Ancient Egyptian Fashion

Ancient Egyptian Fashion

The civilisation of Ancient Egypt, in which women had a relatively high status, was to become one of the most widely known and influential civilisations of the ancient world.``

Ancient Egyptian woman had the same notions and outlook as the women of today. She worried about how she looked, about her weight, about the first appearance of wrinkles on her skin. She was very fussy about her looks. She followed a diet regimen and vied competitively with other women for a shapely body and good looks. Bad breath and stretch marks were taboo. Although her life predates modern women's by some thousands of years, it would seem that her preoccupations were very similar to today’s woman.

 Both Egyptian men and women were concerned about their appearance  and took proper care of them selves. Men and women took proper care of their body. Art depicts men as slim, broad shouldered and muscular. Women had proportionate figures with rounded bust, flat stomach and  good hip curves.

All the garments in ancient Egypt were made up of Linen the threads of which were formed from flax fibres, a by-product of local agriculture. Being light, airy and cool, linen was ideal in such a hot climate. Egyptian women always kept themselves  entirely shaved and their pleated skirts were worn wide open in front to reveal this. Men wore a skirt like garment called kilt.the kilt was tied at the waste and was knee length. Women wore  a one piece close fitting garment called as Kalasaris. It started from the breast and ended at the feet.

  It was found during research that Egyptians had formulae for removal of stretch marks after pregnancy, the reduction of wrinkling, or the diminishing of scarring, facilitating hair growth and getting rid of bald spots. 

Egyptians were very specific about cleanliness. They kept their bodies very clean. They  applied some pastes  to their bodies while taking bath, which did the work of soap. It was found that women  used a cleansing paste out of water combined with Natron, a compound which occurs naturally in sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate. Women also massaged  their bodies with oils, possibly fragranced with frankincense or myrrh. It is a amazing fact that in spite of hot, arid climate in Egypt the Egyptian women took good care of their skin and maintained their complextion.

Egyptian women had a good knowledge of make-up. Ochres were made of iron oxides, while malachite, a copper ore, was the derivative of a green cosmetic used to adorn to eye. Galena a lead ore was the basis of dark grey eye paint used for decorating eyes. Galena was not only used to look good but contained disinfectant and deterred flies

They used to enhance their beauty by wearing wigs and jewellery. Egyptian women had a craze for thick hairs and so they used wigs and hair extentions. Wigs were worn by both men as well as women and was considered as a status symbol

Wigs were made of a combination of layers of human hairs and vegetable fibres They also used combs and hair pins They even dyed their hair and wigs  with a variety of colours such as blues, greens, red, blondes , gold color and were often scented with perfume. Each wig had about 300 strands which were then looped and waxed around the inner wig netting at very high temperatures. This prevented the melting of wax causing  the ruin of the wig.

Egyptians also had a good knowledge of Body art. They practiced tattooing on their breasts, thighs, arms, torsos, chins and even noses. Ancient Egyptians were more open to sex and fashion. Prostitudes in ancient Egypt were often dressed very sexually and were tattooed to enhance their beauty. Wigs were made of a combination of layers of human hairs and vegetable fibres They also used combs and hair pins They even dyed their hair and wigs  with a variety of colours such as blues, greens, red, blondes , gold color and were often scented with perfume. Each wig had about 300 strands which were then looped and waxed around the inner wig netting at very high temperatures. This prevented the melting of wax causing  the ruin of the wig.