With tools and
linen, Egyptian garments were fashioned to suit the needs of the people based
on climate and the social status. All men, from the tomb worker to the pharaoh,
wore a kind of kilt or apron that varied in length over the years, from halfway
above the knee, to halfway below it. It was tied at the front, folded in at the
side, or in two knots at the hips. A sleeved, shirt-like garment also became
fashionable. Men were always clean-shaven, they used razors made from bronze to
shave their beards and heads. Women wore straight, ankle-length dresses that
usually had straps that tied at the neck or behind the shoulders. Some dresses
had short sleeves or women wore short robes tied over their shoulders. Later
fashions show that the linen was folded in many tiny vertical pleats and
fringes were put at the edges.
The wealthy
people both men and women wore long see-through robes that were pleated.
Noblemen would sometimes wear a long robe over his kilt, while the women wore
long pleated dresses with a shawl. Some kings and queens wore decorative
ceremonial clothing with feathers. Wealthy people wore sandals made of leather
that had straps across the instep and between the first and second toes.
Most
people went barefoot, but wore sandals on special occasions. The king wore very
elaborately decorated sandals, and sometimes decorative gloves on his hands.
The sandals were sometimes made of palm fiber or braided papyrus together with
leather sandals. Clothing styles were chosen for comfort in the hot, dry
climate of Egypt, while in the winter, wraps and cloaks were worn.
Women did not
dress without washing (rich people had a tiled area for washing). After
washing, they rubbed themselves with scented oil then they placed a large rectangle
of linen over their heads, gathered the loose corners up and tied them in a
knot below the chest. The usual toilet articles were tweezers, razor and comb.
Priests washed
several times a day and they had to remove all body hair to be pure enough to approach
the god. They could not wear leather sandals or wool clothing (considered
unclean). They wore a leopard robe when serving the god Amun.
The Egyptians
cared about their appearance a great deal. The women spent a lot of time
bathing, rubbing oils and perfumes into their skin, and using their many
cosmetic implements to apply make-up and style their wigs. Using a
highly-polished bronze hand mirror, a woman would apply khol, a black dye kept
in a jar or pot, to line her eyes and eyebrows, using an "brush" or
"pencil" made of a reed. Men wore this eye make-up as well, which was
not only a fashion but also protected against the eye infections which were
common in Egypt. They would use a dye called henna to redden their nails and
lips. Wigs were worn by men and women. Wigs were made from human hair or wool.
They wore curled wigs for special occasions.
Egyptians
adorned themselves with as much jewelry as they could afford. Wealthy people
wore broad collars made of gold and precious stones liked together, which
fastened at the back of the neck. Pairs of bracelets were worn around the wrist
or high on the arm, above the elbow. Rings and anklets were also worn. Women
wore large round earrings and put bands around their heads or held their hair
in place with ivory and metal hair pins. Ordinary people wore necklaces made of
brightly colored pottery beads.
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