EgyptianCostume And Fashion

Ancient Egypt: An Introduction

The Ancient Egyptian costume, for the most part, was very simple and practical, consisting mainly of folded linen. The hot and sunny climate of Ancient Egypt meant that simple lightweight linen clothes were the preferred choice of most Egyptians. Whilst a number of examples of New Kingdom textiles have survived, studies of Ancient Egyptian dress and textiles are still largely based upon the study of wall paintings, reliefs and sculptures.

Egyptian Garments were draped round the body rather than tailored, and sewing was kept to a minimum. The chief form of decoration was

pleating, and from examples of garments which have survived it is clear that a mechanical process was used to put the small, regular pleats into the cloth and' that some form of starch or size was used to fix them. The nature of the implement

which created the pleats is unknown, but it may have consisted of a board cut in peaks and grooves into which the cloth was pressed.

Male Costume

Old KingdomMen usually dressed in short linen kilts.

Belts were used to fasten the skirts.

Ordinary Egyptians wore course linen,

whilst the richer and wealthier

Egyptians dressed in a lighter, much

finer cloth. Semi-transparent "royal

linen" was the finest of all.

The two important types of skirts were:

- The GALA SKIRT

- The SHENDOT

The Gala skirt wraps at least one

and a half times around the body.

The end has a gold pleated

section over the right half of the

body. Its thought that the gold

was either fine gold thread or

application of gold leaf.

In The Shendot both ends of the

loin skirt are rounded and the

overlap in front is very slight. The

loin skirt is pleated all the way

round and the front panel is

usually represented with

horizontal pleats

During the old kingdom the right

to wear a shendot was restricted

to the royalty, but later on it was

discontinued.

Middle Kingdom

The loin Skirt of the upper class lengthened perceptibly and reached almost till the ankle, in other cases it extended to midcalf.

The waistline grew higher.

A small shoulder shawl came into use at this time.

The Empire -New Kingdom

Covering the upper body was one of the innovations of the empire period

A Kimono style of garment the most common type worn by men, consisted of a length of cloth twice the height of the wearer and as wide enough to reach from elbow to elbow. A small hole in the center to fit the neck and a vertical slit down the center front enables the wearer to draw it on over his head. The fabric fell in a broad panel to the floor, front and back.

When not joined under the arms the edges of the front panel were wrapped around the sides towards the center back and the edges of the back panel were brought forward, overlapping the front panel and closing sides. The panels were held in position with the help of girdles .

This kimono type of garment could also be secured in place without a girdle. This was done

by tying a knot out of the two front and back

panels at the waist.

Another fashion of the empire period consisted of a long , sheer skirt worn over an

opaque short loin skirt. It often fell to the bend of

the knee or to the calf in the back , but was

pulled upwards in a sharply slanting line

towards the front.

A skirt and a shirt combination was also worn during this period. The short sleeved kimono-cut

shirt being tucked under a loin skirt of variable

lengths. Sometimes these skirts were

transparent

The Beard

The beard was considered admirable for its manly

significance. However the Egyptians were clean shaven due

to hot climatic conditions . The King reserved the right to wear

an artificial beard which he donned for state occasions .

Beards were of three sorts :

A short stubby beard could be worn by men of royal rank.The king wore a much longer but straight and thick beard. The beards of the Gods resembled the kings but had an upward curving crook at the end . When the king appeared in

guise of God he wore the curved beard.

The Beard :

The Priests

Two features help to identify priests since they occur in many Egyptian art .

The bare shaven heads

And a leopard skin draped about the body.

Later during the empire period the priests became less ascetic and donned the sheer pleated costume and wig of the upper class. The leopard skin was however retained.

They wore white papyrus sandals, no leather or wool.

The Working Class

Servants as a rule, went about

their work either naked, or clad in

little else other than a simple

apron, skirt or small loincloth.

In the Empire period the dress of

working class remained static.

Was simple, functional, and

comfortable.

