WOMEN'S CLOTHING...

Unlike the modern western world, women's clothing in Ancient Egypt tended to be more conservative than that of men. Throughout the Old, Middle and New Kingdom, the most frequently used costume for women was the simple sheath dress. A rectangular piece of cloth was folded once and sewn down the edge to make a tube. The dress would extend from a few inches above the ankles to either just above or just below the breasts.

In the New Kingdom many men and women adopted a robe which could be draped in various ways. Two rectangular pieces of cloth, each about four feet by five feet and sewn together along along the narrow end, leaving a space for the neck.

The shawl, or sari, was very popular among upper class women in the New Kingdom. It consisted of a piece of cloth approximately 4 feet wide by 13 or 14 feet long. One corner was tied to a cord around her waist on the left side. Pass the material lengthwise around the back, gather up some pleats and tuck them into the cord at the front, and pass the remainder around the back and front again, passing it under the left armpit, around the back again, over the right shoulder and toss what remains back over the left shoulder, bringing it around and tie it to the end originally caught in the belt.

The shawl was often made of pleated material. Common accessories, as illustrated at left, included a pleated cape and a long colored sash that was knotted around the waist and allowed to hang almost to the floor at the front.

Most ancient Egypt fashion, regardless of the gender or society level for which it was intended, was constructed for the purposes of keeping cool in the hot, dry desert.

Fabric was generally constructed of linen, made of the flax plant, which allowed the wearer to remain comfortable in the hot climate. Most ancient Egyptian fashion costumes usually included a kilt. The kilt could server a variety of purposes, including indicating the respected age of its wearer or social position.

The ancient Egyptian fashion for woman typically included a straight caftan or shift. This changed very little throughout the history of Egypt. The sleeves might either be short or long sleeved, although it was quite common for the caftan to simply be constructed with strap sleeves to best benefit the heat. In addition, the length of the skirt worn by women might vary depending on the point in history as well as the woman's social status.

The full costume of Cleopatra dressed as Venus has almost become an icon. It is obvious from this much renowned tale that Egyptian women; at least Cleopatra was well aware of how to use ancient Egypt fashion to its full advantage. Costumes Egyptian Cleopatra wore never fail to elicit a response and as a result, historical Cleopatra costumes have become quite popular.

The pharonic headdress quite commonly seen in depictions of Egyptian kings was just one of the many headdresses common to ancient Egyptian fashions. The various gods of Egyptian mythology all also had their own headdresses and women also commonly styled their hair in elaborate fashions and donned headdresses; although not of such an elaborate style.

While fashions of ancient Egypt may well be thousands of years old, age has not stopped modern day fashion inspired by ancient Egyptian clothing. Jeweled sandals, fabric featuring hieroglyphics and scarab jewelry are just a few of the modern day fashions that have taken a twist on ancient Egyptian costumes.

Garments Production;

The Egyptian climate with its hot summers and mild winters favoured light clothing made from plant fibers, predominantly " LININE"

The manufacture of clothes was apparently mostly women's work. It was generally done at home, but there were workshops run by noblemen or other men of means. The most important textile was linen. It was produced from flax. The first stages of the linen production were performed by men:

They reaped the plants and by beating and combing the plants they extracted fibers from them, which could be spun into thread, the first of the stages often performed by women. When the cloth was still woven on horizontal looms.

which were often just pegs rammed into the ground and where the weavers had to crouch on the floor, it was generally women who performed the task. During the New Kingdom vertical looms were invented. These new looms were physically more demanding and were generally operated by men.

The Tools used such as knives and needles changed over the centuries. Blades were made from stone during the Neolithic, then from copper, from bronze during the Middle Kingdom and finally from iron, though flint knives, which had sharper edges than iron ones, continued to be used to an ever decreasing extent until Roman times. Needles were fashioned from wood, bone and metal. The Egyptians succeeded in making eyes in millimetre thick copper needles.

COSMETICS..

The sun and heat required the Egyptians to pay considerable attention to their skin and their appearance for reasons of good health as much as vanity.Egyptians bathed frequently, some several times a day. Unguents and oils were applied to the skin by both sexes. One popular mixture was made of plant extracts mixed with the fat of a cat, crocodile and hippo.Eye makeup was regularly used to provide protection from the glare of the sun and from disease bearing insects. Red ocher was applied to the lips and cheeks for the same reason women use makeup today.

Hair was a special problem. It was hot, hard to keep clean and easily infested with lice. Many solved the problem by shaving their heads and wearing a wig. The wig could be raised on small pads to allow a flow of air between the scalp and the hair and, of course, they never turned grey or bald.

Women who kept their hair were told they could enhance its natural color by rubbing in a mixture of oil and the boiled blood of a black cat or bull.

WIGS..

The most important of all the fashion accessories was the wig. Shiny, black hair, perhaps because of its association with youth and vitality, was associated with eroticism, and artificial hair was a simple way to maintain what nature neglected. Wigs served a more practical function, however. Natural hair that was thick enough to protect the wearer from the direct rays of the sun on a bright summer day or keep the heat in on a cold winter night, was much too hot to wear indoors, and a luxuriant hair-do was a breeding ground for lice. The compromise was simple: Egyptians who could afford it cut their hair short and then wore a wig. Unlike many toupee wearers of today, the Egyptians were quite proud of their wigs and made no attempt to pretend they were natural. Paintings and sculpture frequently show an area of natural hair between the forehead and the wig. While the most expensive wigs were made with real, human hair, the design and structure were such that it would be almost impossible to confuse a wig with the real thing. Egyptians were proud of their wigs and would have been distressed at the thought that someone might think they were not wearing one---or even worse, could not afford one.