Ancient Greek style offers a fascinating look into Greeks ‘ daily life from thousands of years ago. It is also still important today, with airports all over the world showcasing the fashions worn by those who came from Sparta and Athens in antiquity.
You can always learn something about the ideals of the world in which it was worn, as well as how people were expected to live their everyday lives in that lifestyle by looking at old clothing.
The principles of Ancient Greek style
Speaking to Greek Reporter lately, Amanda Hallay, a trend and social writer, outlined the principles of ancient Greek clothes styles.
There were three fundamental types of clothing in the old world, according to Hallay, that most folks wore.
“The tunic, peplos, and himation. The tunic was a triangular piece of fabric that was encircled the brain, creating a tube,” Hallay said, “as we would today with beach wrap– and secured with a fibulae, or clasp, at each shoulder.”
“Both men and women wore chitons, although people’s chitons were shorter than the full-length chitons worn by women”, Hallay said. The peplos was only worn by women over the tunic and pulled up at the stomach to create a frill effect, which could also be created using the surplus tunic material.
“The himation resembled a cape, a lengthy, triangular piece of heavier material that was worn as an outerwear. The weather in Ancient Greece was quite a bit warmer than it is today, so there wasn’t a need for heavy layers or heavy textiles”, Hallay noted.
Basic beauty
It is clear that Greeks favored a straightforward picture for the majority of their style, based on images of ancient Greek clothes. In contrast to the clothing styles worn by different civilizations, Hallay emphasized that the convenience of these styles is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of ancient Greek style. She did point out that this may have had to do with both functionality and style, though.
“Compared to later eras ( or parallel eras in other regions ), tailoring wasn’t a feature of clothing in Ancient Greece. In other words, sometimes were materials cut, and sewing was almost non-existent. Instead, materials were wrapped around the brain and secured by tying or with videos called fibulae”, Hallay explained.
The people of old Greece, who, according to Hallay said, were expected to not only make garments but also create clothing for their entire home, were good pleased with this convenience.
It would have been a welcome break from the many responsibilities that women were expected to do, and it would have even set them apart from northern European women who would have had to weave complicated clothes on top of another housework.
Social group, which is expressed through clothes and other physical signals of success, is another feature of the majority of civilizations. Although the convenience of ancient Greek clothes may not seem beneficial to school diversity, it is still possible that the higher classes still found ways to show off their pleasant lifestyles.
“No in terms of clothing, but truly, we believe that jewelry—and perhaps even perfume—were used as indications of wealth and status”, Hallay noted.
Moreover, said Hallay, “the Greeks traded with different regions, and so we can possibly imagine that wild textiles might make their way into a popular woman’s wardrobe”, showing that where there’s a will, there’s a way when it comes to fashion!
Still relevant thousands of years later
One might forgive one for not noticing how much the style has influenced contemporary designers because ancient Greek clothing is still so relevant today. The modern eye has grown so used to seeing ancient Greek styles that they don’t even seem to register because such a large percentage of contemporary clothing is inspired by those created thousands of years ago!
However, Hallay observed that “any time you see anything that’s draped, we can thank the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks provided the glorious and elegant draping that has been a feature of modern culture throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, but the Ancient Egyptians provided us pleats. The other day, I was watching the ‘Halston’ docudrama on Netflix, and was reminded again just how much the ’70s owed to the Ancient Greeks.”
“Think about it”, Hallay urged me on, “we don’t see Medieval surcoats, Elizabethan ruffs, 17th Century panniers, or Victorian hoop skirts on red carpets very often, but every award season, we see beautiful and elegant gowns that pay direct homage to Ancient Greece. And of course, if we go back to The Minoans, we get the first idea of an hourglass silhouette, one which—thanks to the Kardashians—is now back in fashion as a body ideal”.
This demonstrates, according to Hallay, how many contemporary styles we have credited ancient Greece with. Dior made headlines with its “Cruise 2022” line, which took heavy inspiration from ancient Greek chitons, peplos, and other styles of dress from the period. At a gala evening fashion show in Athens, the styles from that line were showcased.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior, was vocal about her admiration for ancient Greek fashion and even voted to walk the popular fashion house’s catwalk at the Athens Panathenaic Stadium, incorporating her source of inspiration into the contemporary world of fashion today.