One dress item was a leather loin

cloth worn diaper style. Well

tanned skin was cut into a fine

lattice design both for greater suppleness and ventilation .

Military The soldiers wore a short skirt for mobility, with an elongated heart shaped device, probably made of leather , suspended from the waist in

front for protection.

Kings wore a battle jacket, short sleeved and kimono-cut. Wide bands extending from the front edges crossed and wrapped around the body

and tied in center front. These were highly decorated , giving the effect of

sheltering wings of the sacred hawk or vulture, other religious symbols

appeared in the decorative pattern as well.

The queen wore the vulture headdress to ensure protection to her husband while he was engaged in war. The designs in his costume were

also probably placed for the same purpose.

A loin skirt in feather pattern and the royal apron were worn with this jacket

The blue military helmet was restricted to royalty

Female CostumeOld Kingdom

Womens costume were simpler than mens. women of all classes are portrayed in straight sheath gowns

,which were probably not as tight as

seen in the paintings

These ladies were the earliest

sponsors of the empire line. One or

two tapered shoulder straps form the

upper part of the garment.

Techniques of surface designs are

also found , such as herringbone

pleats and bead work.

Middle Kingdom

Women in the middle kingdom continued to

wear the sheathe gown of

the old kingdom.

We can find examples of feather patterned fabric of

the gowns whose fresh

lovely hues attest to the

Egyptians love of color.

Empire Period

During the empire period, the women, like the men continued to wear the simple costume of earlier periods on

state occasions. But this sheathe gown was not an artless

little dress.

The women of lower rank continued to wear the plain sheathe gown and women engaged in arduous labor retained

the short skirt.

Queens and wives of the nobility wore a variety of draped costumes of hand pleated white linen.

The kimono arrangement was worn by women as well but unlike men they wore a narrow sash tied at a high waist level

with long streamers falling below the knees.

A two piece costume of the empire period were a skirt and a shawl combination that was easy to arrange and wear.

The sheer pleated costumes were complicated in drapery and must

have required trained lady maids to

arrange them. These draped

costumes are distinguishable from

the kimono type by the arm

coverage. More complicated styles

employed greater lengths of fabrics

and were pleated. One arm was

covered but the end of the yardage

fell over and down from the other

arm, its free fringed edge often

reaching below the hip.

Other

Fashion

Features

Wigs

These formed one of the most important part of their ensemble

Since the Egyptians had a high standard of cleanliness and in addition had to contend with great heat, it became the custom to shave or clip the hair close to the scalp and wear wigs. This promoted cleanliness and coolness indoors and the wig lent dignity and provided insulation from the sun.

Old Kingdom

During the old kingdom mens wigs were usually small and followed the contour of the head.

Slightly fuller wigs were constructed with straight

hair.

Womens wigs revealed the natural hairline indicating their hair clipped less closely than the

men. Wigs with horizontal rows of tight little curls

were meant for women.

They were not always made of human hair.

Some of them were made of sheep's wool.

Middle Kingdom

During this period the wig increased in bulk,

became more bushy in appearance and reached

to the shoulders.

Womens wig was excessively bulky and the hair brought forward over the shoulders tapered

rapidly to form a coil on each side of the chest.

The Empire period

Wigs changed in form in the empire period employing greater

detail in the arrangement of the forepart, the lower edge

characteristically dipped towards the front.

Womens wigs reached their greatest volume during this period, often enveloping the shoulders. Ornamentation became more

elaborate and diverse.

The Head ClothThe head cloth completely

enveloped the wig. Judging from

the direction of the stripes a

straight edge of the head cloth

was bound about the head,

covering the hairline , and was

secured at the nape of the neck.

Traditionally shaped folds ,

starting at precise matching

angles on each side of the head

were brought forward over each

shoulder. The rest of the cloth

was drawn to the back and

bound about the wig in a pig tail.

It was generally a plain square of

linen.

The elegant and beautiful flexible gold headdress inlaid with carnelian

and colored glass is one of the wonders .

