Egyptian head-dresses. The Blue Crown or war crown.

Pharaoh with Blue Crown

The Blue Crown or war crown, the Cheperesch, Part of the regalia of the child gods and kings (pharaohs).
Worn by the Pharaoh on certain occasions and often in battle. Symbolically served the crown probably the renewal and fertility. It was considered a sign of the rightful heir to the throne, who makes his claim law.

Ancient Egypt Pharaoh head-dresses and crowns.

Head-dresses: The crown of feathers, The Atef crown, Great Royal Wife of the Pharaoh with Vultures Crown.

Sculpture: Studies of heads from the canon of proportion (workshops Memphis and Thebes)

Sculpture: Types & portraits (ladies of various periods).

Sculpture: Types & portraits (senior officials from various periods).

Sandals and shoes found in Egypt.

Types of Egypt foot wear.

 Read more about above picture

Dresses of women.

The sash. Dresses of Egypt women.

The sash in figs. 1 and 2, though represented at the side, is to be understood as tied in front. In fig. 3 the side hair appears to be fixed by a comb; and before it, on the cheek, the short hair is arranged in separate plaits. 4 shows the skirt tied at the neck: it is a terra cotta statue.

Dress of Egypt Pharao

Egyptian King

The sewn type of kalasiris was a short garment somewhat resembling a woman’s petticoat. The width of the material determined the length of the garment, so that there was only one seam. The numerous folds were distributed at equal distances round the body. In some instances it was worn in apron fashion, and in that case it was not sewn at all.
The long type of kalasiris that covered the body up to the neck was made from a rectangular piece of material twice as long as the garment (see Fig. 4). It was folded in the middle, and a hole was cut out to allow the head to pass through. The sides were then sewn together, gaps being left unsewn at the top to serve as armholes.
When the garment was meant to be worn without a girdle the cut was slightly altered so as to make the material over the shoulders narrower than that lower down. This is indicated by the interior lines in Fig. 4.

Egyptian Queen

For the sleeved kalasiris the sleeves were either cut separately and sewn on or a slight change was made in the garment itself (Fig. 5). The material on both sides of the opening for the head was left as wide as the intended length of the sleeves. The lower edges of the portions forming the sleeves were sewn together when the sides of the garment were sewn. The clothing of Egyptian women covered and concealed the person to a far greater extent than did the clothing of the men. The close-fitting, elastic type of kalasiris was the ancient national costume of the female population of the country. There were slight variations of style, but in all cases the garment was long enough to cover the ankles. In some it extended up to or beyond the breast (being held in place by shoulder straps), or even up to the neck. This last style was provided with sleeves.

The working class wore the same style of garment. In order to obtain greater freedom of movement they adopted various methods of tucking it up, and wore it much shorter than the upper classes did.
In addition to the garments described above, various kinds of capes were worn both by men and women of the upper classes. The earliest type, which was in regular use as far back as the time of the Old Kingdom, was an almost circular shoulder-cape (Fig. 6), either closed or made to fasten behind. It varied in width, but never reached lower than the shoulder, and was made either of linen painted in diverse colours or of very costly network.

Fig. 6. Round Egyptian Cape. Fig. 7. Rectangular Egyptian Cape

Another style of cape, made only of transparent materials, fell from the shoulders to a little below the elbows. This cape was either almost circular in shape, with a hole in the centre to allow it to be passed over the head (Fig. 6), or rectangular (Fig. 7). In the latter case the strips forming the cape were laid over the shoulders, gathered on the breast, and held in place by a clasp, so that the ends hung down loose.
In putting on the almost circular cape just mentioned the narrow sides on breast and back were gathered, thus giving rise to diagonal folds.
As in the case of all ancient dress, the most important feature of the dress of the Egyptians was the draping. Each people had its own characteristic way of putting on garments that closely resembled each other in cut and style.

THE KALASIRIS

To judge from the most ancient representation that we possess, the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom (c. 3000 B.C.) wore a loincloth made of woven material, which was wrapped several times round the body and kept in place by a girdle. In addition to this a wrap or a speckled skin was hung over the shoulders. This costume continued right up to the time when the so-called Old Kingdom reached its highest brilliance, and the beauty and costliness of material and draping were the only marks that distinguished monarch and nobles from the lower classes. By and by another item of dress was added-a somewhat close-fitting, one-piece skirt of expensive material, which was similarly fastened by means of a girdle. The so-called kalasiris (Figs. 4-5), a garment for both sexes, which was introduced shortly after the establishment of the New Kingdom (c. 1000 B.C.), was a long robe quite unlike those just mentioned, differing from them both in cut and in the materials of which it was made.

