Western World Costume. Carolyn G. Bradley
good taste used in wearing jewelry; pearl or amber necklace; gold, silver, or bronze bracelet, shaped like a snake; plain or jeweled ring; pendant earrings; engraving on semiprecious stones, such as onyx, and jasper; stones not often set in jewelry until the following period; stickpin fastening chiton in early times, later, fibula.Typical Colors: refer to D. 7.Typical Materials: refer to D. 8.Make-up: white lead; false hair dyed different colors, including gold and silver; a salve used to soften and clean the skin; rouge of vegetable dye and red lead; oils and powders, perfume.
6 MEN (Hellenic, 510-336 B.C.)Garments:Outer upper and outer lower: short chiton worn by all classes, fastened over left arm or pinned at intervals down the arm; sometimes part covering upper arm, sewed or buttoned; long chiton worn by elderly man, charioteer and man participating in a religious sacrifice; kolobus with long close-fitting sleeve, very fashionable; long sleeve showing Persian influence considered barbaric by some people. Refer to D. 1.Cloaks and overgarments: refer to D. 1.Hair: fairly short hair fashionable, after 5th century B.C.; sometimes resembled a short bob; hair bound with fillet; short hair for athlete; whiskers worn by young man; small patch of hair on each cheek, resembling sideburns, 5th century B.C. by young man.Headdress: refer to D. 3.Footwear: refer to D. 4.1. Bandeau 2. Himation 3. Splendone 4. Sakkos 5. Nimbus6. Chlamys 7. Sandal 8. Cothurnus 9. Peplos, Veil 10. BootAccessories: refer to D. 5.Jewelry: usually limited to 1 engraved seal ring. Refer to D. 6.Typical Colors: refer to D. 7.Typical Materials: cotton and silk not common, velvet and felt introduced from India and the Far East, 4th century B.C.; fine wool and linen used by higher class; crinkled linen for chiton, 430 B.C.; flax woven in oil to give glossy effect, finer and thinner cloth sometimes woven in the shape of the garment, 5th century B.C.Make-up: refer to D. 9.
7 WOMEN (Hellenic, 510-336 B.C.)Garments:Outer upper and outer lower: girdle worn over hip in this period. Refer to E. 1.Under: strophion; sometimes tunic of Ionic character worn as undertunic.Cloaks and overgarments: entire body often enveloped by the himation. Refer to E. 1.Hair: side ringlets discarded; lowest forehead possible considered beautiful, high forehead denoting old age; hair usually worn high after the Persian wars; hair confined by band around head, upper portion falling out in curls at back; psyche knot.Headdress: scarf; fillet; splendone; sakkos; nimbus; veil of rich filmy fabrics of various colors; gold band, or ribbon wound around head; sometimes, kerchief folded with wide part beneath the knot and points tied over the forehead.Footwear: refer to E. 4.Accessories: refer to E. 5.Jewelry: jewels and gems not in general use; strings of pearls wound several times around head. Refer to E. 6.Typical Colors: rose with a gold girdle for bride; refer to D. 7.Typical Materials: refer to D. 8.Make-up: refer to E. 9.
8 MEN (Hellenistic, 336-146 B.C.)Garments:Outer upper and outer lower: combination of Doric and Ionic dress. Refer to D. 1. and F. 1.Cloaks and overgarments: refer to D. 1.Hair: fairly short and wavy; later, long hair and beard worn by old man, philosopher, high official and professional man; short hair popular, long hair considered effeminate by young man in latter part of period; fashion of shaving the face introduced by Alexander the Great; beard and mustache still worn by philosopher and general.Headdress: gold crown by king, purple scarf, draped white veil, and petasus with purple and white scarf worn by king, red petasus, by military man of rank; pilos; Phrygian cap sometimes worn; skullcap of felt, beneath helmet; cap with brim; fold of himation or chlamys sometimes used as head covering.Footwear: refer to D. 4.Accessories: gold scepter and sword, set with precious stones. Refer to D. 5.Jewelry: precious stones including diamond, ruby, topaz, emerald, carbuncle, pearl, onyx, opal; earring on one ear only, worn by fashionable youth. Refer to D. 6.Typical Colors: refer to D. 7.Typical Materials: fabrics as in former periods; lavish use of figured cloth; later, plain and finer fabrics; silk more transparent, sometimes woven with gold threads; leather, linen, or wool; caste shown by various methods of draping; new conquests brought rich fabrics from other countries, especially beautiful silk.Make-up: refer to D. 9.
