The Himation
The himation was the main piece of free men's clothing. It was worn by all ages, from infants to elderly, and in all occasions, from symposiums to military campaigns. In Epic and Tragic poetry it is often referred to with the name "faros" (φαρος), and it is describes as large or great. It could even serve as a man's death sheet and was also worn by women.
It consisted of a large rectangular piece of cloth, roughly 3 x 1,5 meters or longer which they draped around their body without the use of pins.
The himation could be worn either over a chiton or alone and it was the outer garment.
Its material was fine wool, although not as fine as some semi-transparent chitons, which enabled the cloth to drape nicely and create pleats as it hung, while not looking bulky. Because it usually hung from the left arm, if you use too heavy material it becomes cumbersome after a while, and it doesn't look good.
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One can find a multitude of decorative techniques on the himation. The most common form was the decorated strip along the edges, which would have been woven-in. The strip could run around all four edges, or on the two long sides but it is very rare to have it only on the short sides.
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Often the himation has embroidered designs on all its surface, usually stars or dots or crosses, but it is not clear whether these designs depicted on vases represent the actual designs realistically, most probably the real designs would have been more elaborate.
Archaic black figure vases some times show even more intricate decoration, with strips of geometric designs on all its surface, or checker board pattern with designs within them. It is not uncommon however that the himation has no decoration whatsoever.
The hems are usually plain, but we some times see short fringing. From the four corners hung small weights serving to keep the material down against the wind, to make it hang more tightly against the body, and to create straighter pleats.
It is almost certain that despite the variety of embellishment techniques for the himation in archaic and classical vases, real garments would be much more intricate and elaborate, each one a unique piece, but we can be sure that iconography gives us the correct patterns and tendencies, even if simplified.
Below are some examples of himation decoration patterns based on vase depictions.The colours are hypothetical, except for the red base with black and white stripes which is a common motif from clay and marble statues.
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The sheer simplicity of this garment allowed it to be worn in a vast number of ways, depending on personal taste, the occasion or the weather conditions. The general rule was that it hang from the left shoulder and after wrapping the body from the back the remaining material was put over the left shoulder again, or the left arm or both. The Himation should not touch the ground, or at least this was the code for serious respected men, so they usually folded it in 1/3 of its width before draping.
Below we try to categorise the draping ways with examples from sculpture and vases. We hope at a later date to add tutorials for each of the wearing techniques.
Drape 1: One of the commonest ways was by hanging one end on the left shoulder, then wrapping behind the back around the front and over the left shoulder and arm again. It is also the simplest way, but it leaves the left hand completely covered. Click on the images below for full view.
Drape 2: A different and more practical effect was achieved by letting the remaining material fall over the left arm, leaving the left hand exposed. This drape allows almost free movement for both arms.
Drape 3: A combination of drapes 1 and 2 was by covering the left shoulder from the front again, the remaining material falling behind the back, but this time arranging the fabric so that it left the left hand exposed. This way too allows free movement with both arms.
Drape 4: As the main outer garment, the himation could cover the whole body, including the head. The way this was achieved was like drape 1, but instead of letting your right arm outside the cloth as you throw the excess on the left shoulder, you let the himation cover it too. Then you either let your hand slip to your side without disturbing the cloth on your chest, or you let your arm rest on the folds in the front like a bandage. This lets only your right hand exposed, allowing you to gesture, hold your stick or money. If you want to cover your head you have to do so before you wrap your himation tightly around you. This method resembles the way you would cover yourself with a blanket in the cold.
Drape 5: A generic, yet quite frequently depicted way of wearing the himation was by just covering your back while letting equal parts of material hαng over your shoulders. The cloth on your back can be tight, leaving a lot of excess on the front, or loose to create folds. Rarely the excess was tied on the front to create something like a cape. This can only be done successfully with a very fine cloth.
Drape 6: Braking the general rule that the himation was hanging at least from the left shoulder, this method was initially wrapping one corner around your left arm, then covering your back the cloth came on the front and was either tucked around the left arm again, or collected under the armpit. Some times this gathered material was secured by your stick while you leaned on it. It seems that it was used while relaxed and not very active, ideal for a conversation under the hot sun.
Drape 7: The himation could also be worn reversed. You started by either throwing one end over the left shoulder, or you held under your left armpit, but you started by covering the front of the body first.Then you hung the excess over your left shoulder from the back, and you let the material fall to the front. By gently pulling it down you wrapped the himation tighter.
The himation was a very versatile piece of clothing. It is possible that the lower classes would have but one himation, however due to the many ways it could be worn, and in combination with the chiton or alone, it would offer a different look every time. Due to its simplicity in design it would inevitably take a slightly different form even when you used the same method of draping. The decorated edges served to highlight the folds and pleats, guaranteed by the fineness of material.
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Although it looks impractical and cumbersome to us due to its loose nature and the lack of pins, the Greeks learned to live in it from a young age since infants are depicted wearing them. It is probable that many more versions of the drapes we presented existed in reality, with personal tastes, temporary fashions and regional preferences adding to the list. Although from artwork we cannot distinguish a pattern of who or in which occasions each style was supposed to be worn, literature provides us some hints of dress code and fashion, like that dragging the hem of your himation behind you was considered effeminate, as well as the yellow colour. However neither are women depicted often with a himation hanging long, nor is yellow in general restricted to female clothing in artwork. Our sources then are maybe preserving an ephemeral and regional fashion of their time rather than a general rule.