Ancient Egyptian Dress
“ The dress of the ancient Egyptians consisted not simply of the egyptian clothes they wore
but also of elaborate costume jewelry which served to embellish their usually
plain costumes, wigs which they wore over their own cropped hair, and striking cosmetics
which not only enhanced their features but were also thought to have hygienic and
medicinal qualities was another addition to their egyptian
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costume Jewelry. Their clothing was simple and did not change a great deal over the
millennia, although more elaborate styles did appear during the
New Kingdom. The universal material was linen, which was light and
cool to wear. Wool seems almost never to have been used, possibly
because of religious taboos, although the native Egyptian sheep
were not wool bearing, and cotton was unknown until the Coptic period. Egyptian
Garments were
draped round
the body rather than tailored, and sewing was kept to a minimum. The chief form of
decoration was pleating, and from examples of garments which have
survived it is clear that a mechanical process was used to put the
small, regular pleats into the cloth and' that some form of starch
or size was used to fix them. The nature of the implement which
created the pleats is unknown, but it may have consisted of a board
cut in peaks and grooves into which the cloth was pressed.
Coloured or patterned cloth was rarely used. One reason for this is
that it is very difficult to fix dyes into linen without a mordant,
the use of which was unknown in ancient Egyptian. Garments with
coloured patterns are depicted in tombs and a few examples have
survived, but the technique of their production was not native.
It was developed in the Near East and only brought to the Egyptian
with the introduction of the vertical loom. The use of woven patterned
textiles by the Egyptians was never wide spread and may have been
limited to the royal household. Let us briefly survey the changing
fashions of ancient Egyptian up to the New Kingdom, after which
there was little change or development. The basic egyptian costume
for men, throughout the period, was a kilt, falling to just above
the knee and made of a rectangular piece of linen folded round the
body and tied at the waist with a knot or fastened with a buckle.
Variations on this simple theme include a squared end, a rounded
end, a starched front forming an apron, and pleating. In the
Old Kingdom this is the only type of male costume depicted,
although a cloak of some sort must have been added for cool
weather. Official and ceremonial attire was more complicated.
Priests, for example, wore leopard skins wrapped around their
torso and falling over the kilt like an apron. Working men often
wore only a twist of linen around their loins or went naked. Children
are also frequently depicted naked, as are those indulging in rigorous exercise.
Women wore simple sheath dresses falling from the breast
to just above the ankle. These appear to have been made of a
rectangle of material sewn down one side, roughly hemmed and
with straps attached to the top edge to support the dress.
Their extreme figure hugging style may be put down partly to
artistic licence the desire of the artist to show the form of
the women body beneath. Examples of dresses which survive from
the Early Period are much more baggy and have sleeves. Indeed, if
the dresses were as tight as portrayed, they would have been
difficult to put on, let alone walk in. [1]” “On their feet the
ancient Egyptians wore sandals made of woven reed, grass or leather.
The standard form consisted of a thong passing between the first and
second toes and attached to a bar passing over the instep. In the
Nineteenth Dynasty a style with an upturned toe appeared, a forerunner
of the Turkish slipper. Among the earliest examples of this type are
the delicate, red leather sandals found in the cosmetic chest of
the lady Tutu, wife of the scribe Ani.
An integral part of costume was a wig or hairpiece added to
the natural hair. Many Egyptians shaved their heads or cropped
their hair very short, although some did retain a full head of
hair which they kept elaborately dressed. Sculpture and wall
scenes show that there was a great variety of hairstyles to
choose from, both for everyday wear and festive occasions.
There does, however, seem to have been an element of idealisation
in the rendering of wigs, as there was in egyptian clothing,
for surviving examples are far less elegant than their regular,
sculpted counterparts. [2]”
[1] – [2 ]
Extract from “Egyptian Life”, Written by Miriam Stead. Published by British Museum Publications, London,1986.
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Ancient Egyptian clothing was mainly made of linen due to the hot climate of the region. Fabric was
often draped and didn’t require much sewing.
Men wore kilts or tunics. A kilt was a knee-length piece of material wrapped around the waist and
tied. Tunics are similar to a long t-shirt. Men wore capes of linen around their shoulders as well.
They usually wore their hair short because of the hot weather.
Women of the Old Kingdom wore a simple sheath dress which was long, straight. It had one or two
broad shoulder straps. Their hair was worn in simple styles, usually short. During the New Kingdom
clothing became more fancy. Heavy pleated, adorned robes were draped over the sheath dress.
During this time women wore their hair longer and sometimes decorated it with flowers, ribbon, and
hair ornaments. Wealthier Egyptians wore wigs, sometimes scented with perfume.
Egyptians often went barefoot, but also wore sandals. Both men and women wore jewelry. The
wealthier wore items made from precious metals and gems. The common people had jewelry made
of more inexpensive items like pottery beads or shells.
*If you don’t have old sheets at home to use, it may be less expensive to buy material by the yard at a
fabric store than to purchase bedsheets. Use large safety pins because they are more sturdy and will
hold layers of fabric together better than small ones.
BOYS:
Start with a white t-shirt. Create a kilt by folding a piece of material around your waist and securing it
at the top and sides with pins or by sewing. The kilt should fall at or below your knees.
GIRLS:
Wrap fabric (such as a sheet) under your arms, wrapping tightly. The dress should fall to your ankles.
Pin or sew closed. Attach one or two wide strips of material or ribbon to create straps.
ACCESSORIES:
You can make wrist cuffs (bracelets) by cutting a wide strip of cardstock, covering it with foil or paint,
and decorating with gems. Wrap the cuff around your wrist and attach with adhesive Velcro or tape.
Or, create an arm band by attaching a cuff above your elbow.
To make a collar, use the pattern below. The diameter should be a few inches smaller than the width of
your shoulders. Paint and decorate with markers, paint, glitter, plastic gems or beads.
Egypt is a medium-sized textiles and clothing (T&C) producer, with a comparative advantage in highgrade
cottons and the potential to compete effectively on international markets. BMI ranks it as number
34 in the world in terms of T&C manufacturing value added. In nominal terms, we estimate that to have
been worth US$4.06bn in 2008. Medium- to large-scale companies dominate the industry with a strong
public sector presence in spinning and weaving. Egyptian exports have faced strong competition from
Asian producers, but the creation of Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) under an agreement with the US
and Israel since 2005 has given the country duty-free access to the US market. In 2007, exports totalled
US$2.02bn against imports of US$2.04bn. In that year, the country had a US$510mn clothing trade
surplus and a US$532mn textiles trade deficit. BMI expects the current global economic downturn to
have an adverse effect on the industry, with sales and output set to decline this year and next.
Overall Egyptian T&C value added will fall by 7.6% in 2009 and by 3.1% in 2010, reflecting very
difficult international economic conditions. We see a moderate recovery setting in from 2011 with growth
of 2.5%. The industry's trade performance will also reflect the especially difficult international economic
situation. We see T&C exports falling by 7.7% in 2009 to US$2.17bn and remaining broadly flat the
following year, up by 0.1% to US$2.18bn.
Learn the beautiful art form of belly
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No previous dance training is required.
Proper attire for class is comfortable
exercise clothing.
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