“ The dress of the ancient Egyptians consisted not simply of the 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 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 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 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 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.
