Fashion in Ancient Egypt
Linen was the most common fabric in ancient Egypt. Although the Egyptians knew about other fabrics, they preferred to use linen cloths, products made from the flax plant. They used the flax plant due to its abundance due to the good climate and a strong source of water from the Nile River. The reason behind the widespread flax in ancient Egypt was that it was extracted from a plant; The ancient Egyptians believed that fabrics of animal origin were as impure as wool. Regardless of this, clothing of animal origin, such as animal skin, was intended for priests and eventually adopted by the upper classes of the ancient Egyptian citizens as their clothing. Linen is also light, strong and flexible, which makes it ideal in hot climates. Hence, all the ancient Egyptians used linen as their dominant clothing, regardless of small minorities. The strata of society can be distinguished based on the quality of the materials used in the clothing. The upper layer used fine linen, unlike the lower layer, which was shown in the statues and light transparent paintings. They also used more intricate fabrics, designs, and shapes that included dyed fabrics and feathers. These materials were very expensive, and the wearer showed his high status by wearing them.

On the other hand, the cheaper and thicker linen was used among lower-class society, where the working class wore shorter clothes for better mobility in the fields. Men in ancient Egypt often wore the loincloth (or scientists), which was common among all classes. Men of the upper class wear a long Izar and often wear the Harmalah (a short, wide robe that is placed over the shoulder and covers the back and chest), or a tunic, while the poor wear it only the Izar. It was acceptable for men and women of the upper and lower classes to show their breasts. Complete freedom from clothing is often associated with youth or poverty; It was common for prepubescent children of all social classes to be naked until the age of six and slave girls to remain naked for most of their lives. Some types of clothing are used between different sexes, such as the jacket and the dress. He wore a light jacket, a short-sleeved shirt, and a pleated skirt around 1425-1405 BC. At the same time, young women’s clothes have remained unchanged over several millennia, except in some small details. Clothes with very large folds and rolls also gave the impression of wearing several layers of clothing, mostly because of fine muslin. The dress was tight to the point of restraint and made of white or unbleached cloth for the lower classes. As for the upper layers, the sleeve starts from under the chest and is tightened with straps placed on the shoulders. These suspenders were sometimes wide enough to cover the breasts. They were drawn and coloured for several reasons, for example, to imitate the feathers on the wings of Isis (a woman worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, Ptolemies and Romans). The clothes of the royal family were different and well documented. The nobles, for example, wore the crowns of kings, the headdress made of feathers, and the khat or cape. The shoes were similar for both sexes, as the sandals were braided with leather or papyrus, which was used specifically for the bureaucratic and priestly classes.
In the early ages:
Egyptian fashion was practical and simple, and for most of the population, the same type of clothing worn by women was worn by men. Upper-caste women in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (2686-2181 BC) wore longer clothes covering their chests, but women of the lower classes wore the same simple skirt as their fathers, husbands, and sons.
Images from the Early Dynastic period in Egypt (circa 3150 – 2613 BC) show lower-class men and women wearing the same type of dress: a knee-length skirt, likely white or light-coloured. It could have been made of cotton, linen, or pesos (linen) and fastened around the waist with a belt of cloth, papyrus, or leather. Upper-class Egyptians of the same period wore the same outfit only with more decoration. Only by their jewellery can men of the wealthy class be distinguished from farmers and artisans. Women’s dress was more distinct among the classes as upper-class women wore a long, form-fitting dress with or without sleeves. These dresses were held in place by straps on the shoulders, and at times were complemented by a sheer robe worn over them. The fashion for women with bare breasts was not a concern. Women’s dresses of the upper class sometimes started under the breasts and reached the ankles. Women’s skirts of the lower class, as noted, were from the waist to the knees without a top. Before the development of linen, people wore clothes made of animal skins or woven papyrus.
Children of both sexes were not dressed from birth until puberty, and some professions continued this practice. The workers and washing machines who worked daily on the banks of the Nile, washing the clothes of others, were doing their jobs naked because they were in the water in abundance.
The First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom:
The First Intermediate Period of Egypt (2181-2055 BC) followed the collapse of the Old Kingdom and launched many drastic changes in Egyptian culture, but the fashion remained relatively the same. Only in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2055-1650 BC) did the fashion change as women began to wear long cotton cloaks and different hairstyles.
In the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate period, women were depicted with a length of hair below their ears, while in the Middle Kingdom, their hair was worn over their shoulders. The dress of the intermediate state for the upper class also differed in that the clothes were often made of cotton. Dresses, which still fit the figure, often have sleeves with a plunging neckline decorated with a necklace at the throat. These dresses will be made from a single piece of cloth that the woman will wrap and then styled with a belt around the waist that she can wear over the top.
From the same period, however, there is evidence of upper-class women’s dresses that rose from the ankle to the waist and were fastened with thin straps that passed over the breasts and fastened to the shoulders at the back. Men at this time continued to wear only a simple kilt with pleats in front. It is not known exactly how the ancient Egyptians folded their clothes, but images in art clearly show folds in men’s and women’s clothing. The most popular garment among upper-class men was the triangle apron; A starched and ornate kilt that fell a little above the knees and was fixed to a hood. It could be worn over an apron, a triangular strip of cloth running between the legs and tied from the hips.
