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Tips on Making a Toga First, go to a cloth store and buy a few yards of inexpensive cloth. Sheets are expensive, cloth is cheaper and better. Get some cool fabric that really represents your personality, if you like. Buy several yards, like three or four. It takes about three feet to go around your waist, and you need to wrap it at least 1.5 times around your waist before you throw the remainder over your either shoulder. Then bring the fabric back to the waist, and tie it up or wrap it some more or whatever. Women might want to tie the fabric carefully around the bustal region. It might make you more comfortable
to know that apparently they wore tunic-like shirt things underneath
the basic toga wrap. The bare shouldered look is apparently a myth created
by American college fraternities. Wrap it around the waist at least
once Now that's the basic design used by males. Variations used by females would be to use the some basic wrap design, of some form, often followed by small horizontal bands (leather, chain, whatever), accentuating the waist and bust line. Usually women want the costume to be attractive, whereas most men don't really don't care how dufus they look. Accessorizing can make the costume.
Guys, find some fake swords (at the toy store). Both men and women can
wear lots of gold chains, amulets, and jewelry. Diagram of a TOGA The toga is the definitive garment of the Roman male. Always made of wool, and coming in a variety of colors for various uses, the toga is more than a mere bedsheet. At the very least, it should be semicircular in outline, but a more genuine effect is obtained by having the outline of the toga in the following shape (apologies if the diagram is not perfectly symmetrical): The letters found on the diagram below refer to the proportions of the dimensions of the toga. Each "unit" is measured on the wearer from the base of the neck in front to the floor, with shoes on. The following proportions are taken from The Roman Toga by Wilson, and are for the "large Imperial toga". Togas worn during the Republican era were somewhat smaller. Points c and d are in the middle of their respective sides. Each side and end should be exactly the same length as its opposite (bC should equal aD, etc.). Lines: AB & ab: 2 3/7 units plus waistline
measurement. * Aa & Bb: 1/2
"unit" * EF: 6/7 unit * CD: 1 5/7 units * cd: 2 5/56 units
* cQ: 27/28 unit * dQ: 1 1/8 units The toga is worn by folding the top half down along line BQA. It is then wrapped around the wearer and eventually is draped over the left arm, which is held up and which bears much of the weight of the toga. It is worn over a tunic.
Wearing the Toga
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Background on the TOGA The toga was the formal garment of ancient Romans and a symbol of citizenship. The right to wear one was often treasured, especially by freedmen who had made their way from slaves to citizens. The toga is described as a semicircular cloak that had the shape of an oblong rectangle with the edges cut off either at angles or in curves, depending on the current fashion. In length it was three times the height of the wearer (excluding the head), and in width it equaled twice the wearer's height. Much as Roman clothing can be said to resemble that of the Greeks, the toga is distinctive to Romans. The toga is descended from the Etruscan tebenna, and in the early days of Rome was probably woven of coarse, undyed wool. Later though the toga was woven from, soft wools, linens - even silk - during the late Roman empire. The toga was never worn by itself, unlike its cousin, the Greek himation. It was worn always over a tunica, which in the republic and early empire, bore clavi - broad vertical stripes - borrowed from the Etruscans. Begun as a strictly utilitarian garment, the toga evolved into a ceremonial robe the carried such overtones of the Roman qualities of dignitas and gravitas that in later times it was seldom worn except on state occasions. Only citizens with voting rights could wear it, and colour and decoration was strictly regulated according to status. Putting on the toga was a difficult task, and most wealthy Romans had a slave called the vestiplicus to drape it for them. Due to the complicated nature of togas, it was only worn for formal occasions, and several emperors even had to issue decrees to enforce its use. In putting it on, the toga was first folded lengthwise and thrown over the left shoulder, covering the whole left side and dragging on the ground to a considerable extant. It was then pulled across the back and under the right arm, the ends being again thrown backwards over the left shoulder. Finally, the part of the drapery covering the back was once more pulled toward the right shoulder, so as to add to the richness of the fold. The earliest representations of togas depict the simple toga exigua and date to the late republic. By Rome's Golden Age, the toga had increased in complexity to include the sinus and umbo. The sinus was used as a pocket for storing small items and consisted of the folds draping from the left shoulder to below the right arm. The umbo was a clump of drapery drawn up from under the wearer's left arm and over his head to form a hood worn during religious rites.
