Women\'s clothing

[Lepidina]

Hi all,

Were there any "rules" about how much a woman had to cover her head in public? I'm making a new stolla/palla combo but see many reenactors with just a small head veil, which I didn't think was correct.

Secondly, is there a recommended length for a proper palla?

Any other women's clothing tips before I go fabric shopping?

deb

[Carlton Bach]

I'd guess that depends largely on the time and place. There is certainly enough sculptural and pictiorial evidence for Roman women not covering their heads in public to show it was not a universally enforced rule. At the same time it is clear that some did, and that it had more to do with perceived respectability than the Italian sun. Frex, I don't recall many 'veiled' woman depictions from the Rhineland (some with hats), but no unveiled woman in Palmyrene art.

Who, where and when are you?

[Lepidina]

I'm with Legio XX, 1st c. AD in England.

I'm interested in the hats. Do you have an references for that? Now I've seen pictures of men in hats but not women. (But my research is FAR from complete.) Are these straw sun hats or different kinds of hats? Any pictures?

Thanks!

deb

[Viventius]

From Roman Clothing and Fashion by A T Croom, Tempus, 2000, page 105:

Modest women were supposed to keep their heads covered when out of doors, but this generally took the form of draping their mantle over their head rather than wearing a hat since the elaboate hairstyles frequently made hats impossible ... Straw hats like those worn by men would have been worn by labourers or travellers, but were never fashionable for the rich. In town, wealthy women would have been protected from the harmful rays of the sun - tans were definitely unfashionable - by parasols.

In Britannia, we go into shock and wear straw hats if the sun actually bothers to come out at all :roll:

There's a straw hat parade at: [url]http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sgnuk/detail?.dir=7b5e&.dnm=34e8.jpg
[/url]

Sorry, we're not in costume, as it was setting-up evening :?

The main problem is finding a hat that hasn't got any modern stitching!

Viventia/Viventius

[Lepidina]

I just reread my post. The legion that I belong to is supposed to be stationed in England but the actual people in it are in the US on the East Coast.

I suppose the straw hats were woven and not sewn together from the strips like today. I used to have a source for woven straw hats. I'll have to look for them.

Thanks for the info!

deb

[Carlton Bach]

I don't have pictures for the hats ATM, unfortunately, but there are two types: one is a kind of round, helmet-shaped 'cap' that has been the subject of much debate including whether it was ever actually wprn by people.- Much of ourt evidencve comnes from Matron Deity reliefs (but this has, in turn, meant avery depiction of one is now assumed to show a matron goddess, whether epigraphics bear it out or not). The other is a (presumably fur) cap that looks a little like a Pannonian cap squashed at the sides - and indeed, seems to come from Pannonia. Both are definitely provincial.

Tanagra terracotta figurines from the Greek East show a type of conical hat that was probably made from felt. The figurines survive into Roman days, but whether the hat does is questionable.

Felt, leather and straw hats were in use, but it it possible these were strictly mascvuiline garments. I wouldn't bank on it - if the sun beats down, women will appreciate them as much as men.

I'll look for pictures.

[Viventius]

Lepidina,

If you're a posh lady, you can have a slave carrying a parasol for you! I don't think I've seen a Roman parasol at a show yet, but I guess it's something that might need making from scratch rather than relatively easily bought like a straw hat.

Sandra

Viventia