Roman themes for parties and reunions have become very popular in the past decade or so. The costumes worn for these parties have an air of mystery and beauty to them.
In plain sight…
The Statue of Liberty wears a Toga!
The ‘Toga’ is actually the attire that was worn by men in ancient Rome, and women would wear a ‘Stola’. Traditionally stolas were supposed to be white in color, but with time, these costumes started being worn in different colors. A stola is actually a long sheet that is draped around an ankle-length tunic.
Women had the option of choosing either sleeved or sleeveless tunics. The stolas were shorter in length as compared to the tunics, so that the layers of the garment could be shown as a sign of wealth and social standing. These stolas were accessorized with ornamental borders on their lower hem, jewelry or a square cloak known as a ‘palla’.
Since social status was of utmost importance in ancient Rome, only the upper class had their stolas made in silk cloth, and had embroidery on the body of their stolas. The poorer sections of society had to make do with simple cotton cloth.
Toga Costumes Today
For convenience sake, stolas are called togas today. They differ from the ancient designs and styles, but still look just as beautiful and elegant. Nowadays, toga costumes are mostly worn for themed parties or on Halloween. They are available in a huge array of colors, material, textures and styles. Many fabulous dress designs have been adopted from this ancient costume. The best thing about togas and stolas is that they can be created at home really quickly and within a very small budget. Given below are the step-by-step instructions for draping a simple toga costume.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making a Toga Dress
Making a toga costume is very easy. All you need is about 6 feet of a free-flowing material, pins, and a tunic. Easy-to-follow instructions are stated below:
▶▶ Wear your tunic and pin one end of the 6-foot long cloth to the left side of your waist. Make sure not to poke yourself while doing this.
▶▶ Wrap the cloth around your waist once. As this is the most basic way to drape a toga, I suggest to keep the length of the sheet till the knees.
▶▶ Pin the cloth at your waist again, and then let the rest go over your shoulder.
▶▶ You could also pin some of the cloth at the back too.
▶▶ If you do not want to wear a tunic, then a simple strapped top with a pair of shorts or a skirt would do. The remaining cloth that is left can be draped around your arm or just left on its own to create a graceful train.
Styling Options
Ankle-length Style
Floor-length Style
Short Toga
Ready-made Toga Dress
Once your done putting on your toga, you need to style and accessorize it well to give your look a touch of elegance and class. You could complement it with a pair of strapped stilettos, but for a more genuine look, you should wear gladiators. For jewelry, you could try golden bangles, armlets and anklets, dangling earrings, stylish pins (for your hair), headbands, etc. Leave your hair open or tie it up in a loose bun or a French or Dutch braid. Classic hairstyles also look fabulous with this outfit. Go more for eye makeup with lesser color on the lips, or even the other way round, whatever suits you the most. Wear a leafy halo (if you can find one), or just a small ornamental flower pin on one side of your hair (preferably just above your ears).
You can stylize your look by playing around with the length of the costume. Ankle-length stolas look mesmerizing, mysterious, and simply beautiful, whereas the shorter ones look trendy, sexy, and very glamorous. Another way of making your costume stand out in a crowd is by using a material that is slightly shimmery.
Ready-made toga-style dresses are available in varied colors – red, black, and gold being the most used. Carry off this costume with sophistication and confidence, and party like a Roman Goddess.
