roman costumes

This page Covers a few historical notions regarding Roman costumes as well as providing a selection of what can be purchased online in terms of Roman costumes for fancy dress, apparel, films, artwork and so on.

Roman Costumes and the Love for all things Roman

The popularity of the Ancient Roman genre is unquestioned and is expected to remain so thanks to the continued success of works by a variety of artists, writers and cinematographers through time. One wave after another have drawn upon and improved on public appreciation for all things of ancient Rome. The "Eternal city" has proved to be an eternal source of inspiration for mankind. Big words, but no other city has quite equaled the appeal of Rome.

That same appeal which attracted waves of barbarians to proclaim themselves Roman emperors and mint Roman coinage has inspired artists and led them to spread "beauty".

Throughout the Middle Ages or "Dark Ages" as they are sometimes referred to the Church of Rome played a central role in terms of guardian of knowledge and learning. The extensive geographical reach of the clergy and their common tongue ensured that the greatness of Rome should continue and renew itself rather than get buried.

Shakespeare was amongst the first of popular of writers to render the history of ancient Rome in an extremely appealing format for the masses. His plays continued to echo the greatness of Rome for some five centuries and still continue to do so as they become the subject of school curricula, plays and popular films.

The love of Rome grew stronger during the 17th and 18th centuries when a large number of north European travelers took their obligatory trip through the eternal city. Their legacy was what came to be known as "Romanticism". Their poetry and paintings did much to consolidate public curiosity back home so much so that the word "Romantic" has taken on a meaning and life of its own - quite independent from the city which was so closely associated with those poetical notions.

Then it became the turn of cinema. The power of cinema was almost instantly recognised as highly suited to the "Colossal" genre and at the beginning of the 20th century Italian film makers were exploring the possibilities with a degree of success. The two World Wars pretty much put the breaks on European film making efforts but the post war American presence in Europe soon made Rome and all things Roman a focus of international attention.

Liz Taylor's Cleopatra, Ben Hur and more recently The Gladiator have done much to generate a continued popular interest. Of course we shouldn't include the contribution of the Italian fashion industry, the infamous Paparazzi and even films such as La Dolce Vita, Roman Holiday and so on.

Cheap flights, films such as Animal House, a love for Toga Parties and of course Internet have enabled a further mass access to all things Roman.