Ancient Greek Costume

The most ancient of hairstyles were a result of the use of knives, hairpins and combs. As time passed, women started using hair additions and artistic wigs. In fact, ancient women were considered all the more attractive if their hair were long as well as thick. It was believed that the length and thickness of hair lent it greater beauty and added on to a woman’s appearance.

The hairstyles of ancient Greeks were unique in more ways than one. The most popular hairstyle was the ‘Green Knot’. For this particular style, the ancient Greek hairstyles of women used to hold their hair together and formed a knot at the neck. Ever since those times, buns and knots have always been in fashion, with novel variations. Ancient Greeks also made use of saffron to lighten the color of their hair, so as to further enhance the style.

Since Greece was the oldest civilization, the Greeks were the trend-setters of a number of things, the ancient Greek hairstyles inclusive! In the simplest of terminology, hairstyle is a style in which an individual’s hair is cut and set. The ancient Greek hairstyles were an indispensable part of their personalities, aptly reflecting the social, political and cultural history of the Greek period. These hairstyles were also a revelation of the customs, uniqueness and characteristic persona of the ancient Greeks.

Ever since the beginning of civilization, men and particularly women have been paying a lot of attention to the way their hair is done. Women obviously have been always more overprotective about their hair, because well-kept hair are a part of the concept of good looks, adornment and pleasant appearance. Even in the times as far back in history as the Greek civilization, people have paid attention to beauty and personal hygiene. Ancient Greek Hairstyles are no exception.

Fashion of today has its roots in the Ancient Greek Costumes. The Ancient Greeks have inspired the facet of clothing. They were painstakingly fussy about their turn out. There are innumerable statues, carvings and pottery depicting their fashion statements. Such great Greek historians as Herodotus have given us very detailed written descriptions of developments in fashion and the societal significance of Ancient Greek Costume and their accessories. The period post 1200 BC started with a civilization of people who wore bell-shaped skirts and tightly fitted bodices and ended with a race dressed in draped clothes that we associate with the Greeks.

In comparison, the Ancient Greek Costumes were more voluminous then that of the Egyptian counterparts. More often than not these were made of fine wool or linen in spite of the fact that Greeks also had access to linen, hemp cloth and silk. Although there were a variety of styles, the dresses were basically the same – rectangular pieces of cloth draped in different ways. The outfits were unisex and hardly varied down the ages.

During the festivities, teams of revelers went door to door in ancient Greek costumes, dancing and singing carols. These costumes represented figures of humans and animals. For a near perfect celebration of the history of Halloween, these revelers would wear a variety of costumes. What was more special was that most such costumes were made of different parts of animals. Sometimes such typical costumes were just disguises, with hardly anyone being aware of their relation with ancient Greek history and culture.

Wedding dresses were also a very significant part of the ancient Greek costumes. In fact, a lot of people today, for old times’ sake, choose the wedding themes of ancient Greeks. They are extremely particular that their gowns should be elegantly suggestive of the styles preferred by the Ancient Greeks. They leave no stone unturned to get the perfect look of the costumes of Greek weddings – to accentuate its overall appearance, the dress is often worn with elegant wedding sandals like those of the Greeks. Working on ancient Greek costumes for the wedding dress, the design is inspired by two main things – the sculptures of Aphrodite and the eternal beauty of ancient Greek styles!