Egyptian Clothing - Fashion in ancient times
Because the environment in Egypt was so hot, the Ancient Egyptians wore minimal or no clothing at all. When they did wear Egyptian clothing, their clothes were very thin and light and were made from plant fibers such as flax, linen and occasionally cotton. Priests and pharaohs wore animal skins and kings and queens often wore decorative outfits with feathers and sequins. It was important for Egyptians to take a lot of care in their appearance and they prided themselves on being spotlessly clean. Those who were groomed poorly were often looked at as being inferior.
Egyptian clothing was often manufactured by the women. They mostly worked at home but there were some workshops that were run by noblemen or men or other means. They beat and combed the flax plants which were turned into fibers that were spun into thread. They had to take the cloth and weave it on horizontal looms, which were pegs dug into the ground, and the workers basically worked off of the floor. To make the Egyptian clothing, they used tools such as knives and needles which evolved as the centuries went on.
Egyptian clothing was mostly made of linen and kept very simple. Men wore a cloth resembling a kilt and women wore a dress with straps. The men’s kilts were sometimes pleated and wrapped around the waist, held in place with a belt. There was very little sewing done for these. Women’s dresses were often ornamented with beads and their cloth was pleated.
Washing the Egyptian clothing was hard work. It was beaten and rinsed and wrung by the workers. The poorer Egyptians had no accesses to the special facilities that were used by those who were better off, so they had to do their laundry during what were sometimes difficult conditions. There were times when they had to do their washing on the shore of a river bank or canal, which was often dangerous.
Whether rich or poor, all Egyptians wore jewelry to go with their Egyptian clothing. They wore rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings that were made of gold or beautiful colored beads. Necklaces were made of turquoise and lapis lazuli stones. Both men and women also wore makeup with their Egyptian clothing.
Egyptian clothing was accompanied with sandals for footwear. They mostly went barefoot, but wore sandals for special occasions or if they were in a situation where their feet could get hurt. Their sandals were made of papyrus or palm fiber.