The Ancient World
History Plays a huge part in fashion. Fashion has drastically changed over the past years but past history fashion has significantly influenced present fashion. Many elements of historical fashion are still used in todays clothing, this includes many elements of fashion from the ancient world.
Ancient world clothing reflected the needs of the environment and was in all cultures often a reflection of status and wealth.
Embroidered details developed to be concentrated on areas of high wear that needed reinforcement eg. hems and necklines. It had purpose as well as beautifying the garments. In the pictures above embroidery is presented in some of the these ancient clothings on the hems and necklines.
Ancient Egypt
The stable rule of Pharaohs enabled progress that not all places were able to obtain, this included developments in fashion and design.
Linen and white clothing was typically used by ancient Egypt due to the heat and trying to keep cool. Egyption men wore schenti, which was cloth gathered and hung around the hips. Egyption women wore kalasiris,which were sheet like dresses. Bag shirts called mss became popular for all, including children, in the later dynasties.
Accessories were heavily beaded belts and collars. Ancient Egyption fashion was a significant influence over the years and elements of this fashion is still used till this present day.
Ancient Egyptian Jewellery
Jewellery was worn by wealthy men and women.
Typical motifs were inspired by nature and included leaves, lotus flowers and scarab beetles. Egyption jewelery had great meaning and significance and was a massive item of fashion in ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyption jewwllery has heaviy influenced present day jewellery. Elements of this ancient jewellery is still shown in present day jewellery.
Gold was more common and came from Nubia (now Ethiopia).
Semi precious stones were used frequently, including lapis lazuli, jasper, amethyst, carnelian, turquoise and quartz.
A soft stone called steatite was used for carving details which created extra design, beautifying the ancient Egytion jewellery.
Queen Nefertiti - the Original Fashion Icon
(1370 – 1330 BC) queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.
The queens name means “a beautiful woman has come”.
Nefertiti was famed for her political influence and great beauty.
Images of her heavily influenced 1920’s style during the ‘Egyptomania’ craze as tombs were being excavated.
Images of her show decorative ribbon and beading. The use of blue and gold colourings, snakes and densely gathered fabrics creates a unique beautified styled look.
Minoan Culture and Ladies in Blue
Minoan Culture was around 1600BC. They were advanced and prosperous with wide trade connections. The Minoan culture wore figure exaggerating clothing which now plays a huge part in todays items of clothing. Both men and women had chests exposed, cinched waists and layered fabrics.
Popular colours were Blue, yellow and red. Minoan cultured fashion has continued massively over the years inspiring clothing to be tightend and cinched at the waist to reveal the beautiful pysique of the human figure.
Classical Greece
Classical Greek fashion was simple draped fabric garments which was loosley fitted, flowing and elegant. The key garment for men and women was the ‘chiton’ - a tunic that fastens at the shoulder. The idea of this element of ancient greek fashion with having one shouder strapless and the other not has carried on to todays present fashion. This is by having garments of clothing sleevess on the one side.
Women also wore ‘peplos’, a long dress made of rectangular cut fabric.
Both clothings were highly decorated with embroidery at the hem.
Greek drapery was a widespread and was a long lasting style which influenced globally. Elements of Classical Greek fashion is still used in todays present fashion.
Style in the East
China was known as ‘Ceres’, from the word for silk, due to its wide trade of silk fabrics. Ancient China's clothing was primarily kimono style in Japan and China which was heavily patterned. In Central Asia and Persia, clothing was more fitted with shaped skirts. Ancient fashion in china has heavily influenced fashion presented today, with the use of fitted shaped skirts and silk like material kimonoes.
The Silk Road
The network of vast trading routes between Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean were known as the ‘Silk Road’. Silk was a prime commodity being traded, alongside semi precious stones and spices. Archaeological excavations have found silk garments along the whole route and as far as Syria.
Silk is a fibre made by the silk worm larvae when creating cocoons, which is then woven to make textiles.
Etruscans
Etruscans were from the Etruria area of Italy around 7th century BC, pre-Roman.
Their clothing was influenced by Greece and Asia thanks to their good trading routes through Europe. Their culture massively influenced the Romans, including their dress wear and the later Roman togas. They also wore embroidered capes. This similarly mimicked ancient classcal greek fashion with embroidery embeded on the clothing. Ancient Embroiery has massively influenced fashion over time. Embroiderey on clothing is still done today to add extra delicate, unique detail.
Roman Empire
Dress was formally prescribed according to rank and status, almost like uniforms.
Purple was a particularly rare and desirable dye, which could only be worn by the emperor. Other persons of high rank such as priests, senators and military equestrians were permitted to wear a purple stripe. ‘Stola’ were the typical garments worn by women, which draped from the shoulders. The colour purple is still worn massively in todays fashion, presented on all types of textile garments.
Byzantine Style
After the fall of Rome (476CE), Constantinople became center of the Byzantine world.
It was a fusion of Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern and Oriental styles. Byzantine clothes indicated social status and for the rich clothing was extremely detailed in decoration with patterns, beading and gold thread embroidery.
Some garments were later formalised into church vestments and are still used today, particularly in Catholic and Orthodox service.
Poorer people wore plain vestments which presented a far less amount of detail and colour than the wealthier people's clothing.
Cycle of Fashion
Styles are constantly recycled, reused, revived and reinvented. Historical fashions still set the precedent for contemporary.
My Ancient History Fashion Design
For my Ancient Histroy inspired fashion design, I decided to mix cultures of fashion from China's 'style in the East' and classical Greek fashion. In my design I wanted to incude both elements from Ancient China's stlye as well as Cassical anicent Greec's stlye, merging them subtly together so that they would compliment eachother massively. Below is my ancient fashion design where i have used elements from both ancient China and ancient Greece.
I decided to design a modern futuristic dress that had mixed cultues of ancient China and ancient Greece. The emphasised extravagant collar I have included in my design was ispired by China's 'style in the East'. The majority of my design has elements of Chinas 'style in the East' making a silk kimono dress look, with Chinese dragon designs delicatey inprinted on it. The long oversized sleeves is also an element from ancient China's fashion which i inclued in my design.The short middle skirt of the dress was inspired by Classical Greek fashion (gathered cloth). I designed this to be short so it created a more new look and also designed the dress to be cinched at the waist so it looked elegant. I embeded a patterened Greek style around the hem of the dress, the waist and the arms. I felt the mixture of contrasting cultures complimented eachother beautifully on my design, creating a fabulous item of fashion which will be unique with its modern and historic elements.
Feedback from my ancient history fashion designs
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