GREEkS ANCIENT FASHION
The clothing of the women of Ancient Greece from the fifth century BCE., to the fourth century BCE., changed as the time periods changed.
Changes in fashion are important, because these changes reflect some of the changes in society. As with all societies throughout history, as years go by, different fashions come and they go.
This was exactly the same with the ancient Greek women in the fifth century. The different clothing styles of this century changed with events and with innovations. The basic clothes of the Fifth Century are called Himation, Peplos, and Chiton.
The Himation Style
Himation
Himation was made from a rectangle of wooden wool. It was first used as a cloak but, as the century passed it was draped more elaborately and it was ten to twelve feet longer. It started as outdoor wear,but when light material came into style the himation was worn any time.
Peplos The Peplos Style
Peplos was worn by Doric women and also worn in the fifth century. It has a woolen material, about three meters wide and a length equal to the height of the wearer. It was folded at the upper extremity to form first a narrow and then a wider shawl or plaid. The material was brought through beneath the left arm and fastened with tapes on the right shoulder to leave a board peak in front and behind.The common material patterns ont the Peplos are checks, wavy lines, stripes and flowered designs. The peplos was tubular in shape, and the upper edge was turned down at the waist. The peplos was put over the head and was made to fit closely at the shoulder with fasteners. The arms were left bare. It was held at the waist with a girdle. The lower edge was finished with a braid. The peplos was open at the right side and hung in folds from the shoulder. In time, the shawl, or plaid, was so wide that it reached to the hip. It was tied with tapes on both shoulders.
Chiton
Chiton was used in the early fifth century. The Doric Chiton StyleThe Doric Chiton was folded and worm as the Peplos, but had larger dimensions. It was about twice the width from elbow to elbow with arms bent and lifts to a horizontal position. The Doric chiton consisted of two pieces of rectangular cloth equal to the height of the wearer. It was shown either closed or open down the right side. It was worn closed in Corinth and Attica. The chiton was maded of fine pleated linen. One of the main differences between the peplos and the Doric chiton was the length of the over fold, which was called the apotyga. On the peplos, it ended well above the waistline. However, on the Doric chiton it was worn longer. With the Doric chiton, the waistline declined so that the lower edge of the blouse, which was formed by pulling the excess length above the girdle, could reach the hipbones. This portion of the blouse was called the kolpos.

In the middle of the fifth century, when the Persian Wars ended, the Ionic chiton came into style.The Ionic Chiton Style One of the most beautiful versions of the Ionic chiton can be found on the Birth of Aphrodite, which is a Bas-Relief, currently located in the Terme Museum in Rome.

Colors played a big role in ancient greek women's fashion because different colors symbolized different things. A dark veil was a sign of mourning. Dark blue is seldom applied to garments, yet it is scarcely likely that the color was unknown to the Greeks. The commonly used colors by the Greeks are violet, green or gray.

In 500 B.C.E., to 400 B.C.E., ancient Greek women wore many fashions. Their clothing became more elaborate and more detailed as the century passed. The colors became brighter, and new styles were developed. The changing of fashion for the Greek women relates to all societies. As time goes on, fashion everywhere changes, just as it did for ancient Greek women.


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