Earlier this week, I took a Roman fibula or 'toga pin' to show the children at school and we had a long discussion about Roman clothing. They were really interested in what Romans wore and how they kept it from falling off. When I told Roy about this interest he immediately decided that he would have to learn how to 'dress like a Roman' and show you all how to do this too (if you would like to see the earlier post, click here). Our first few attempts were pretty funny, and Roy even managed to wrap me up so well that his Grandma had to help me out of the toga! Now though, we are pretty expert at toga tying and ready to share our skills with you.
The Roman toga was worn by male citizens, and usually only worn on public occasions. Today though, togas are used as costumes for parties and fancy dress balls and both men and women wear them. In the ancient world, togas came in many different types. There were off white, natural wool togas which were for 'everyday' use called toga virilis and togas called toga candidas which were dyed a sparkling white which were used by political candidates to symbolise their purity. Some togas, called toga praetexta were off white with a purple border and these were worn by people who held important positions in the government. The purple stripes could be different widths to show different government positions. There was even a toga dyed completely purple and decorated with gold embroidery which was worn by triumphant generals in their triumphal processions. These togas were called the toga picta and later, Roman Emperors also wore them. Purple was the colour of Royalty. Of course, you can make your toga whatever colour you like, but if you would like to learn more about the different types of togas, click here.
Toga Costume
You Will Need:
- 1 bed sheet or piece of material. I used a bed sheet and Roy used a long thin strip of fabric.
- 2 or more safety-pins
Method:
- Wrap the fabric around you waist if you are a boy or around your chest if you are a girl.
- With a safety-pin, pin the corner of the bed-sheet or material to keep it on.
If you have a long enough piece of fabric you will not need to pin it at all, you can simply wrap it around an extra time or two and tuck the end in.
- Drape the loose fabric over your left shoulder
- If you need to, safety-pin the end of the material mid-way down your back or under your arm (you might need some help with this!)
- Show off your new fashion!