Ancient Greece thrived from approximately 1200 BCE to 323 BCE, making significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, while also influencing clothing and architecture. The clothing of ancient Greeks was characterized by fabrics like wool, flax, and silk, with garments like chitons and himations being versatile and adaptable to various climates. Additionally, Greek culture significantly impacted fashion trends even in modern times, inspiring contemporary designers and brands with their draping techniques and motifs.

1. ANCIENT
GREECE

2. ● Flourished from the period
following Mycenaean
civilization, which ended about
1200 BCE, to the death of
Alexander the Great, in 323 BCE
TIMELINE

3. ● Existed in the Northeastern
Mediterranean civilization
● Made important contributions to
philosophy, mathematics,
astronomy, and medicine
● Known for their sophisticated
sculpture and architecture
ABOUT ANCIENT GREECE

4. ● The climate generally featured hot
summers and mild winters
● Because it was so hot, most people
wore lightweight clothing
throughout most of the year
● They would put on a cloak or wrap
during the colder days of the
winter months.

5. ● People in ancient Greece wore
exclusively white clothes
● Used natural dyes from shellfish,
insects, and plants, to color fabric and
clothing
● Made from rectangular fabric folded
around the body with girdles, pins, and
buttons
● Geometric key patterns called
meanders were painted or block
printed
ANCIENT GREEK CLOTHING

6. ● Fabrics were derived from
the basic raw materials,
animal, plant, or minerals,
with its main wool, flax,
leather, and silk
● Later, finer materials
(mostly linen) were
produced
● Draped dresses became
more varied and elaborate
● A variety in draping was
created by pleating

7. ● Uncut, unsewn, pieces arranged
on a person in different ways
● Primary garments were cloth
squares, cylinders, or rectangles,
wrapped or draped
● Fastened with pins, buttons, or
brooches
● Ease of manipulating the cloth
into a garment meant one could
use a single piece of fabric
multiple times to create different
outfits

8. ● Unlike many western looms, the loom used was
a vertical called warp-weighted loom
● All the tools are made of baked clay
● Fabric is woven from the top of the loom toward
the ground
● Bundles of warp threads are tied to hanging
weights called loom weights which keep the
threads taut
LOOMS

9. ● The Greek key pattern, also referred
to as a “meander” or "fret”
● Symbolizes eternity
● It is a continuous line that folds
back on itself replicating
the Maeander River which is located
in Turkey
● The motif is found abundantly in
architecture and decorative arts
from the Greek Empire
KEY PATTERN

10. ● Worn by men and women
● A belt was also worn with the chiton, called
the zoster or girdle
● Doric chiton can be worn plain or with an
overfold, draped and fastened at the
shoulder by pins called fibula, or sewing, or
by buttons.
● lonic chiton was draped without the fold
and held in place from neck to wrist by
several small pins or buttons
CHITON

13. ● People were made up of Dorians and
Ionians; tribes who migrated from the
north into Greece during the
Mycenaean Era
● Unlike the austere and militaristic
Dorians, the Ionians are renowned
for their love of philosophy, art,
democracy, and pleasure
● The Peloponnese was Dorian while the
Attica Peninsula and the western coast
of Asia Minor were populated by
Ionians
DORIANS AND IONIANS

14. ● A larger outer garment worn as a
long cape or cloak
● Consisted of a large rectangular
material, that goes under the
left arm and over the right
shoulder
● Were often dyed in bright colors
and covered with various
designs that were either woven
into the fabric or painted on
HIMATION

16. ● Consisted of a tubular shaped cloth —
toutis was folded from the inside
● The top area of the tube usually gathered
at the waist and the bottom area extended
till the ankles
● The cloth on the upper area was brought
underneath the left arm, secured with the
help of tapes or pins on the right shoulder
● Common patterns included checks,
flowers, waves or even stripes.
● When women wore the peplos, the arms
were generally left bare
PEPLOS

18. ● A rectangular cloak or mantle of
wool cloth
● Originally worn by soldiers, first as a
loin cloth and then as an
asymmetrical cloak
● Then absorbed into general use and
possibly worn over the chiton
● Mostly worn over the left shoulder
and fastened at the right side of the
body and much of the front
uncovered
CHLAMYS

