Getting Dressed in Roman Britain

Roman women bound their breasts as an early form of support. Long lengths of linen or leather, often coloured, were wound round the chest. No undergarment was routinely worn on the lower body, except if exercising. A single tunic was normally worn, but in the cooler climates of the Roman Empire, such as Britain, layering must have been necessary. A linen undertunic, the same shape as the tunic itself, was probably worn. Dress was part of the identity of the Roman citizen, so it changed slowly. The gap-sleeved tunic was popular from the 1st to 3rd century CE, gradually giving way to a closed shoulder seam and a shaped sleeve. Clothes were made from wool or linen, but the very wealthy could afford silk, and the super-wealthy could adorn their silk clothes with gold thread borders. The tunic was controlled by a cord belt tied under the bust. The Roman home was dependent on enslaved labour, and domestic slaves skilled in the arts of dressing, hairdressing, and make-up were essential. Gilded leather sandals, decorated with pearls, were worn. Face cream might include chalk or lead powder to achieve a pale complexion. Brown pigments such as malachite or lapis lazuli were used to colour the eyelids, and coal was worn to outline the eyes in black. Cleanliness was a very important part of Roman culture, and the wearing of perfumes was popular among those who could afford them. The availability of polished metal mirrors with which women could examine their look aided the popularity of cosmetics. Jewellery, hairstyles, and make-up fashions changed more rapidly than the styles of dress, and were among the ways in which Roman women could remain fashionable or set new trends. Ultimately inspired by Persia, highly patterned and decorated textiles became fashionable. Jewellery was usually owned by the women themselves, its value determined by the weight of gold rather than the workmanship, which was probably by enslaved craftsmen. Gemstones which were uncut did not have the value attributed to them that they have today. The palla was a traditional mantle worn by Roman women as a mark of their status. It took skill and practice to manage the three and a half metres of rectangular fabric elegantly, and it required both arms to be occupied in its management. There were no pockets in the dress, but small precious items could be hidden into the front of the breastband, and a purse could be held in the hand and hidden in the folds of the palla. More usually though, slaves carried everything. When outside or in public, women could draw the palla over the head as a mark of dignity and status. But this lifestyle was not to last. An economy based on stolen lands, wealth, and labour, and dominated by a super-wealthy elite, was unsustainable. The year 410 saw the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, and the vacuum was to be filled by new waves of migration from Western and Northern Europe.