Men of all social classes wore a wrap-round skirt called a schenti
which was tied at the waist using a belt. The length of the schenti
varied depending on the fashion of the time and how rich you were.
In the Old Kingdom they were short while in the Middle Kingdom they
were calf length. Throughout the ages the schenti worn by ordinary
men remained short and plain. From about 1500BC (the beginning of
the New Kingdom) it was fashionable for wealthy men to have the
garment pleated.
Egyptian women wore full length tubular dresses with shoulder
straps known as a kalasiris. This remained the basic type of
garment worn by ordinary women for thousands of years. Like the men
the clothing of wealthy women became more elaborate during the New
Kingdom. It became fashionable for rich women have their dresses
pleated or draped. Rich Egyptian men and women decorated their
clothes, wore jewellery and wore elaborate wigs often made from
real human hair.
The most common used fabric for clothing was
linen. It was light, fine and easily draped over the body. Linen is
woven from vegetable fibres obtained from the flax plant,
extensively grown in ancient Egypt.
Linen came in several grades from the unbleached schenti or
kalasiris worn by a peasant to the diaphanous material draped over
the bodies of the rich. It was not the only material in use:
papyrus was used for aprons and sandals; wool was woven into shawls
and other outer garments. Leather was used to made sandals. The
Romans introduced Chinese silk bought from Byzantium.
The quality of cloth denoted your position in
the pecking order. The higher a person’s social rank the better
quality cloth he or she wore. Men and women of all ranks went
bare-chested, but for an elite Egyptian complete nakedness was not
acceptable, only children, slaves and peasants could go about
without clothes. Such an Egyptian would not raise an eyebrow at the
sight of thousands of naked slaves working on the construction of a
monument.
Children of all classes did not wear clothes
until they reached puberty. After then they usually wore the same
clothes as adults.
Most Ancient Egyptians went barefoot most of the time but wore
sandals for special occasions or if their feet were likely to get
hurt. The sandals worn by the poor were made of woven papyrus or
palm while those worn by the rich were made of leather.
Dyeing techniques with natural indigenous ingredients had been
developed in Egypt but was not well evolved as dyeing linen was
difficult. The colours were loaded with symbolism: green symbolized
life and youth; yellow was the symbol of gold, the flesh of the
immortal gods.
Related Q&A：
What clothes did the ancient aksum people where？-Oh, well, the ancient Aksum people wore quite interesting clothes. They had garments made from materials like linen and cotton. Their clothing styles were often influenced by the climate and available resources. Men might wear simple tunics and loose-fitting pants. Women might sport long, flowing dresses with elaborate patterns and decorations. They also used colorful dyes to add some pizzazz to their outfits. And don't forget about the accessories like jewelry and headpieces that added to their overall look. It's fascinating to think about how they expressed themselves through their clothing, isn't it?
