Fashion history: The costume of ancient Egypt, materials, colour of clothes

MATERIALS. COLOUR OF CLOTHES

Egypt is rightfully considered as a motherland of flax. The natural conditions of Nile valley favoured cultivation of this plant. Skill of Egyptian weavers achieved perfection. The samples of fabrics enable us to judge about the appearance and properties of ancient Egypt linen which have been preserved to this day.
84 basic and 60 woof threads were spread along 1 sq/cm of the material; 240 meters of thin, indiscernible fibre weighed only 1gm. Weaver felt the thread with fingers. Egyptian linen does not yield to natural silk with its fineness. Human body was clearly distinguished through the five layers of linen.
Texture of cloth was various. The cloth was especially effective and richly decorated in New Kingdom period. It was fishnet cloth woven with shining beads, gold and embroidery. Ornamentation of the material had mostly geometric forms. Patterns were spread all over the cloth surface or were used like a trimming border.
The material was coloured in different plant dyes of red, blue and green. Later on yellow, brown and turquoise of different shades were appeared. Besides linen, cotton, leather and fur were used for clothes making as well (clothes for ceremonies).

THE MAIN TYPES AND FORMS OF CLOTHING

In ancient Kingdom man’s clothing included the apron made of linen or leather and fixed with a belt. This apron was called schenti. Schenti was decorated with side-pleating and differed clothes of Pharaoh and elite from the clothes of ordinary Egyptians.
Woman costume was consisted of a piece of material wrapping a figure from ankle to breast and supported with two straps. This type of garment was called kalaziris and had the same form both for the empress and for slaves. Difference of classes was distinguished only by quality of material.
In the period of Middle Kingdom form of the Egyptians’ clothes became more complex and size became bigger due to several clothes wearing at the same time. The silhouette became wider downwards taking a pyramidal shape; pleating was widely used.
Man’s costume consisted of several thin schenti and was put one on another. Woman’s clothes were not dramatically changed, only clothes of elite became more decorated. The composition was built counting dark skin visible through the thin, beautiful material with the round, laid on collar which was richly decorated with glass beans and jewels. New Kingdom was defined with its strict class definition in dresses, complexity of forms in the clothes of upper class, use of thin, expansive materials of different colours and texture, gold and enamelled decoration, plenty of pleating spread all over the surface of dress.