Ancient Egyptian Clothing - Fashion that never went out of style!
Ancient Egyptian Clothing was simple clothes made out of linen during the three stages of their history. These periods were called the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the Late Kingdom.
Ancient Egyptian Clothing was made of linen that was derived from the flax plant. It was the men’s job to harvest the flax but the manufacture of clothes was mostly women’s work. The flax plants were beat and combed and then spun into thread. At first the cloth was woven on horizontal looms, which were often just pegs stuck in the ground. The Ancient Egyptian Clothing makers had to crouch on the ground to accomplish the task of making their fabric. In the New Kingdom, Ancient Egyptian Clothing was made on vertical looms. The new looms were physically harder to operate so men took over the clothes making task. Ancient Egyptian Clothing was usually made at home and was part of daily life, but there were also workshops where clothes were made.
Men wore a short loincloth and dresses with straps were available to women. Their style did not change much throughout their history. The only thing that varied over time was the length of the loincloths, being short during the Old Kingdom and reaching the calf in the Middle Kingdom. Ancient Egyptian Clothing was often accessorized with a sleeveless shirt or a long robe. The cloth, which was sometimes pleated, was wrapped round the waist and held in place by a belt since very little sewing was done.
Women’s dresses could be ornamented with beads and cloth and were sometimes pleated. They covered the breasts most of the time, although there were periods when fashion left them exposed.
Ancient Egyptian Clothing included circular capes that date back to the Old Kingdom. They were generally made of linen and had an opening for the head cut at the center. They were often dyed, painted or decorated and covered little more than the shoulders.
Robes were worn by both sexes in Egypt and were called kalasiris. The material and the cut of this Ancient Egyptian Clothing varied over the centuries. The kalasiris would cover one or both shoulders or could be worn with shoulder straps. The top would reach anywhere from below the breast to the neck, having a bottom hem that reached the ankle. Some had short sleeves, while others were sleeveless. Robes fitted either very tightly or loose. These were often worn with a belt tied at the waist to hold the cloth together.