The Types of Togas When any illustrious member dies, the family takes the images to the funeral, putting them on actors [who] put on a purple-bordered toga if their character was a consul or praetor, an entirely purple toga of he was a censor, and a gold-embroidered toga if he had celebrated a triumph. — Polybius, History of the World Since the toga was a status symbol, different types were worn to identify the wearer. The basic toga was the toga virilis (also called toga pura and toga libera), which was made of plain white wool. A candidate for public office wore an extra-whitened toga, aptly called the toga candida, so that he would stand out in a group of people. Once he assumed public office, a man put on the toga praetexta, which had a purple stripe of varying width based on his social class; an equestrian's toga had a narrow stripe, and a senator had a broad stripe. Boys also wore the toga praetexta until they assumed the toga virilis on the Liberalia (March 17) nearest their 16th birthday. Augurs and other priests wore the striped toga trabea, and the emperor wore the entirely purple toga purpurea. Other togas were worn only for special occasions. The toga picta was entirely purple and worn by a victorious general while celebrating a triumph. The naturally black toga pulla was worn by people in mourning or during a crisis. Only lower classes wore the toga pulla, while upper classes exchanged the toga praetexta for a plain toga during similar situations. In early Rome, both men and women wore togas, but later only prostitutes wore the so-called toga muliebris. In its place, women simply wore tunics and cloaks. Married women wore the stola, a long dress with a colored border around the neck. To distinguish status, wealthy women often had their clothing dyed rich colors and made of such fine materials as silks and muslins. There were several types of toga: Toga pura: The ordinary citizen's toga. It is undyed, and thus off-white or cream colored. Toga praetexta: The toga worn by magistrates (and also by boys under the age of 16). It bears the purple stripe, the width of which varies according to the wearer. Senators and magistrates holding imperium wear a broad (3") purple stripe. Members of the Ordo Equites and magistrates without imperium wear a thin (1") purple stripe. Such stripes do not go all the way around the toga, but instead are placed on edge BEFA on the diagram (the upper-half of the toga). Toga candida: The stark-white toga worn by candidates running for office. Toga pulla: A dark toga, either brown, dark gray, or even black, worn while in mourning. Toga picta: A special toga worn only by military commanders being given a triumph. It is pure purple with decorations in golden thread. Toga trabea: A multi-colored toga, bearing purple and scarlet stripes, worn by Augurs. Colours of Rank * Blue for philosophers Public Events Augurs and certain priests wore the toga trabea, decorated with a scarlet stripe and purple hem. Victorious generals (and later emperors and consuls) were awarded the purple toga picta, embroidered with palm leaves. Mourners wrapped their grief in an inky toga pulla.
Recap Info on Toga's Material: The Toga, made
of lightweight wool, was the most formal article of clothing for a man
in Ancient Rome, equivalent to the tuxedo in modern-day Western culture.
