Fashion in Ancient Egypt Alexia and Parker (The swaginator squad)

Contents Historical Overview Women’s Fashion Men’s Fashion Children’s Fashion Accessories Why they wore what they did Famous Artists

Historical Overview -Beginning of an architectural revolution -First intermediate period (c B.C.) -Second Intermediate Period (c B.C.) -Rebuilt Egypt -Third Intermediate Period (c B.C.)

Women’s Fashion Unlike the modern western world, women's clothing in Ancient Egypt was usually a bit more conservative than that of men. Throughout the Old, Middle and New Kingdom, the most commonly used costume for women was the simple sheath dress. A rectangular piece of cloth was folded once and sewn down the edge to make a tube. The dress would extend from a few inches above the ankles to either just above or just below the breasts, and two shoulder straps were attached to hold the dress up. Some believed that the strap was wide enough to cover the woman's breasts, though back in those times it was not considered inappropriate to see a bare breast. In the New Kingdom many men and women adopted a robe which could be draped in various ways. It consisted of two rectangular pieces of cloth, each about four feet by five feet and sewn together along the narrow end, leaving a space for the neck. The basic outfit was easy to make and could be worn by a man or a woman depending on what was done next. Once the dress was on, a woman would lift the two bottom corners, bring them around to the front and knot them under the breasts. The robe was often worn with vertical pleats. For women with higher class status, the Shal or Sari was a popular choice. It consisted of a piece of cloth approximately 4 feet wide by 13 or 14 feet long. One corner was tied to a cord around her waist on the left side. Pass the material lengthwise around the back, gather up some pleats and tuck them into the cord at the front. Pass the remainder around the back and front again, passing it under the left armpit, around the back again, over the right shoulder and toss what remains back over the left shoulder, bringing it around and tie it to the end originally caught in the belt. The shawl was often made of pleated material. Common accessories included a pleated cape and a long colored sash that was knotted around the waist and allowed to hang almost to the floor at the front.

Accessories: Wigs - Women+General The most important of all the fashion accessories was the wig. Made up of shiny black hair to associate to youth and vitality. Wigs served a more practical function, however. Natural hair that was thick enough to protect the wearer from the direct rays of the sun on a bright summer day or keep the heat in on a cold winter night, was much too hot to wear indoors, and a luxuriant hair-do was a breeding ground for lice. The compromise was simple: Egyptians who could afford it cut their hair short and then wore a wig. The Egyptians were very proud of their wigs and made no attempt to pretend they were natural. They would have been distressed at the thought that someone might think they were not wearing one- or even worse, could not afford one. To make the wigs palm fiber was used to make a skull cap to fit the subject’s head. Human hair, alone or mixed with plant fiber and wool, was twisted, curled, or pleated into slender braids and attached to the cap with beeswax or resin. Various dyes were used to produce the desired black. The basic structure remained the same throughout Egyptian history, but many variations were possible, and the style varied over time with the age, gender, and social class of the wearer. Old Kingdom women wore wigs with two or three layers of very tight braids across the top of the head and down both sides and the back. Several additional layers would be added underneath to make the sides much fuller.

Men’s Fashion The man's main focus was not fashion, though vanity still ran high among men, they would wear very simple clothes such as knee-length skirts, loincloths, or kilts made of linen; though leather loincloths were not uncommon. Men could also wear a light tunic or blouse with sleeves, as well as a pleated petticoat for shirts. Their garments were also sometimes decorated with gold thread and colourful beadwork. The priests, viziers and certain officials wore long white robes that had a strap over one shoulder. Sem-priests (one of the ranks in the priesthood) wore leopard skins over their robes to show importance. linen blouse petticoat priests viziers

Children’s Clothing Children did not wear clothing until they were 6 years old; and when they did they were only allowed to wear clothing to protect them from the dry heat (As that was often all they needed). A popular hairstyle among the children was the side-lock on the right side of the head. Even though children usually wore no clothing, they wore jewelry such as anklets, bracelets, collars, and hair accessories. side-lock

Accessories: Wigs - Men The wigs worn by the men of Ancient Egypt were somewhat shorter than the women's wigs, but were just as elaborate. Even though wigs and hairpieces were available to men, they still worried about greying and thinning hair. Henna was used by men as a hair dye and various formulas were prescribed as hair restorers. A recipe for one Ancient Egyptian hair restorer consisted of boiling the paw of a female greyhound, the stone of a date and the hoof of an ass. The False Beard of the Pharaoh The beard was not in fashion and men shaved facial hair regularly, but they were considered to be sacred and divine to the gods and therefore to the Pharaohs. Depictions of Pharaohs, both the Kings and some Queens, are seen wearing false plaited beards. These false beards were religious symbols of the Pharaohs emphasizing their status as a living god. The bizarre false beards were tightly knotted and plaited and hooked behind the ears. They were worn on important religious and other ceremonial occasions. High-class men are often depicted wearing large extravagant head pieces to state importance.

Accessories: Scented Cones I t was the fashion at parties for men and women to wear a perfumed cone on the tops of their heads. The cone was usually made of ox tallow and myrrh and as time passed melted and released a pleasant scent. Men and women socialized together. When it came time to eat they sat as couples at small tables piled high with food. The servant girl (standing on the left) is wearing a thin belt on her hips, a brightly decorated collar and very little else; she does, however, have the scented cone on her head.

Reasons for the Clothing that they wore Physical: -Hot and Cold (Not the Katy Perry song from 2008… Yes, i did look it up) Psychological: -What made them feel good Social: -Status Based

Famous artists of the time -No artists listed - Art Followed trends of royalty

Works cited