Overview
Dress was a language of rank and citizenship, and sumptuary laws such as the lex Oppia sought to curb display.
Key garments and style
Men wore a wool tunic under the toga: the plain white toga virilis for adult citizens, the purple-bordered toga praetexta for magistrates and freeborn boys. A married woman’s formal dress was the long stola over a tunic.
Transition
Under the Empire, luxury textiles such as silk from the East flowed in and dress grew more elaborate.