Talking about Egypt implies delving into a sea of interesting stories, full of culture and magic, whose nuances have been changing throughout the stages that have transformed the lives of its inhabitants for thousands of years. Hence, it should be clarified that Egypt has gone through several stages, within which is the so-called Archaic Period, which goes from 3100 to 2686 before Christ, later the Old Kingdom that covered about 500 years (2686 to 2181 before of Christ), passing through classical antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Modern Age until reaching our days with the so-called Contemporary Egypt.
In each of these stages Egypt has been dominated by other empires, which have been incorporating customs, habits and lifestyles, such as the Roman and Byzantine domain during the period from the year 30 BC to the year 641 after Christ, or the French occupation from 1798 to 1801 in the Middle Ages or more recently the British occupation from 1882 to 1953 when it became a republic.
It is interesting to summarize data that help to understand the mixture of elements that make up a nation, and that explains that diversity creates lifestyles, and their combination can give way to peculiar characteristics that identify a people, a region, a country.
It is known by many that in Ancient Egypt, as in many peoples of that time, clothing consisted of a few very simple garments in a hot climate that required comfort and freshness. The fabrics were not abundant in diversity, preferably using linen and cotton to make their outfits, except for the wealthy classes who used a fine translucent muslin that was woven with linen.
Despite the conventional and unchanging of Egyptian outfits, they had a characteristic element such as seduction, even on many occasions they were almost naked; but the arrival of the Roman empire as ruler of the Egyptians introduced changes that little by little gave more color and variety to the clothing.
During the thirty centuries of existence as a people, the Egyptians changed very little their clothing, hairstyles and/or jewelry, which for 3000 years Egyptian fashion was based on traditions, leaving aside the so-called trends.
In this sense, in the spheres of power, hierarchs, kings, princes, scribes, priests and people of the upper class were aware of mummification and classic attire for special events, including religious and funerary ceremonies, so they bet on passing fashions that introduced changes to their clothing.
Despite their traditional attire, the ancient Egyptians worshiped beauty to the fullest, both women and men took care of their appearance and hygiene, leaving no room for ugliness or carelessness, they appreciated rigid, slender, flexible bodies. , as shown by the numerous statues and paintings that we know today and that resemble the canon of beauty of this century.
This is how Egyptian fashion as such did not exist, considering fashion as a process full of changes and variety in terms of designs, colors, accessories, among other elements, however, the few outfits that the Egyptians used were full of harmony and dignity, taking into account that for Egyptian men and women dressing was not essential, due to factors such as the climate and the lack of modesty, which was something natural and being naked was not immoral in those times for this civilization.
Therefore, everyone went naked in Ancient Egypt, from children to fishermen, peasants and craftsmen of the lower classes, who carried out their work activities naked or with a simple loincloth. For their part, women wore loose dresses with little fabric that allowed them to move fluidly in the daily tasks of housewives.
But the arrival of the New Kingdom, a period located in the year 1500 BC, put an end to the nudity of the torso, beginning to impose the fashion of tight or wide tunics, which were later incorporated with sleeves and pleats that gave distinction to the outfits, and over time more vivid colors and accessories such as belts were added
In this way, the clothing was gaining value for the Egyptians, especially on holidays and religious events that gave social status, especially in the upper classes and the monarchs of the time, who wore the shanti par excellence, which consisted of a short skirt with crossed ends that were inserted into a belt, while a knot was made in the front part. Hence, the shanti was a special piece during the Old Kingdom, which was used by the nobles in everyday life, but the men of the lower class wore it in special events or celebrations.
It should be noted that, as in any age, clothing varies according to social class, and ancient Egypt is no exception, since it was adorned as it was higher up the social scale, for example, a decorative element was added. in the front part, as in events that require extreme presence, distinction and elegance, for example, the shanti was adorned with a brooch or a piece of golden fabric.
