What Kind of Clothes Did Cleopatra Wear?
Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, intermixed her style of clothing depending on her current location. While in Rome, she wore Roman style-sheer tunics over her Egyptian clothes. In Egypt, she wore clothing made out of linen and adorned in semi-precious stones.
In Egypt, Cleopatra wore the traditional dress of Egyptians. She wore a shear dress or skirt and a lot of jewelry. Favorite pieces of jewelry include coils made to look like snakes that would cuff around the biceps. These were made of gold and adorned with many encrusted semi-precious stones, such as agate, topaz, amethyst, garnet and more. Her position as pharaoh would also allow her to wear an elaborate head dress.
In Rome, Cleopatra wore ankle-length tunics. Colors varied from blues to reds. Fabrics ranged from cotton, linen and Chinese silk. The tunics were worn belted, and held tight by a ribbon or brooch below the breasts. On top of the tunic, Cleopatra wore a sheer cloak, so the intricate pleating and folding of the tunic below could be seen. A shawl was worn on top as to cover the shoulders. She wore sandals covered in jewels.
Cleopatra was also a huge fan of pearls. She encrusted them in her shoes, throughout her clothing, jewelry, even into the tightly-coiled, short curls in her hair.
Cleopatra is also famous for the makeup she wore. She darkened her eyebrows and extended her eyeliner with black kohl. Her dark blue eye shadow extended all the way to her brows. She also wore intricate patterns of henna on her hands, a popular fashion of the time in Alexandria.
