People in ancient Egypt wore light clothes made out of linen which were usually quite simple in design. Linen used for making clothes was made from flax which was grown along the river Nile. The robes were worn by both sexes in Egypt and were called kalasiris by the Greek historian Herodotus. Different groups had some unique fashions in ancient Egypt, which are described below.
Men’s Fashion
Men usually wore a wrap-around skirt which was tied at the waist with a belt. The materials were sometimes wrapped on the legs as well. The length of the skirt differed depending upon the fashion of the time. During old kingdom a short skirt was worn while in the middle kingdom men wore skirts of calf length. A pleated garment was worn during the new kingdom. Men from the royal family wore clothes made of high-quality linen which was almost see through and they also wore jewelry and headdresses on special events.
Women’s Fashion
Women in ancient Egypt wore straight, full-length dresses with one or two straps on the shoulder. Unlike the modern Western world, women’s clothing in Ancient Egypt tended to be more conservative than that of men. Dresses were pleated or draped during the New Kingdom era. Rich women wore clothes made out of fine and almost transparent linen and wore jewelry and headdresses. The shawl, or sari, was very popular among upper-class women in the New Kingdom. It consisted of a piece of cloth approximately 4 feet wide by 13 or 14 feet long. The shawl worn by the rich was often made of pleated material. Common accessories included a pleated cape and a long colored sash that was knotted around the waist and allowed to hang almost to the floor at the front
Footwear In Ancient Egyptian
Most people in ancient Egypt remained barefoot all the time and wore sandals only for special occasions or if their feet were likely to get hurt on rough terrain. Sandals which the poor wore were made out of woven papyrus or palm leaves while those that the rich wore were made of leather.
Jewelry And Makeup In Ancient Egypt
People in ancient Egypt wore and jewelry to show their wealth and also as they believed that after doing this they will become more favored to the gods. The many jewelry pieces worn included rings, earrings, bracelets, decorated buttons, necklaces, neck collars and pendants. The rich meanwhile wore jewelry made out of gold and precious stones while others in the society wore jewelry crafted from colored pottery beads in most cases.
Both men and women wore makeup. They used black kohl eyeliner to line their eyes and to darken their eyelashes and eyebrows. They colored their eyelids with blue or green eye shadow made from powdered minerals. Henna dye also was used to color the lips and the nails.
