a prostitute, they would have to be decently covered. Rich women had to cover their heads and lower faces in public to show the respect they needed.

Men and women usually were barefoot but wore sandals in rough areas.

Modern Canada

Clothing in Modern Canada is mainly made from cotton, nylon and wool.

Modern Canadians wear shoes inside and out but because of the many mixed cultures in Canada, it is respectful to take off shoes inside which has now caught on in most Canadian homes.

Women mostly wear skirts, dresses, pants and t-shirts during the summer time and sweaters and jackets during winter.

Men mostly wear t-shirts, shorts and pants during the summer time and sweaters and jackets during winter.

Ancient RomeRomans mostly wore the toga, the tunic and the stoola and mostly used wool, cotton and silk as the types of material they were made from. Accessories such as the brooch and breech were used to hold the clothing together and decorate the clothing as well. They used dye, either imported or made from local natural substances, to give colour to the clothing.

Roman clothing spoke for a persons gender, social statues and language.

Roman women mostly wore tunics and simple stola’s. Roman girls often wore white tunics worn below the knees secured with a decorative belt.

Men and women usually wore more than one layer.

As with many other ancient cultures, the decipher between rich and poor was based on the type of the material used to make the clothing even though the styles may be similar.

Thank you for watching!

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