A draped garment (draped dress) is a

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

that is made of a single piece of

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

that is draped around the body; drapes are not cut away or stitched as in a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ed garment. Drapes can be held to the body by means of

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

ting, pinning, fibulae, clasps,

sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...

es, belts, tying drawstrings, or just plain

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding (motion), sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative la ...

and gravity alone. Many draped garments consist of only one single piece. An advanced form of the garment is the

ed dress, which is constructed from fabric that has been cut into pieces and stitched together to fit various parts of the body. In comparison to draped dresses, they are more fitted to the body.

History

Draping is a most ancient and widespread form of clothing. Many visual arts of the Romans and Indian

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, terracottas,

cave paintings In archaeology, Cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin, and the oldest known are more than 40,000 y ...

, and wood carvings (also shown in picture gallery) representing men and women show the same, unstitched clothes with various wrapping and draping styles. Uttariya, and

Antariya An antariya () is a lower body garment from ancient India. It is a long white or coloured strip of cotton passed through the legs, tucked at the back and covering the legs loosely, then flowing into long pleats at front of the legs. History Antr ...

are few evident clothing items of draped garments from the

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, bet ...

. Kasaya, another rectangular piece of the Buddhist robe, is a real example of the draped garment. Further evolved forms are Sari, and Odhni, etc. The kāṣāya also called ''jiāshā'' ( Chinese: 袈裟), Kasaya consists of three pieces i.e. the saṃghāti the most visible part of the buddhist attire. It was worn over the upper robe (''uttarāsaṅga''). Uttarāsaṅga is a robe covering the upper body that comes over the undergarment, or ''antarvāsa''. The ''antarvāsa'' is the inner robe covering the lower body. The latter are covered with ''saṃghāti''.

Examples

More examples of draped clothing are: * Uttariya an upper body garment. * Adivasah is a loose-fitting outer garment, it is a type of over garment similar to a mantle or

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and ...

a lower body garment. *

Angvastra An ''angvastra'' (plural, ''angavastram'', sa, अंगवस्त्रम) is a shoulder cloth or stole worn by men in India, especially in Maharashtra and South India. It is a single, rectangular piece of fabric and may have decorated bord ...

a kind of stole. *Various kind of

headdresses Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, ...

for the protection and adornment of the head. * Stanapatta a chest band to cover the breasts. *

Sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

is a draped garment of south Asia, typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, partly baring the

midriff In fashion, the midriff is the human abdomen. The midriff is exposed when wearing a crop top or some forms of swimwear or underwear. Cholis worn by Indian women expose a section of midriff, usually . Etymology "Midriff" is a very old term in ...

. * traditional

kilt A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish H ...

s and

belted plaid The belted plaid (or a plaid worn belted) is a large blanket-like piece of fabric which is wrapped around the body with the material pleated or, more accurately, loosely gathered and secured at the waist by means of a belt. Typically, a portion of ...

s *

Peplos A peplos ( el, ὁ πέπλος) is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by circa 500 BC, during the late Archaic and Classical period. It was a long, rectangular cloth with the top edge folded down a ...

Long draped garment worn by women of Ancient Greece; often open on one side, with a deep fold at the top, and fastened on both shoulders. * Palla (garment) a long rectangular piece of cloth, folded in half lengthwise and used as a cloak by Roman women. *

chitons Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail ...

loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...

s *

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tr ...

s a very long length of woolen fabric that Romans wrapped around themselves, draping it over the left shoulder and arm and leaving the right arm free. * stolas long full robe with or without sleeves and drawn in with a belt; it was worn by Roman women, corresponding to the

, that was worn by men. The stola was usually woollen. *

sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven ...

s or

lungi The lungi is a type of sarong that originated in the Indian Subcontinent. The Lungi, which usually multicoloured, is a men's skirt usually tied around the lower waist below the navel. it can be worn as casual wear and night wear, in places a ...

s * Sudanese thawb: Women's outer draped garment, a rectangular length of fabric, generally two meters wide and four to seven meters long. * pareos *

longyi A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...

s *

dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...

s *

poncho A poncho (; qu, punchu; arn, pontro; "blanket", "woolen fabric") is an outer garment designed to keep the body warm. A rain poncho is made from a watertight material designed to keep the body dry from the rain. Ponchos have been used by th ...

s *

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often fold ...

s *

scarf A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...

* veshti a cloth wrap for the lower body in the Southern India.

Picture gallery

File:Statues of Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani and Camunda, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Shaktism is a Goddess-centric tradition of Hinduism. Relief statues of Vaishnavi,

Varahi Varahi ( sa, वाराही, )) is also used as the name of the consort of Varaha, who is identified with Bhumi (the earth goddess). This consort is depicted in a human form., group=note is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother ...

, Indrani and

Chamunda Chamunda (Sanskrit: चामुण्डा, ISO-15919: Cāmuṇḍā), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu Divine Mother Shakti and is one of the seven Matrikas (mother goddesses).W ...

File:Ardhanari.jpg, In Shakta theology, the female and male are interdependent realities, represented with

Ardhanarishvara The Ardhanarishvara ( sa, अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara, the half-female Lord, translit-std=IAST), is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva combined with his consort Parvati. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half ...

icon. Left: A 5th century art work representing this idea at the

Elephanta Caves The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. They are on Elephanta Island, or ''Gharapuri'' (literally "the city of caves"), in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai in the Indian state of Mah� ...

