The concept of beauty and fashion through Egyptian era was an integral part of their daily lives; the idea of looking good prevailed like many ancient civilizations. The exotic blend of color and materials, forms and motifs took ancient race of the Egyptians to extreme heights of style and fashion for their times. The knowledge of their limited resources could never become a hindrance to making of masterpieces of excellence.
Their concept of fashion and costumes had a strong binding with their religious beliefs. The dry and sunny weather conditions restricted Egyptians to experiment much and restricted them to adopt styles that helped them stay comfortable. The choice of materials represent the perfect selection depicting their knowledge of understanding environment conditions and adopting what was the best for them to survive with style.
Egyptian men and women were concerned with their appearance; they opted for whatever could make them look attractive. The early Egyptians believed the abundance of hair in certain areas of the body to be the sign of impurity and uncleanness, men rarely wore more than a mustache or a goatee. Most of the men preferred their faces to be clean.
Many a men shaved their heads and wore a wig; most of them opted this primarily for religious ceremonial purposes.
Women also followed the same belief but their primary concern was to look good and attractive. Women and men both of the race used creams and oils to protect their skin from the dry weather and to kill the odor as it was considered unholy. These oils and creams were of such importance that at times the workers often accepted them for their wages.
The Egyptians discovered the art of using milk and honey regularly as they believed in those ancient times that it would make their skin smooth and silky. Facial masks, made from ant eggs and face paints were sometimes used to unclog pores and even out the overall skin tones. Butter and barley mixed together was used to treat pimples and rashes. The removal of heavy makeup was done by applying a mixture of chalk and oils.
Throughout the Egyptian age oils made from scented woods and flowers mixed with fats or oils were rubbed not only to smell nice but also as a protection shield against the dry weather. These oils also served as an additional beauty enhancement for religious ceremonies, parties and feasts by the rich Egyptian upper class.
Egyptian queens and upper class Women extensively used heavy eye makeup usually in gold, indigo blue, black and green color to enhance the beauty along with the high headdress which usually were scented with oils and decorated with jewel.
Bathing practice was one of the important rituals carried out daily by visiting the river with a concept of cleansing. The rich Egyptians carried out this ritual in a separate room, servant poured water on masters. Cleansing creams made out from lime, oils and perfumes were used during the bath.
Egyptians loved ornaments; jewelry was used in daily life throughout the Pharaonic era until the Roman times, all forms of jewelry including necklaces, rings, anklets, and bracelets were popular fashion accessories. A unique type of jewelry that never appeared in other cultures was the vest, which was born around the chest. It was usually made of gold or of gold plated metal. The lower class used this vest made out of cheap material, but painting it with golden color to give it the look of gold. Jewelry in Egyptian era decorated the lives of people giving them the style and meaning to enhance their beauty and look special.
Textile manufacturing and dress making were the areas where women effectively worked in workshops, spinning and weaving fabrics. The ancient Egyptians wore light clothes made from linen. Linen was made from flax, a plant that grows along the river Nile. The flax was soaked in water until soft, the soften flex then was separated into fibers which were beaten and spun into threads. Weaving was done on horizontal looms that were often just pegs rammed into the ground. Dress making tools include knives made first from stone and in later ages made of bronze and iron.
The basic garments in Egyptian era did not change much. Style and fashion made Egyptians a source of inspiration for the modern world. Their efforts in time showed the creative and practical application of knowledge acquired through experience.
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