Color: During the Republic, the Toga was white and known as the toga alba or toga pura. Candidates for office used to bleach theirs so blindingly white as to stand out -- this was called a toga candida. Once elected to the curule chair, the toga praetexta was worn -- it was white with a thin purple border, which was the toga worn by all Roman Senators. This same style was worn by children, but with a narrower stripe, before they passed through the ritual of adulthood, when young men donned the toga alba, known in this context as the toga virilis. A general returned from a successful campaign would have a parade (or triumph) and wear an all purple toga, the toga picta, possibly with a gold border. For a funeral, the toga pulla, an all black affair was worn. Finally, there was a multi-colored red and purple striped toga with a purple border worn by augurs and perhaps the pontifex. Later, during the Empire, togas became more complicated and varied. Shape: For an average-sized man, a toga would be about fifteen feet long and seven to seven-and-a-half feet wide in roughly an oval shape with the top half more squared than oval. Putting it on: Most Romans who wore the toga were wealthy enough to own a slave to help them don it. The length of the toga was stretched against the back of the wearer parallel to the floor and the left end thrown over the left shoulder. The right end was gathered into a roll and brought under the right arm. This mass was then thrown over the left shoulder and onto the back. Some of this material was left to drape over the left arm, which is always kept out when standing to hold the material in place. Some of the left hand material may have been tucked into a simple cord belt. Cold Weather: Simple loin cloths may have been worn, although it would probably have been difficult to remove them to, say, relieve oneself, without having the toga arrangement fall apart. Again, having a slave handy would have been helpful to restore order. It is known that some such as Cato the Younger went without any undergarments at all. Those who did could wear a simple sleeveless tunic which fell to just above the knee and was kept close to the body with a simple cord about the waist. In very cold weather, a large cloak was worn over the toga as well. Pockets: There are no pockets per se, but the folds of the toga as they come from under the right arm and are swept over the left shoulder were called the sinus and could be used to store some small items. Significance: In general, in its original form, the toga represented that a man was a full-fledged citizen of Rome and not a foreigner. It was also the clothing worn by Roman ambassadors and officials as they traveled about the world and as such represented Rome's authority. Of course there were other details of meaning as indicated above. Whatever Happened to the Toga? The toga was not easy to wear. As noted, one had to keep one's left arm out, one needed help to put it on and it didn't exactly keep one warm. As the Empire aged, it was worn less and less despite attempts by some Emperors to preserve the tradition. By the time of Justinian's Empire with its capital at Constantinople, it was only being worn by one man, and that as part of his official government position. We can be sure he changed into something else the minute his official duties were over. What about Women? The only women who ever wore togas were girls (but this ended by the early Empire), and disreputable women, which is to say prostitutes, and those found guilty of adultery. During the Early Republic, women's clothing covered most of the body, similar to the traditional garb of nuns. Apparently the wife of C. Sulpicius Gallus was divorced on the grounds that she had gone about in public with her head uncovered, although this may have been a pretext. Women wore something called the tunica which after the first century BC was called the stola. The stola was something like a one-piece dress with wide, kimono-like sleeves. It was made by sewing together two equal-sized cutouts of cloth to form the front and back. Stitches covered 60% of the length from the bottom. At the top, the two pieces were not joined, but folded over to form a sort of cuff. The part above the shoulders were stitched together or attached via brooches. This scheme left holes for the neck and arms. The stola went all the way to the ground, the lowest portion being a border called the instita, which covered the feet, probably sewn on and a different color from the rest of the garment, and a means of ornamentation. The instita was probably also a sign of respectability as prostitutes would go about with feet uncovered, probably a titillating site for Roman males not used to seeing the feet of Roman women in public, and further enhanced by jewelled anklets. Around the neck was worn the palla, a sort of long, square shawl of woolen cloth. It could be used to cover the head, but Augustan sculptures (e.g. the Ara Pacis) seem to indicate that this was optional, at least by the Imperial period. Around the waist was sometimes worn a zona, a girdle or wide belt, just below the bust. Removing the stola would reveal a series of undergarments. Closest to the skin was a light, sleeveless under-tunic, the intusium (a kind of shift) and possibly a fascia or strophium which was sort of a brassière. Possibly this latter was only worn during exercise periods in the gymnasium baths, however, from which renderings still exist. Just as today, womens fashions seemed to change all the time. In Epidicus, a play by Plautus in the second century BC, a character is made to say It seems that the cut and shape
of the stola may have remained the same for centuries, but that the