After the Middle Kingdom era, Egypt entered the Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550 BC), in which foreigners known as the Hyksos ruled from Lower Egypt, and the Nubians retained the southern border of Upper Egypt with only Thebes in the middle representing the Egyptian base.
They don’t seem to have contributed to fashion. This is largely due to the Hyksos’ admiration for Egyptian culture and the tradition of Egyptian beliefs, behaviour, and dress in their cities in the northern delta.
In 1550 BC, King Ahmose I expelled the Hyksos from Egypt. I began the period of the New Kingdom of Egypt (1550-1077 BC), which witnessed the greatest developments in fashion in Egyptian history. Fashion styles in the New Kingdom are often depicted in films and TV shows about Egypt regardless of the period they are set.
In the New Kingdom:
The New Kingdom was the era of Egypt’s empire when the country rose to the international stage and came closer to close contact with other nations than it had been in the past. Even before the era of empire, fashion statements became more detailed. Ahmose I’s wife, Ahmose Nefertari, is depicted in a dress with winged sleeves and a wide collar that falls above her ankles.
Beaded gowns and dresses embellished with jewels began to appear in the late Middle Kingdom but became more common in the New Kingdom among the upper classes. Elaborate beaded and jewelled wigs also appear with greater frequency at this time. The pure linen hat was a fashion innovation in the New Kingdom era. The bonnet, or head shawl, was a rectangle of twisted, pleated, or cut linen, usually attached to a decorative collar. It was worn over dresses that fell either from the waist or just below the breasts and became the most popular style for the upper classes.
Men’s fashion has also advanced very quickly in the New Kingdom. The cuffs of this period drop below the knee are more intricately embroidered and are often complemented by a loose sheer blouse. Depicted in a mongoose headdress, this type of clothing is often seen wearing either sandals or slippers. They wore sheer skirts and blouses with elaborately pleated sleeves. Large panels of woven material hanging from the waist and intricate pleats were visible under the sheer skirts. This style was popular with royalty and upper classes who could purchase items.
The lower classes continued to wear the simple kilt for both sexes, but now more working-class women appear with covered shirts. Previously, Egyptian servants were depicted in tomb paintings and other artwork as being naked or semi-naked. Still, in the New Kingdom, several servants appear in their full clothes and somewhat elaborate dresses.
Underwear was also developed during this period, evolving from a coarse, triangular apron draped between the legs and around the waist to a finer piece of cloth either sewn at a certain size from the waist or tied at the hips. The fashion for upper-class men in the New Kingdom was this undergarment under an apron over which was worn a long, see-through shirt falling to the knees, a wide-necked bodice (for the nobility), bracelets, and sandals. King Tutankhamun was buried with over 100 of this type of underwear and shirts, jackets, and cloaks, providing some of the best examples of New Kingdom costumes found to date.
Women’s fashion from that period was more elaborate than any previous era. Men and women in Egypt often shave their heads to prevent lice and reduce the time it takes to maintain a full head of hair. Wigs of both sexes were used to protect the scalp and for ceremonial purposes. Wigs in the New Kingdom era are the most ornate, especially for women, and feature pleated, fringed, and multi-layered hairstyles shoulder length or below. Upper-class women preferred sheer cloaks made of light linen, often adorned with a scarf or robe, tied with a belt at the waist, and decorated with a headdress, necklace and earrings.
Various occupations have also adopted fairly consistent styles of fashion. For example, ministers wore a long skirt (often embroidered) that fastened under the arms and fell at the ankles with sandals or slippers. Scribes wore the simple kilt from the waist to the knee, sometimes seen in a sheer blouse. Priests wore white linen robes, and according to Herodotus, they could not wear any other colour as white and holy purity. Soldiers, guards, and policemen wore the simple kilt with sandals and sometimes wrist guards. Farmers, brewers, tavern keepers, masons, workers, and merchants from this period are uniformly depicted in the same simple kilt, male and female, Although sometimes the merchant appears in a robe or cloak. Coats, jackets, and gowns were as common throughout the history of Egypt as the temperature at night.
fake hair
Wigs and headgear edit
Hairstyles occupied a large part of ancient Egyptian fashion through wigs, although heads were shaved for two reasons, as a sign of nobility and because of the hot climate. And both sexes of the upper and lower layer used wigs. The quality of the wigs depends on the amount of available income, which led to a clear difference between the classes of society. Good quality wigs were made of human hair and decorated with gold jewellery and textiles. The most elegant models among the powerful owned small cups filled with perfume and placed them on top of their heads. The pharaohs wore beards with wigs on some special occasions. There is evidence of cheap wigs made of wool, so it was replaced by the more expensive woven gold of its counterpart in place of beads and linen. The ancient Egyptians innovated to enable all social classes to wear wigs and head coverings, for example. The mongoose headdress, made of rough linen covering the shoulders, was reserved for the elite class to protect the wearer from sun rays.

On the other hand, there was a headdress dedicated to a pharaoh. The pharaohs also wore different crowns to identify different deities, such as the horned crown of the goddess Hathor. At the same time, children from all social classes were represented by keeping a tuft of hair on the right side of the head (see the adjacent picture). The most common headdress was the kaftan, a square, striped cloth worn by men.