How to Make a Toga For a Woman
Among the celebrations of the ancient Romans was a celebration to the god Bacchus. The Roman Colosseum describes him as the god of good cheer, wine and hilarity, while the amorous side effects associated with these things became a part of his entourage. To invoke these ideas, the toga party encourages attendees to arrive dressed in their best toga in celebration of the Roman style. Depending on the occasion, women can decide to go the ancient traditional route and make a stola and palla or the university-inspired route of wrapping a sheet around their body.
Things You'll Need
- Ancient look -- Stola and Palla
- 2 pieces of matching fabric, each about 4 feet long
- 5-9 yards of coordinating fabric at least 45-inches wide
- Pins
- 2 coordinating 1-inch ribbons, each about 2 feet long
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- University-inspired look
- 5 yards of fabric at least 45 inches wide
- Safety pins
- 2-4 feet of coordinating cord or ribbon
- Decorative clasp (optional)
Instructions
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The Ancient Look
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1
Place the two pieces of matching fabric together with insides out.* Pin the edges where you want the side seams to be and mark the area of the waist. The shape and width will be determined by your body size, but don't forget that you don't want your toga to be too tight. You will need to be able to slip the toga over your head, and a true Roman look would have this garment loose. Leave the top 7 or 8 inches unpinned for your arms. Adjust accordingly.
*For a more finished look, you may opt to put a small ¼-inch hem on each edge of the fabric before you begin.
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2
Pin the top edges together from the outside corner toward the center for about 3 or 4 inches on either side. These will be the shoulders. Make sure you pin far enough into the fabric so that the straps will hold up the rest of the dress but that the center is open enough to allow your head to pass through while slipping it on.
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3
Place the ribbons by pushing the bulk of one ribbon between the two pieces of fabric at the waist mark with only a ½ inch or so of one end coming out. Ensure that the end is oriented perpendicular to the seam and pin. Do the same with the other ribbon on the other seam. On the inside of the dress, pin the remainder of the ribbons near the center of the dress where they won't get caught in the seams.
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4
Sew the side and shoulder seams by hand or with a sewing machine. Turn the fabric to its correct side.
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5
Sew hems around the raw edges of the coordinating fabric and drape it around the stola to make the palla. Legio VI, a historic re-enactment group portraying life in the Roman period, says the palla was draped in a variety of ways around the body and over the stola, but was never pinned. Experiment to find your own style.
The University-inspired Look
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6
Wrap the 5-foot-long piece of fabric once around your body with one end held at the side of your bust area. Safety pin this end to the fabric as it comes around your body. Make sure the safety pin is secure.
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7
Continue to wrap the fabric around your body, at least halfway around, and pin it in place with another safety pin. Bring the remainder of the fabric up over your opposite shoulder and down to the waist. Pin it in place and wrap the rest of the fabric around your waist. If there is a large amount of fabric left and you don't want to bulk up your waist, secure the fabric on one side close to your arm with a decorative clasp and drape the remaining fabric over your wrist.
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8
Tie the cording or ribbon around your waist and bust area in a decorative way to secure the fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
Set your outfit off right with sandals, beads or strands of jewelry. Romans liked to show off their wealth.
Don't forget to wear clothing under your outfit. The Roman Empire points out that even ancient Roman women typically wore their stolas over a long tunica.
References
- Photo Credit statue de femme image by Emmanuelle Combaud from Fotolia.com