Fig.4 Sleeved Kalasiris

Fig. 5, Sleeveless Kalasiris

There was apparently more than one style of this garment. It was either a coat covering the body from the hips or the procardium to the abdomen, supported by a band passing over one shoulder, or it even reached as far up as the neck. Some forms of it were sleeveless while others had short and narrow or long and fairly wide sleeves. This garment also varied in width. Sometimes it was wide and full, sometimes so close-fitting that it is difficult to understand how the wearer could walk.
Most probably, therefore, there were two ways of making the kalasiris. Either it was woven or knitted in one piece so as to impart to it some elasticity and cause it to cling closely to the lower limbs of the wearer even when he moved; or it was made of pieces cut separately and sewn together at the sides. In the former case it resembled a narrow bag of the same width throughout its whole length, sometimes with sleeves fitted to it or knitted in it. This elastic type of kalasiris seems to have been made of material which was in most cases of close texture, but occasionally very loose and transparent. It is of course possible that the transparency was due to the stretching of material that was originally close in texture and to the consequent tearingof the threads or stitches.

Ornaments from graves of Karnak, Thebes, Saqqara, sarcophagus decorations.

The ornaments taken from sarcophaguses of pharaohs as they are in the Louvre in Paris.

Draping of a Cloak

Here are three other varieties of Egyptian costume. Fig. 20, which dates  sixth century B.C., is an arrangement of a cloak worn by a man (Plan 20a). Fig. 21 shows an interesting cross – over garment sheathing the upper part of the body, worn by a Warrior King, 1200 b.c. It was probably made of leather or quilted linen (plan, Fig. 21a). This figure is also wearing one of the characteristic belts with appendages (for detail see Plate IX., a and b). Fig. 22, which dates 1300 B.C., is wearing a robe, as previously described on Fig. 6, but in addition has a stiff corselet (Plan 22a) of leather or quilted linen which is fastened at the side; the date of this figure is 1300 B.C..

Fig. 20., 20a., Draping of a Cloak

Fig. 20.,20a, 21., Military Corselet and Apron-like Appendage, 1300 B.C.

Ancient Egyptian Priestess

Fig. 10. Ancient Egypt Priestess

Plate X. shows the fourth division of Egyptian costume — namely, the “Type of the Shawl or Drapery.” Several varieties of this type are illustrated.

The fourth division of Egyptian costume is shown in the examples on Plate X. and Figures below. These are the draped or shawl type of costume. They have many resemblances to the draping of the well-known Indian sari of modern times. Compare these with illustration of sari. The ingenuity displayed in the draping of these costumes can only be realized when they are actually done upon a model. It should be noted with regard to all Egyptian costumes of the more fully draped type that the entire draperies seem to radiate from one point, usually a knot at the waist, with very beautiful effect.

Fig. 16., Shawl or Drapery

To drape Fig. 16, which is a modern drawing of Plate X., tie a cord round the waist, tuck in comer b (see plan. Fig. 16a) at left side of waist, pass round the back and round the right side to front again; make some pleats and tuck them in in centre front of waist, then pass round back again to right side; catch up the whole drapery and throw it upwards from right-hand side of waist under left arm-pit, pass on round the back and over the right shoulder towards front, then throw the remaining portion of garment across the chest and backwards over the left shoulder; take corner a and bring it round under right arm-pit, release corner b which you first tucked in, and tie it to “corner a. The corner c will hang down in a point at the back.

Fig. 16a., 17a.,

Fig. 18., A Simple Shawl Drapery. 1600 B.C.

To drape the costume on Fig, 17, which dates 1300 B.C., take the corner a of Fig. 17a and hold it at right side of waist in front, pass round the back and round the left side to front again, tuck in some pleats in centre front, and pass on round the back to left side of waist under left arm towards the front; ‘catch up the entire garment and throw over the right shoulder, pass the upper edge of the garment round the back of the neck and over the left shoulder and downwards across the breast to right, where the corner b should be tied to corner a. Corner d hangs down in a point at the back. For Fig. 18, which dates 1600 B.C., take the corner a of Fig. 18a and hold it at right side of waist in front, pass the edge a-b round back of waist to the left side and across the front of waist, pass it round the right side again under the right arm towards the back and upwards over the left shoulder; tie the corner a to corner b in front.

Fig. 18a., A Simple Shawl Drapery

Fig. 17., 19.,19a

For Fig. 19, which dates 550 B.C., tie a waist cord, hold corner a of Fig. 19a at left side of waist in front, and throw the whole garment upwards over the right shoulder to the back; take the comer c, bring it round under the right arm, and hold it along with the comer a ; draw the edge a-b, which still hangs over the right shoulder, downwards across the back to left side of waist. Bring it round to front of waist and pin it to the corners a and c at the left side of waist in front, passing the garment on round the front; tuck in a few pleats in centre front into the waist cord, then pass it round right side of waist and upwards across the back over the left shoulder, downwards across the breast to right side of waist; here pass a loop of material over the left wrist as shown in diagram; now pass a girdle round the waist over the entire drapery, knot it at right side of waist, confining the drapery as illustrated in Fig. 19.