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Archive for the ‘Greek Fashion’ Category

Most women, if not all, hope to marry the man of their dreams. So, if you are one of the lucky women who are doing just that, then you just might see your husband-to-be as one of the remarkable Greek gods. For your own wedding, why not go for an ancient Greek wedding theme? Now, do no think of your wedding to be like your ordinary Greek toga party held during college because this is certainly not the case. This is actually a popular misconception because of the usual Greek parties help by fraternities and sororities in just about any college. Although these parties are indeed fun in nature, they do not encompass the elegance of weddings. It is also because of this popular association that this wedding theme has been overlooked by so many people these days. Still, if you do take the time to consider this option, you just might find the perfect theme for your wedding.

Of course, when you are implementing this theme, you definitely have a lot of things to deal with. An ancient Greek wedding goes way beyond just the decorations of the environment. You also have to consider the aspects of appearance for you and your husband-to-be, as well as that of your guests.

Your wedding gown has to be patterned and designed in such a way that the ancient styles favored by the Greeks during their time would be properly manifested. There are so many tasteful designs that you can choose from. Have you ever seen sculptures of Greek goddesses, such as Aphrodite? Their delicate dresses can be used as patterns for your wedding dress. Imagine how timeless, classic, and elegant you would look! Complete your gown with simple wedding sandals so reminiscent of ancient Greek fashion, and you are good to go!

Try to find a facility that comes with pillars, so that you can get that Greek atmosphere for your wedding. But if you cannot find such a facility, you can then use Styrofoam to create your pillars. This is not as easy as it may seem, but with the help of friends and family, you can still capture that ambiance you are aiming for. You can also place Greek urns at strategic locations all over the room. These urns can be purchased at just about any craft store you can find. You can even purchase these online.

But if you really want that stellar ancient Greek wedding theme, then you should consider renting a fog machine. The presence of fog can add to that Mount Olympus feeling for your wedding. You can use the fog machine for your ceremony itself or for your reception!

Sometimes people collide with the situation when they have to examine the past with the aim to understand the future. One of the most ancient courtiers which can teach the people many things is Greece. Greek culture and history are very deep and rich.
The early Greek civilization and its culture can be studying with the help of such discoveries as tombs, carvings, ruins, depicting scenes, sculptures, etc. According to investigations, the clothing of Greek people was very light, simple and natural. It can be explained by the climate in Greece which was very hot.
Usually Greeks wore relaxed white clothing. The traditional dress of Greek people consisted of several pieces of fabric, which is called chiton. In summer the chiton was made of linen. In winter the clothing was warmer and was usually sewed of wool. The chiton had square shape with pins which help to form huge sleeves. Besides, the people had to wear belt round their waist. The chitons can be compared with the tunics which are very popular nowadays. Chitons can be worn by women and men of different ages. Usually chitons were decorated with unusual details and ornaments. Such ornaments identified the state the person lived in.
The cuts and styles of clothing in ancient Greece were influences by different periods of Greek history. There was clothing which was typical for Doric period, Ionic period and others.
Besides, the clothing depended on the weather and climate. The Greeks wore loincloths, cloaks and other types of blankets. The clothing must be comfortable first of all. In the house the Greeks prefer to walk barefoot. Outdoor they worn sandals which were made of soft leather. The babies usually wore nothing or were wrapped with white clothing. Those people, who had to walk, wore comfortable rectangle pieces of fabric on their shoulders.

I have been watching with interest that the students who are leaving college this year seem to be buying all sorts of things to remind them of their time at college. They are buying lots of items with logos on from the college shop. They seem to be taking lots of photographs and ordering prints for each other and swapping them around.

Many people suddenly seem to be wearing greek sweatshirts which look very stylish. I think that when you are about to leave a place, you suddenly start liking it more than you ever realised. You think about all the things that you are going to miss, all of the things that you will no longer be able to do. You think about all of the friends that you have made over the years and whether you will manage to keep in touch with them and if you do for how long. It is lovely to buy something that will help you to preserve all of the lovely memories that you have had, all of the fun, laughter and parties as well as the studying and things you have learned. I think everyone keeps something from their college years, as a memory, to preserve and show their children and grand children even if it is only their certificates and a few photos.

I think that buying clothes is another good way of keeping those memories alive. However, I would not want to wear one, if I was intending on keeping it because it might not wash well. I think that if I was going to buy something like some sorority apparel or fraternity apparel I would get something different as a keepsake and get the clothing to wear while I was attending college. Or I would buy something like a cap that I would keep and not wear – or wear very rarely. I might even buy something that was not clothing maybe something like a paddle which is more durable and looks really nice displayed on the wall. But the best memory, for me is a photograph. There you can relive a situation, see the happy faces of your friends, see the rooms that you lived and studied in and generally have a preserved memory. With digital cameras and camera phones it is really easy to take lots of pictures at all occasions and preserve them all of a CD ready to look at as you get older.

Fashion of today has its roots in the Ancient Greek Costumes. The Ancient Greeks have inspired the facet of clothing. They were painstakingly fussy about their turn out. There are innumerable statues, carvings and pottery depicting their fashion statements. Such great Greek historians as Herodotus have given us very detailed written descriptions of developments in fashion and the societal significance of Ancient Greek Costume and their accessories. The period post 1200 BC started with a civilization of people who wore bell-shaped skirts and tightly fitted bodices and ended with a race dressed in draped clothes that we associate with the Greeks.

In comparison, the Ancient Greek Costumes were more voluminous then that of the Egyptian counterparts. More often than not these were made of fine wool or linen in spite of the fact that Greeks also had access to linen, hemp cloth and silk. Although there were a variety of styles, the dresses were basically the same – rectangular pieces of cloth draped in different ways. The outfits were unisex and hardly varied down the ages.

The Greeks were very conscious of the human body and displayed it to the best advantage. Rather than conceal, these Ancient Greek Costumes, artistically showed-off the human form. These may seem rather vulgar in the present day and rather impractical too but they were in vogue at that time. Some of the outfits are the chiton (unisex), exomis (males), tunic (males), himation (males), Doric (females) and ionic (females). Though most of the dresses were drapes cloths, it is known that the Greeks definitely knew how to make sleeves. However, since normal straight sleeves were considered less aesthetic, bare arms were preferred.

Doric was a popular style for women and the most fashionable garment. It was a rectangular piece of cloth approx. 2 meters in length and least 3 meters in width. It was draped folded over at the top and dropping full length to the ankle. The material was mostly linen and fine wool. The silk that came from China and the Muslin and cotton from Egypt was restricted to the higher gentry. The well-off women wore circlets of gold and valuable stones. Amethyst was a fashionable stone. It even had a mythological story to its origin!

Initially, during the archaic period, the Ancient Greek Costumes were usually white or off-white – especially for the common man. They were further forbidden to wear red chitons and himations in theaters or public places. However, colors had been adopted and were widespread by the 5th Century. Homer has recorded the fashion of extravagant costumes woven with threads of silver and gold.

These Ancient Greek Costumes were adorned with borders and motifs. More multifaceted borders portrayed themes ranging from animals, birds, and fish to intricate battle scenes. The colors of the threads were infinite. According to Herodotus, there was yellow, violet, indigo, red and purple in a single garment.

Most of the population believed in being barefoot. However, footwear was still prevalent in the ancient times. The Ancient Greek Costume was usually depicted in the statues and other scriptures with varied footwear ranging from thongs, full and toeless sandals, to ankle & calf boots. The headgear – straw hats, felt and leather hats were quite like the broad brimmed modern sun hats. So now we know where those originated!

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, unbiased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.