Vestes Romanae

• Materials
• Clothes
everybody wore
Vestes Romanae
•Clothing for Men
•Clothing for Women
Slide 1
•Clothing for Children

• Romans did not
have cotton or
synthetic fabrics
like rayon.
• The average
Roman’s clothes
were made from
sheep’s wool.
Materials
Slide 2

• If you were a
wealthy Roman,
you could afford
silk from China.
• Some cloaks and
shoes were made
from tanned
leather.
Materials
Slide 3

Materials
• The Romans
liked to dress in
bright colors, so
they often dyed
their cloth.
• Most of their
dyes came from
vegetables.
Slide 4

Materials
• Purple or crimson dye,
known later as the color
of royalty, was the most
expensive.
• It came from a shellfish
called a murex.
Slide 5

Clothes Everybody Wore
• Just like blue jeans
Slide 6
are today’s wardrobe
standard, the Romans
had clothes that
everyone wore every
day.
• We’ll start with the
tunica.

Clothes Everybody Wore
Slide 7
• The tunica looks like
an oversized T-shirt.
• Men, women, and
children wore the
tunica – sometimes
alone, sometimes
underneath other
clothes.

Clothes Everybody Wore
• Everyone wore shoes
of some kind.
• Leather calcei or
soleae were common.
• Soldiers wore boots
called caligae.
caligae
Slide 8

Clothes NOBODY Wore
Barbarians wearing bracae.
• No Roman would
be caught dead in
bracae.
• The long-sleeved
tunica mandicata
was for
philosophers and
sissies.
Slide 9

• A male Roman
citizen wore the
Clothing for Men
toga, a large draped
garment, over his
tunica.
It was semicircular
in shape, 18 feet
wide and 7 feet
deep.
Slide 10

Clothing for Men
• There were several
different kinds of
togae.
• The basic white
toga virilis was
worn by all regular
male citizens.
Slide 11

Clothing for Men
• The toga
praetexta had a
crimson border
and was worn by
elected officials.
Slide 12

Augustus, a general who
had many triumphs.
Clothing for Men
• A victorious
general would
wear the toga
picta, an all-
crimson toga.
• Picta means
“painted” in Latin.
Slide 13

Clothing for Men
• The toga candida, or
“shining white toga”
was worn by people
running for office.
• Our word candidate
comes from this
garment!
Slide 14

Clothing for Women
• Over her tunic, a
Roman matron
would wear a
stola, a large,
bulky dress.
• It usually had a
colored border
around the neck.
Slide 15

Clothing for Women
Above: Gold
fibula
Below: Woman
wearing purple
palla
• Wealthy Roman
matrons could
accessorize their
stolas with
fibulae.
• They could also
wear silk pallae.
Slide 16

• Though evidence
Unmentionables?
is limited, we are
fairly certain
Roman women
wore simple bras
(zonae) of leather
or cloth.
• Roman men and
women wore
subligaculum, a
diaper-like
undergarment
made from wool.
Slide 17

Clothing for Children
• Children usually wore
smaller versions of
adult clothes.
• Girls and boys wore
tunicae.
• The bulla was a good-
luck charm necklace.
Slide 18

Clothing for Wealthy Children
• Privileged Roman
boys destined for
public service wore
special clothing.
• Until they were 15 or
16, they wore the
toga praetexta.
Slide 19

Post-Assessment
1.Who could wear the toga praetexta?
B. Unmarried women
A. Roman boys
C. Roman senators
D. Both A and C
Slide 20

Post-Assessment
2.What is the term for the shellfish used
to obtain crimson dye?
B. murex
A. palla
C. calceus
D. picta
Slide 21

Post-Assessment
3.What does the Latin word candida
mean?
B. candid
A. shining white
C. toga
D. clothing
Slide 22

Post-Assessment
4.What garment was universally worn by
everyone – man, woman, child?
B. stola
A. toga
C. tunica
D. bracae
Slide 23

Post-Assessment
5.What fabric would most likely be worn
by an average Roman?
B. silk
A. wool
C. cotton
D. flax
Slide 24

Responsum
alterum
temptā.
Heu!
Retrace your steps!
Slide 25

Quam sciēns
studēns tu es!
Bene!
Slide 26