20. ● Women wore a strophic under their
garments, around the mid-portion of
their body
● It was a wide band of wool or linen
wrapped across the breasts and tied
them in the back
● Men and women wore triangular
loincloths, called perizoma, as
underwear
UNDERGARMENTS

21. ● Clothing of the Greeks influenced the fashion sense of the Romans
● Pleating techniques of himation, were later used in Europe during the
Renaissance for the capes and cloaks
● Ease of use and unisex aspect of Greek clothing made it instantly
appealing to neighboring civilizations
● Garments were easily adaptable to various climates and cultures
● The basic forms of these clothes still function as models in fashion over
2,000 years after they were first created
GREEK INFLUENCE

23. ● Different colours symbolized
different things in Greek fashion
● Commonly used colors were violet,
green, grey, red, blue and white
● Clothing became more elaborate
and more detailed as the century
passed
● The colors became brighter, and
new styles were developed
COLOURS

24. ● Kermes is a red dye derived
from the dried bodies of the
females of a scale insect
● The plant's roots are severed
and mashed, then heated to
produce the dye
● Tyrian purple is a pigment
made from the mucus of Murex
snail
● Woad, also called dyer's woad
or glastum, herb in the
mustard family, formerly grown
as a source of the blue dye
indigo

25. ● Included a wide-brimmed hat called
the petasos for men
● A peaked hat, sometimes with a flat
brim, for women
● Men and women wore sandals,
slippers, shoes, and boots
● Philosophers were famous for
wearing a simple chiton,
unornamented himation, and the
most basic leather shoes
ACCESSORIES

27. ● There is evidence that ancient Greeks had
necklaces, earrings, pins, pendants,
armbands, thigh bands, bracelets, rings,
wreaths, and other fancy hair ornaments
● Jewelry usually had pearls, gems or
semiprecious gems
● Popular earring designs included: angels
flying, such as Eros, Nike, and Ganymede
carried up by the eagle of Zeus to Mount
Olympus
● Jewelry was sometimes made as an
offering to the gods.
JEWELERY

29. ● Pale or light skin was considered a status symbol for women
● Women used honey and olive oil to improve their skin
● They often used substances as a substitute for cosmetics for enhancing
their looks
● Dark powder was dusted over the eyebrows and red powder was used
over their lips
● Kohl was used to mark the eyes.
● Red, which was applied to lips, came from the ore ochre(natural clay)
● Henna was painted on nails and hands
● For a time, even connected eyebrows (the "unibrow") was in vogue
MAKE-UP

31. ● Hairstyles also changed over time
● In the early days of Greece, men normally wore their hair short
and grew beards
● During the Hellenistic era, beards went out of style
● Long hair was typical for Greek women; only slave women would
wear their hair short
● Women curled and braided their hair in early Greece
● Later the style was to tie their hair back or put it up into a bun
● Blonde hair was highly prized and people without blonde hair
used a wash to make it appear blonde
HAIR-DO

33. ● Greek architecture is known for tall
columns, intricate detail, symmetry,
harmony, and balance
● Ancient Greek architecture has influenced
many architectural styles of today
● Omnipresent in modern-day public
buildings, such as parliament buildings,
museums and even memorials
ARCHITECTURE

34. ● Greek troops seem to have assisted
Chandragupta Maurya in founding
the Mauryan Empire
● Like in Hindu mythology, Greek
mythology has a god or a goddess for
everything
● Greeks added value to Indian
intellect and cultural heritage
● They influenced the Indian Science
and astronomy
● Trade between the India and Greece
flourished with silk, spices and gold
being traded
INDIA AND ANCIENT GREECE

35. ● The drape patterns are revived
by modern designers in evening
gowns with elaborate pleats
GREEK AND CONTEMPORARY FASHION

36. One shoulder necklines of the Greek are truly a timeless trend

37. ● Possibly the most
recognizable logos that
use a Greek Ancient motif
is the brand Versace
● The logo of Versace is the
head of a Greek
mythological creature
called Medousa

38. ● London-based Greek fashion
designer Mary Katrantzou keeps
ancient Greek art alive with her
collections
● She often uses Minoan priestesses or
goddesses on her clothes

39. ● The renowned fashion brand
Chanel made a collection
inspired by ancient Greek art
called Chanel Resort 2018
● Dresses were made in a breezy
fresh style to show the women
as God-like figures from ancient
statues