The vulture headdress with the two feathers of Amon and the son disc

of Ra superimposed . On the same plate the goddess Isis wears the

horns of the sacred cow Hathor encircling the moon disc . Queen

Nerfertiti wore a crown unlike any other royal headdress of ancient

Egypt. Her blue crown is banded with a polychromatic ribbon and

highlighted with an upturned band of gold across the front.

The Headdresses

Gold headdress inlaid with

carnelian and glass

Queen Nefertiti with Blue Crown

banded with a polychromatic ribbon

The Pschent

The Pschent (sh-yen) was the name of the Double Crown of Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians generally referred to it as sekhemti, the Two Powerful Ones. It combined the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and the White Crown of Upper Egypt. The Double Crown represented the Pharaoh's power over all of Egypt

Collars And Necklaces

These have been associated with Egyptian costumes from predynastic times. Finds include strings of small shells, beads, crystals, carnelian

and amethyst carved in both round and oblong forms. Collars were most

common articles of adornment and were worn both by men and women .

They were made of faience beads, sometimes of semiprecious stones.

Necklaces were enlarged in the empire period made of semiprecious stones and fancy beads. They were very heavy even though they

usually extended only from shoulder to shoulder. To hold them in place

and to make them more comfortable to wear they were often supplied

with a counterpoise. A thick necklace of multiple strands of round beads

was one of the symbols of the goddess Isis .

Other jewellery items included anklets , bracelets and rings. They were as wide as about 5 inches, and were purely made of gold and precious

stones.

The Royal ApronIt became a symbol of authority during the empire period. It consisted

of a group of narrow tapered and patterned panels , flanked by

shorter streamers on each side , ending sometimes with a border of

uraei across the bottom or a single uraeus at each lower corner.

These aprons were richly colored. They were a jewelers handiwork

employing gold and inlay of glass and semiprecious stones. They

were suspended from a wide belt of harmonizing color and design.

FansThey were of two types.

A simple feather held aloft on a long staff.

A large semicircular fan of ostrich feathers carried in royal processions.

Sandals In the old kingdom footwear was of little importance. However there

are a few evidences that show the use of sandals. They were made of

papyrus and palm fiber and sometimes of tanned goat skin.

Sandals came into more common use during the empire period specially by kings and noblemen. The men sandals were slightly

pointed at the toe and sometimes upturned. They were encrusted with

gold

Cosmetics

The well documented kohl-rimmed eyes of the ancient Egyptians are one of their most distinctive features. Cosmetics were not considered a luxury, and most people, from the simple peasant upwards to pharaoh himself used them. The only real difference between the classes was the quality of the products used.

Incense and myrrh the perfumes of araby, attar of lotus and jasmine have been associated with Egypt.

There are evidence of use of lipstick as well.

Moisturizers were necessary to keep the skin from parching in the hot dry climate

ChildrenEgyptian art shows children as naked until puberty. Children are shown with their distinctive "sidelock" representing their youth, and as much smaller in scale than adults. During the Middle Kingdom some children are shown wearing linen clothes similar to adults, particularly in the cooler months. In some tomb paintings, both girls and boys are shown in linen tunics. Children wore jewellery, earrings, collars, bracelets, armlets and anklets and girls also wore hair ornaments. During the New Kingdom children's sidelocks were shown in a range of different styles.

Fabrics Of Ancient Egypt

Costumes of the early Egyptians were largely made of linen, matting and leather being used to supplement the products of flax. Wool bearing sheep were brought into Egypt only in the empire period. Linen was not only fine in texture but was amazingly wide.

Colors like red ,yellow, blue, green were used in the textiles, white seemed to have predominated. Colored or patterned cloth was rarely used. One reason for this is that it is very difficult to fix dyes into linen without a mordant, the use of which was unknown in ancient Egyptian. Garments with colored patterns are depicted in tombs and a few examples have survived, but the technique of their production was not native. It was developed in the Near East and only brought to the Egyptian with the introduction of the vertical loom. The use of woven patterned textiles by the Egyptians was never wide spread and may have been limited to the royal household.