the.com/toga
a bedsheet that conquered the world, then got demoted to frat parties
means A loose, draped one-piece garment of a single wrapped cloth worn by citizens of ancient Rome, now mostly associated with costume parties.
from Straight from Latin toga, which goes back to the verb tegere, 'to cover' — the same root that gives us 'protect' and 'detect.' To a Roman, the toga literally was 'the covering,' the badge of citizenship draped over the body; a foreign-born slave couldn't wear one. The word arrived in English largely through the Renaissance rediscovery of classical Rome.
- Romans only
- Foreigners were legally banned from wearing it
- No underwear
- Worn directly over a bare or near-bare body
- Citizen badge
- Marked you as a free Roman male
- Wildly impractical
- Required a slave to drape correctly
- Color codes
- Purple stripe signaled senators and magistrates
roman toga pratica — everyday garment worn by roman male citizens, roughly 6 yards of wool fabric draped over the body
toga candida — bright white toga worn by roman political candidates during elections to symbolize purity
toga picta — purple-bordered ceremonial toga worn by roman generals during triumphs and by emperors during official occasions