This piece, so characteristic of the Egyptians, underwent a significant change at the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, which was lengthened to the calves, and sometimes an apron decorated with horizontal or vertical stripes was incorporated.
With the appearance and evolution of the first robes, other changes take place in the famous shanti. This short skirt was shortened at the front and lengthened at the back, the pharaoh being the first to assume these changes that added a touch of sophistication and innovation for the time.
At this time, the ceremonial events stood out where special attention was given to the attire, the King being the central character who used to wear long skirts adorned with a bull’s tail, which had the function of highlighting the power of this sacred character, he also wore on his head a striped handkerchief called nemes.
All this solemnity and distinction in the ceremonies was changed from the XVIII dynasty, in which less rigid elements were introduced, such as: transparencies, folds and sleeves that made the royal attire something more striking and less stiff.
With the arrival of the New Kingdom, during the last dynasties the attire became more and more popular and necessary for the Egyptians, and by 1123 a. C., a historical event occurred that attests to the basic needs of the Egyptian workers who worked on the tomb of Ramses III.
The story goes that they carried out the first known strike in history to protest the delay in the payment of their wages, which were obtained in kind, clothing being listed as one of the main concerns of the working class.
The need to dress brings with it the elaboration of fabrics for their garments, generally white and/or poorly decorated, because the main fabric was linen, light and breathable, which was suitable for the suffocating Egyptian climate, but at the same time it was very difficult. to dye, reducing the quality of the fabric, however, if the stems were collected when the plant was still young, the fabric produced was of higher quality.
There is also evidence of garments made with fabrics obtained by treating goat hair, sheep wool and palm fibers, while cotton was not introduced until the 1st century AD. C., when ancient Egypt no longer existed and the pharaohs were just a historical reference, while silk arrived 300 years later.
As for footwear, it should be noted that the vast majority of Egyptians went barefoot, however the nobles could wear sandals, made of braided leather or papyrus fibers, whose design consists of a sole with two simple strips that are joined between the first and second finger, are identical to those we use today, so in 5,000 years it has not changed.
In relation to hair, the famous wig is the quintessential accessory of ancient Egyptian styling that lasted even after this stage. But, not everyone could use it, being the upper classes, nobles and hierarchs those who had that privilege. As for the first female wigs, they were bipartite, since they had a parting in the middle, which they used to decorate with curls or braids, but they were reserved exclusively for aristocratic women.
In this way, the lower classes generally wore their natural hair, while the women adorned their hair with a ribbon or braids, the men used to wear their hair short. However, there is evidence that hair extensions were used in approximately 3400 BC, because they have been found in the cemeteries of workers of the pyramids and colossal buildings of the time. This demonstrates the prevailing styling at this time, where it was also customary to curl the hair with hot tongs or braid it in a multitude of strands.
In addition, in the Old Kingdom, men wore short curls, with bangs or a parting in the middle, while lower-class women tied their hair with a ribbon, the nobles wore diadems and crowns with more and better decorations.
Jewelry also played a role in ancient Egyptian styling, and while the popular classes made them with bones, stones, pottery and natural flowers, the aristocrats made them with gold and precious stones.
Likewise, Egyptian jewelry was characterized by being mostly unisex, like almost all the beauty products of this culture, it is varied and striking in its designs, being mostly rings, earrings, bracelets, belts, headbands, brooches and sumptuous elaborate necklaces. mainly in copper, silver and gold, with details made are precious stones such as carnelian, turquoise, amethyst, agate and the widely used lapis lazuli.
Millennia later, Egyptian jewelry has stood the test of time for its bright colors and designs based on nature, which have inspired many of the great creations of modernist jewelers. Even on today’s big catwalks, designers like John Galliano have used Egyptian motifs to present their collections, who designed a one hundred percent Egyptian collection for Christian Dior in 2004, for which he made use of the most representative symbols of the culture of this recognized civilization, thus achieving the validity of this culture that is so significant for humanity.