The basic Roman garments were tunics for both men and women. Tunics were long wool shirts that fell below the knee. Senators' tunics had purple stripes while equestrians' (knights) had narrow purple stripes. The toga was the sign of Roman citizenship and was worn draped over the left shoulder. Women wore stolas over their longer tunics and also wore palla shawls. Children wore simple belted tunics and boys had tunics with garnet stripes. Romans wore similar footwear like calcei sandal-shoes outdoors and solea or socci slippers indoors. Most Roman men had short hair and were clean shaven while women had elaborate ha

1. Roman clothingChapter 8

2. The TunicThis was the most basic of the Roman garments.It was basically a long, woolen T-shirt that fell just below the knee.Most tunics were solid white.Senators’ tunics had a wide, purple stripe.Equestrians’ (Knights) tunics had a narrow purple stripe.Boys’ tunics, called a toga praetexta, had a garnet-colored stripe.

3. The togaThe toga was the sign of Roman citizenship.No foreigner was allowed to wear a toga, even if he lived in Rome.If a Roman was exiled, they had to leave their toga behind.Curule (high-ranking) magistrates, censors, and dictators wore the toga praetexta.Togas were worn draped over the left shoulder.

4. StolaWomen wore a stola draped over their tunics, which were longer than the men’s tunics.Stolas were usually made of cotton or wool.Wealthy women wore stolas made of silk.Stolas were found in a variety of colors.

5. PallaWomen also wore a palla over their stola.The palla was worn much like a shawl.The palla could be found in a variety of colors.

6. ChildrenMost children wore simple, belted tunics.As mentioned before, boys wore tunics with a garnet-colored stripe.

7. footwearMen and women wore basically the same footwear.Calcei were a cross between a shoe and a sandal, and they were worn outdoors.Soleaewere sandals that were worn indoors.Socci were slippers that were also meant for indoor use.

8. Hairstyles and beardsMost Roman men were clean-shaven and wore short hairstyles.Women’s hairstyles were very elaborate.Romans used hair pieces, wigs, hair lotions, and dyes. Many wanted to be blonde.