color and material texture varied considerably. In terms of colors, Roman matrons could choose from white, apparently a favorite, as well as sea-green (cumatile), saffron, Pahian myrtle, amethyst, pale rose, Thracian crane, acorn, almond, purple, dark rose (nigrantis rosae) brilliant scarlet (nimiae eius nigritiae austeritas illa nitorque) and even the color of congealed blood, said to be blackish at first glance, but gleaming when held up to the light. Most of these colors came from vegetable and mineral dyes whereas those of a purple, blue and red tints were derived from the snail (murex), a dye first employed and heavily traded by the Phoenicians. Probably because of its rarity, the murex-dyed garments, especially in combination with gold, were considered the height of extravagance and were even singled out at one time in the Oppian law prohibiting extravagance. TOGA (thvbennoV), a gown, the name of the principal outer garment worn by the Romans, is derived by Varro from tegere, because it covered the whole body. Gellius states that at first it was worn alone, without the tunic. Whatever may have been the first origin of this dress, which some refer to the Lydians, it seems to have been received by the Romans from the Etruscans, for it is seen on Etruscan works of art as the only covering of the body, and the toga praetexta is expressly said to have been derived from the Etruscans. The toga was the peculiar distinction of the Romans, who were thence called togati or gens togata. It was originally worn only in Rome itself, and the use of it was forbidden alike to exiles and to foreigners. Gradually, however, it went out of common use, and was supplanted by the PALLIUM and lacerna, or else it was worn in public under the lacerna. But it was still used by the upper classes, who regarded it as an honourable distinction, in the courts of justice, by clients when they received the SPORTULA, and in the theatre or at the games, at least when the emperor was present. Under Alexander Severus guests at the emperor's table were expected to appear in the toga. The form of the toga, and the manner of wearing it, are matters which are much disputed, and about which indeed it seems almost impossible, with our present information, to arrive at certainty. Frequent reference is made to the Sinus of the toga. This was a portion of the garment, which hung down in front of the body, like a sling; it will be more fully explained presently. We must make a clear distinction between the more ancient and simpler mode of wearing the toga, and the full form, with many complicated folds, in which it was worn at a later period. Tassels or balls are seen attached to the ends of the toga, which may have served to keep it in its place by their weight, or may have been merely ornaments. The back of the figure was simply covered with the part of the garment which was drawn across it, and which, in the ancient mode of wearing it, reached down to the heels. The colour of the toga worn by men (toga virilis) was generally white, that is, the natural colour of white wool. Hence it was called pura. A brighter white was given to the toga of candidates for offices by rubbing it with chalk. White togas are often mentioned as worn at festivals, which does not imply that they were not worn commonly, but that new or fresh-cleaned togas were first put on at festivals. The toga was kept white and clean by the fuller. When this was neglected, the toga was called sordidai. This dress (with disarranged hair and other marks of disorder about the person), was worn by accused persons, as in the case of Cicero. The toga pulla, which was of the natural colour of black wool, was worn in private mourning, and sometimes also by artificers and others of the lower orders. The toga picta, which was ornamented with Phrygian embroidery, was worn by generals in triumphs, and under the emperors by the consuls, and by the praetors when they celebrated the games. The trabea was a toga ornamented with purple horizontal stripes. Servius mentions three kinds of trabea; one wholly of purple, which was sacred to the gods, another of purple and white, and another of purple and saffron, which belonged to augurs. The purple and white trabea was a royal robe, and is assigned to the Latin and early Roman kings, especially to Romulus. It was worn by the consuls in public solemnities, such as opening the temple of Janus. The equites wore it at the transvectio and in other public solemnities. Lastly, the toga worn by the Roman emperors was wholly of purple. It appears to have been first assumed by Julius Caesar. The material of which the toga was commonly made was wool. It was sometimes thick and sometimes thin. The former was the toga densa, pinguis, or hirta. A new toga, with the nap neither worn off nor cut close, was called pexa, to which is opposed the trita or rasa, which was used as a summer dress The toga was originally worn
by both sexes; but when the stola came to be worn by matrons, the toga
was only worn by meretrices and by women who had been divorced on account
of adultery. Before the use of the toga became almost restricted to
the upper classes, their toga was only distinguished from that of the
lower classes by being fuller and more expensive. The toga was sometimes
used by soldiers, but not in battle, nor as their ordinary dress; but
rather as a cloak or blanket. It was chiefly worn in Rome, and often
used as a covering in sleeping; and lastly, as a shroud for the corpse.
Fate of the Toga Officials continued to wear the toga until the fifth century, but after the fall of the Empire, it had shrunk to a mere VI feet in length, and the average Roman citizen had given up on the toga altogether, bringing it out only for festivities and funerals. Thus, we bring out the toga to celebrate the fellowship and festivities to e found in Saratoga at our District 7150 Conference! See you in full toga regalia
there! Back to Conference Page |
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