Roman Fashion

{ July 2, 2010 @ 5:37 pm } · { Uncategorized }

I awoke feeling fully rested this morning. After a dreamless and undisturbed sleep, a nice hot bath was in order. The maids drew a perfectly soothing bath for me as they undress my woolen tunic that kept me warm through the night. They are kind people. They treated me like their own child and had always spoilt me with love and care. As they peeled of the undergarment from my skin, they would tell me tales of their childhood and love stories. My exposed body emerged in the warm water filled with flowers that scented my skin after. After a relaxing shower, they dressed me and got me ready for breakfast with father and mother. I stood calmly on the pedestal in front of my own reflection as the maids braided my hair and wrapped the stola around my petit figure.

I stared at my own reflection admiring the clothes of Roma. Other than my father’s impeccable taste, Rome is usually filled with people in beautiful and understated clothing. I remember being draped in luxurious cotton, linen woolen and even silk sometimes ever since I was young. The stolas that my parents had made for me has always been beautifully decorated. I have always considered myself to be lucky. All women of Rome wore stolas. The luckier ones with wealth and stature would be draped in luxurious wool and silk stolas with embellishments around the neckline. My favorite stola would be the one that I had worn on my parents’ 15^th wedding anniversary gala dinner that my father had thrown. It was yellow with golden and red embellishment around the neckline and a beautiful institia sewn around the hem of the stola. It was long sleeved and I had worn a red ribbon around my waist. It was really one of a kind. Mother’s stolas are even more spectacular and because she is the queen, the institia attached around the hem were more layers than anybody’s. It’s a far cry than those worn by women of Rome. Although the stolas symbolizes the different status of the women of Rome, I had always considered every woman to be equal. Even though the clothes would determine if we were married or single, peasants or upper class, underneath the stolas were the same tunics.

I paired the blue stola today with a matching colored palla. The long shawl that I wore over my shoulders and wrapped my head was held on with a fibula that was given to me by my aunt. The maids also made sure that I had my bulla around my neck at all times. The bulla was given to me and other young girls of Roma. It is an amulet that is worn until the day we were married. I cannot wait to get married and burn my bulla.

Once I was all made up, I made my way to the formal patio where we have breakfast on some mornings. Father looked sharp in his toga. He had always and will always look the best out of all the men of Rome. Men wore togas as women wore stolas. But only father can wear it and look different and unique. The togas also represent different classes and status. But most importantly, father said it was a sign of peace and pride. He used to always quote Virgil’s proud lines, “Romanos, rerum dominos, gentemque togatam” (“Romans, lords of the world, the toga-wearing race”).