Because of the climate of Rome is warm and sunny, the Roman required fewer warm clothes than we do in most parts of our country.
Next to his body he wore a garment like a pair of shorts or trunks. Over that
he wore a tunica, a loose shirt of woolen material; this had either no sleeves
or just short ones. Ordinarily the tunic reached to the knees only. This was
the usual dress of a gentleman at home; but it was the dress of workers both
at home and on the job.
The toga was the distinctive drees of the Roman citizen. In the Aeneid, a poem
by Vergil, appear the words Iuno... fovebit Romanos, rerum dominos, gentemque
togatam; Juno shal cherish th Romans, lods of earth, the nation of the toga.
The use of the toga was forbidden to exiles and to foreigners. the citizen wore
the toga whenever he appeared on the street or attended a public function. The
toga consisted of a woolen cloth, in its natural white color, of semi-circular
cut, about five yards long by four wide. This cloth was doubled lengthwise,
not down the center, but so that one fold was deeper than the other. It was
next thrown over the left shoulder in such a way that the end in front reached,
to the ground, and the part behind was about twice a man's height in length.
This end was then brought around under the right arm, and again thrown over
the left shoulder so as to cover the whole of the right side from the arm-pit
to the calf. The broad folds in which it hung over were gathered together on
the left shoulder. The part which crossed the breast was deep enough to serve
as a pocket for small articles.
The toga of a boy under sixteen had a purple stripe along the edge. the togas
of the consuls and other high officials also usually had a purple border. An
emperor, or a general celebrating triumph , wore a toga of purple embroidered
with gold.
When the weather required it a man wore a short, light, sleeveless cloak. He rarely wore a hat; in bad weather he drew his cloak or even his toga over his head. There were head-coverings for those who really needed them : pointed felt caps for workers in sun and rain, and broad-brimmend hats for travelers.
The Romans did not were stockings. When at home he wore sandals; for outdoor
wear he had stronger shoes.
Little jewelry was worn by men. The most common item was a ring, usually of
iron, which bore a seal for use on letters and documents. Some men wore gold
rings.
In early days the Roman wore shaggy hair and a long beard. Later
new styles came in; heads were carefully barbered and faces shaven clean.