9 WOMEN (Helenistic, 336-146 B.C.)Garments:Outer upper and outer lower: girdle high under arm; combination of Doric and Ionic chitons, separate long sleeve added. Refer to E. 1.Under: refer to G. 1.Cloaks and overgarments: refer to E. 1.Hair: close to head, waved off forehead, with knot at back or braids in funnel or cornucopia fashion; hair hanging loosely with wreath or fillet worn by young girl; curls tied at crown of head by maiden; hair parted in center and arranged in a psyche or classic knot by married woman; hair held in place by stiletto, also twisted or braided and covered with a caul; sometimes fastened with double or triple bands of ribbon.Headdress: caul, diadem.Footwear: sometimes claws or muzzle of animal falling from top of boot; shoe or half-boot sometimes lined with fur. Refer to E. 4.Accessories: refer to E. 5.Jewelry: filigree; cameo, intaglio; stones set in jewelry. Refer to E. 6.Typical Colors: refer to D. 7.Typical Materials: refer to D. 8.Make-up: hair dyed saffron or red. Refer to E. 9.
SIGNIFICANT MOTIFS
The acanthus, anthemion, honeysuckle, scroll, guilloche, egg and dart, bead and reel, laurel, waterleaf, ivy, medallion; designs in the motif of man, animal, or bird, rosette, key or fret, dentil, wave, and meander.
INFLUENCES ON LATER COSTUMES
Motifs of this period often used in decorations of later years; hair styles and garments of this time later adopted by the Romans and by the French at the time of the French Revolution; influence shown in hair arrangement, 1820; draped skirt, 1880 and drapery used after 2nd World War showed the Grecian influence; modern corset adapted from triple bands worn by Grecian woman; modern safety pin similar to the fibula; tunic and drapery in evening and day dress, 1908 showed Grecian influence; cowl neckline of present day influenced by drapery of the Grecian chiton; neckline showing soft folds, 1931; general lines of dress and draping, hairdress, bloused bodice, and pleated sleeve, 1935 and 1940’s; influence of Ionic chiton, 1938; net to confine the hair used in the Roman Period, Middle Ages, 1860, and 20th century.
BOOKS OF REFERENCE
(See also GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY, p. 433)
Abrahams, Ethel B., Greek Dress (London, J. Murray, 1908)
Allen, J. T., Stage Antiquities of the Greeks and Romans and Their Influence (New York, Longmans, Green and Co., 1927)
Curtis, C. D., Sardis, Vol. XIII, Jewelry and Gold Work (Rome, Syndacato Italiano Artigraflch, 1925)
Gall, Rob, Wandtafein zur Veranschaulichung des Lebens der Grieschen und Römer (Vienna and Leipzig, A. P. Witwe and Sohn, 1913)
Hope, Thomas, Costumes of the Ancients (London, Henry G. Bohn, 1841)
Horn, Rudolf, Stehende Weibliche Gewandstatuen in der Hellenistischen Plastik (München, F. Bruckmann, 1931)
Houston, Mary Galway, Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Costume, Vol. 2 (London, A. and C. Black, Ltd., 1931)
McClees, Helen, The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans (New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1928)
Norris, Herbert, Costume and Fashion, Vol. 1 (New York, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1925)
Perrot and Chipiez, History of Art in Primitive Greece (London, Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1894)
GLOSSARY
Acanthus—prickly herb-like plant used as a decoration.
Ampyx—metal diadem or snood resembling a cap worn on the back or front of head and ending in a tie or band.
Anthemion—plant with radiating petals used as a decoration.
Apotygma—folded upper portion of the chiton.
Bandeau—band of ribbon or metal which held the hair in place. Pl. VII, 1.
Boot—type of shoe. Refer to Pl. VII, 10.
Buskin—kind of boot worn upon the stage by an actor of tragedy.
Cap with Brim—cap with narrow brim. Refer to Pl. VI, 2.
Cape—refer to Chaps. 2, 3.
Carabitina—sandal with separate large toe, worn by peasant.
Caul—net