Stola

The stola was the traditional garment of Roman women, corresponding to the toga, or the pallium, that was worn by men. The stola was made of linen.

Originally, women wore togas as well, but after the 2nd century BC, the toga was worn exclusively by men, and women were expected to wear the stola. At that point, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to wear a toga; wearing the male garment was associated with prostitution and adultery.

History

Although the stola was a Roman garment, it was inspired by the clothing of ancient Greece. It was a staple of fashion in ancient Rome spanning from the early Roman Republic through the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire into the first millennium.

A well-known image of the stola is the one worn by the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

Description

The stola was a long, pleated dress, worn over an undergarment called a tunic or tunica intima (the Roman version of a slip). The stola was generally sleeveless but versions of it did have short or long sleeves. These sleeves could belong to the stola itself or be a part of the tunic. The traditional sleeveless stola was fastened by clasps at the shoulder called fibulae. The stola was typically girt with ribbons, and typically had two belts. The first was worn just below the breasts creating a great number of folds. The second and wider belt was worn around the waist.