How to Make an Awesome Toga for a Party

Megan Fox wears a white toga with a black belt.

Togas originated in Ancient Rome. In that time only Roman citizens were allowed to wear the toga, as it was seen as a badge of Roman honor and citizenship. A normal toga is 2 to 5 yards of fabric wrapped around the body and worn with a colored tunic underneath. Today Roman toga parties are highly popular and are thrown throughout the year. Making your own toga is fun and easy. You just need a few simple items and you're ready. Remember that your toga doesn't have to be white. Experiment with different colors and accessorize to make your toga more authentic.

Things You'll Need

• 2 to 5 yards fabric depending on your size
• Safety pins
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Measuring tape
• Fabric marker
• Tunic or T-shirt (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure the distance from the top of your shoulder to where you want the toga to end. This is the length of your toga. In Ancient Rome, togas would fall to the floor, but this length can be hard to handle, especially at a party. Nowadays people wear knee length or even shorter togas.

2. Lay the fabric on a flat surface as a long rectangle. Place your measuring tape at one corner of the toga and extend it width-wise. Mark the length that you want the toga to be with a fabric marker.

3. Hold the fabric behind you as if you were going to wrap a towel around your waist.

4. Bring the fabric in your right hand to your left shoulder, followed by the fabric in your left hand. Tie both ends together in a simple knot. See the toga form loose pleats in the front. The more pleats, the more authentic your toga looks.

5. Measure the circumference of your chest, waist and hips to make your toga fit better.

6. Take off the toga, turn it inside out and lay it on a flat surface. Mark the measurements with a fabric marker of your chest, waist and hips. Safety pin the open end of the toga together along your markings. Use a sewing machine for better accuracy to make the toga look tailored for your size and easier to wear.

7. Reinforce all your stitches and turn the toga right side out.

8. Slip on your toga. You can wear a tunic or T-shirt under your toga if you find it too revealing.

9. Add accessories to your toga to make it look more awesome. Women will want to wear golden sandals, a golden belt and a lot of chunky jewelry. Men should wear sandals, a belt or a loosely tied rope, and a laurel wreath in the hair.

References

• How to Make a Toga.info: Ron Turner
• MonsterGuide.net; How to Make a Toga; January 2009
• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Toga