Roman

During the summer months Roman garb becomes quite popular in Atlantia, where temperatures can reach up to 100 degrees. Typically made from natural-fiber fabrics like linen, silk, and light weight wool, these loose fitting garments are quite effective in keeping the wearer from becoming overheated.

Roman women, or matrons, wear three layers. The first layer is the tunica, made from a light-weight linen. This layer sits closest to the skin and linen is a natural choice for helping to wick sweat from the body and keep it cool. The second layer is the stola. This layer can be made from a slightly heavier linen than the tunica, silk, or a light-weight wool. I always make my stola from patterned silk. The final layer is the palla. The palla is usually 6-8 feet long and is worn draped around the body and as a head covering. My palla is made from wool gauze.

Roman garb is incredibly simple in its patterning and construction. Both the tunica and the stola consist of two rectangles of fabric, cut to the length of the wearer from shoulder to floor, sewn up the sides. The width of the fabric can vary greatly, but must be at least as wide as the wearer’s hips. These garments can then be pinned and fitted to create a variety of styles, using a type of pin called a fibula. The palla is simply a rectangle of fabric with the edges hemmed.

A Roman Matron, photo credit to Lady Machteld Cleine. The three layers are seen quite clearly here – the light yellow tunica; the blue and gold stola; and the white palla.
My friend, Lady Marguerite, and I dressed in Roman and squinting in the sun 😉 Again, the layers are clearly distinguishable. Photo credit to Master Ursus.
Roman women in tunicas and stolas. We did not wear pallas this night.

As of June 2023, I have made numerous Roman “soft kits” that can be mixed and matched. These include six stolas, six tunicas, and three pallas.

Resources

Anna’s New Rome – https://annasrome.com/roman-garb-basics/

Greek & Roman Garb – https://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~lwittie/sca/garb/GreekRoman.html

My fibula come from ThorThor’s Hammer – http://thorthorshammer.com/romanbroochpage.htm

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baronessmargaret86

14th Century English Noble woman with a passion for archery, embroidery, and service.

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