Flip-flops...belly tops...lemonade in da shade...blue skies...hot guys...late nites...wata fight...ice cream...sweet dreams...party time...lookin' fine...sleepin' in...sneakin' out...that's wat GIRLS are all about! Clothing In Ancient Greece By Shade Samuelson In ancient Greece, there were not a lot of variety of styles of clothing for people besides women. The clothes were made to be light and loose because of the hot weather. When the weather was cold, cloaks were worn. Babies often wore nothing but sometimes wore cloth diapers. If it was cold out they would be wrapped in a blanket. Young boys would wear cloth wrapped around their middles, like shorts. Men would wear a chiton, or a knee length shirt made of wool in the winter and linen in the summer. They were held in place by pins at the shoulder and a belt around the waist. Another choice of clothing for men would be the toga The toga was often worn over only one shoulder. Many men went barefoot but some wore leather sandals. Women wore many fashions and as the centuries passed they got brighter, and new styles developed. Womens dresses always went down to their ankles. Before the Dark Ages of Greece (early 1100's B.C. to about 750 B.C.), women dressed in bell shaped skirts and tight fitted shirts. After the Dark Ages there were four main styles of clothing for women. The Doric chiton, the Ionic chiton, the himation, and the peplos. The peplos was worn by Doric women in the 500's B.C. The peplos was ofen decorated with many patterns like checks, wavy lines, stripes, and flowered designs. It was pinned on both shoulders wih extra fabric hanging down the womens sides. The arms were left bare. The Doric chiton came from the peplos. It was folded so there was an overlap of materials on the bodice. The difference between the Doric and the Ionic chiton was the length of the overfold-it was longer on the Doric chiton. The Ionic chiton was like the peplos but the wool was replaced with thin linen and sometimes silk. The himation started as outdoor wear (a cloak) but when light materials came into style it was worn at any times by Doric women. This piece of clothing was traditionally pulled under the right arm and draped over the left shoulder. Most families made their own clothes because although you could buy clothes in the agora, they were expensive. Clothes were made by the mother, daughter, or female slave and were often decorated to represent the city-state they lived in. The most popular colors in ancient Greek clothing were violet, green, and grey. Each color represented something. For example, a dark veil was a sign of mourning. The different classes mainly dressed the same but only the rich could afford jewelry. The wealthy families had clothes of bright colors and the poor had plain white clothes. Rich women wore lots of jewelry. They wore lots of necklaces of gold and silver, earrings, and bracelets. Brooches and pins were very important because that's what they fastened their clothes with. The first hat was invented by the Greeks and it was called the petasos. http://www.greecetaxi.gr/index/greek glossary.html http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/costume/costume.html http://www.angliacampus.com/public/pri/history/greeks/page20.htm http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/greece/clothes.htm http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/7/78/300px-ChitonAndHimation.gif http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/4grklady.gif http://www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/resources/Costume_History/greek.htm http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Greeklife.html#HAIR http://www.annaswebart.com/culture/costhistory/ancient/index.html http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/clothing/index.htm