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Ancient Egyptian Fashions.The social standing of a person was reflected in the class appropriate forms of ancient Egyptian fashions. Whereas today an expensive track suit and sneakers could be worn by anyone-depending on where their spending priorities lie-in ancient times the fashion maketh the man (or woman of course). So who was wearing what? Lets take a look at the funky fashions of ancient Egypt. Mini skirt The kilt was as basic as it comes. This fuss-free little number was for those who just want to wrap it round and go. Perfect for farmers, peasants and all those at the fat end of the social pyramid. Wraps Long before any travel show presenter paraded Indonesia with the basic wrap-around sarong, ancient Egyptians used a single piece of cloth to cover their bodies. At a half to one metre long and around thirty centimetres wide it was wrapped clockwise to cover the waist to the knees. A tuck here (the top) and a twist there (a separate piece around the middle) to hold it in place and voila, dressed for success. Up-town fashion Around the New Kingdom period, nobles wore some cool threads. Their kilts were not the basic type worn by commoners, but a little more advanced. They were half pleated and wrapped counterclockwise on the body. A belt was attached with a bow tied in the centre. Other eye-grabbing garments included pleated sleeves that flared at the elbow and the double kilt. The double kilt was one that was a normal styled one under a transparent one worn over the top. Of course a nobleman can never wear too many kilts. Pharaohs The king was the best dressed of any man. From head to toe a typical king wore: * Nemes - this was a piece of cloth wrapped around the head and gathered at the back. It was held in place with a band and sometimes strengthened with a leather strap. In later periods there were pleated versions sometimes worn over wigs. * The false beard - not like some bad ZZ Top impersonator, these were small thin and braided and attached with cord that hooked over the ears. They were only worn on religious or ceremonial occasions. * The royal apron was a clockwise wrapped kilt with fine accordion style pleating. * The king was known to wear leather or decorative sandals for special occasions. Your statement don't say a thing if it ain't got that bling Before the days of dyed material, ancient Egyptian clothing came in white, white or white. But that was not to say there was no colour in ancient Egyptian fashion. In fact the white clothes were the perfect backdrop to a variety of accessories. During the New Kingdom period embroidery was introduced to the Egyptians giving them another option to decorate their clothes. Some examples were embroidered flowers, birds, plants and sacred emblems for priests. Jewellery was another splash of colour. Precious metals were used by those who could afford it which gave them sparkles of silver and gold. All classes wore jewellery, although the poorer classes wore basic, non-valuable materials. Some popular adornments included amulets, simple and elaborate necklaces, bangles and rings.
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