; Right: a painting of Ardhanarishvara. File:Yakshini (cropped).jpg, Yakshini wearing

wrap and elaborate necklace, Mauryan period. File:Mehrauli Yakshi, 150 BCE, Mathura.jpg, The "Mehrauli Yakshi", dated to 150 BCE, Mathura. File:Mudgarpani_Yaksha,_Mathura,_100_BCE.jpg, Mudgarpani Yaksha, 100 BCE. File:Yaksha_Manibhadra_-_Parkham_Mathura_circa_150_BCE.jpg,

Parkham Yaksha The Parkham Yaksha is a colossal statue of a Yaksha, discovered in the area of Parkham, in the vicinity of Mathura, 22.5 kilometers south of the city. The statue, which is an important artefact of the Art of Mathura, is now visible in the Mathur ...

, 150 BCE. File:Door Desavatara Deogarh.jpg, Females statues wearing drapes are depicted at Dashavatara Temple. File:In Welcome of Buddha - ACCN 34-2542 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5941.JPG, Relief depicting men in

antriya An antariya () is a lower body garment from ancient India. It is a long white or coloured strip of cotton passed through the legs, tucked at the back and covering the legs loosely, then flowing into long pleats at front of the legs. History Antr ...

and uttariya, 1st century CE. File:Xerxes Hidush warrior 480 BCE.jpg, ''

Hindush Hindush (Old Persian cuneiform: 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁, , transcribed as since the nasal "n" before consonants was omitted in the Old Persian script, and simplified as ) was a province of the Achaemenid Empire in lower Indus Valley established a ...

'' soldier, circa 480 BCE. He wears a

Dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...

and a turban. Tomb of

Xerxes I Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of ...

. File:Mithuna, Nachna, Parvati-Tempel 2.jpg, Male and female statues wearing drapes at Nachna Hindu temples. File:Mattei Athena Louvre Ma530 n2.jpg, So-called “Mattei Athena”. Marble, Roman copy from the 1st century BC/AD after a Greek original of the 4th century BC, attributed to Cephisodotos or Euphranor. Related to the bronze Piraeus Athena. File:Pergamonaltarathena.jpg, Relief of Athena and Nike slaying the Gigante Alkyoneus (?) from the Gigantomachy Frieze on the

Pergamon Altar The Pergamon Altar () was a monumental construction built during the reign of the Ancient Greek King Eumenes II in the first half of the 2nd century BC on one of the terraces of the acropolis of Pergamon in Asia Minor. The structure was 35.64 ...

(early second century BC) File:Peplos scene BM EV.JPG, A new ''

peplos A peplos ( el, ὁ πέπλος) is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by circa 500 BC, during the late Archaic and Classical period. It was a long, rectangular cloth with the top edge folded down a ...

'' was woven for the patron of craft and weaving and ceremonially brought to dress her

cult image In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and R ...

(

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...

). File:L'Arringatore.jpg, ''

The Orator ''The Orator'', also known as ( Italian), ( Etruscan) or (Latin), is an Etruscan bronze sculpture from the late second or the early first century BC. Aulus Metellus was an Etruscan senator in the Roman republic, originally from Perugia or Cor ...

'', c. 100 BC, an Etrusco-Roman bronze statue depicting Aule Metele (Latin: Aulus Metellus), an Etruscan man wearing a Roman

while engaged in

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate par ...

; the statue features an inscription in the

Etruscan alphabet The Etruscan alphabet was the alphabet used by the Etruscans, an ancient civilization of central and northern Italy, to write their language, from about 700 BC to sometime around 100 AD. The Etruscan alphabet derives from the Euboean alphabet ...

File:Torso femenino romano - Iponuba (M.A.N.) 01.jpg, Roman marble torso from the 1st century AD, showing a woman's clothing File:Ipogeo di via livenza, diana cacciatrice.jpg, The goddess Diana hunting in the forest with a bow, and wearing the high-laced open "Hellenistic shoe-boots" associated with deities, and some images of very high status Romans. From a fresco in the Via Livenza Hypogeum, Rome, c. 350 AD File:Ménade danzante, Casa del Naviglio, Pompeya.jpg, A

maenad In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

wearing a

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

gown, a Roman fresco from the Casa del Naviglio in Pompeii, 1st century AD File:The Buddha attended by Indra at Indrasala Cave, Mathura 50-100 CE.jpg, Uttariya and Antriya both are visible. File:Buddha in Abhaya Mudra - Circa 2nd Century CE - ACCN 00-A-4 - Government Museum - Mathura.jpg, A Mathura standing Buddha in "Samghati" monastic dress, circa 2nd century CE,

Mathura Museum __NOTOC__ Government Museum, Mathura, commonly referred to as Mathura museum, is an archaeological museum in Mathura city of Uttar Pradesh state in India. The museum was founded by then collector of the Mathura district, Sir F. S. Growse in ...

File:Indian Museum Sculpture - Subjugation of Nalagiri, 2c, Mathura (9220813720).jpg, The Buddha in checkered monastic dress in the "Subjugation of Nalagiri",

Bhutesvara Yakshis The Bhutesvara Yakshis, also spelled Bhutesar Yakshis, are a series of yakshi reliefs on a railing, dating to the 2nd century CE during the time of the Kushan Empire. The reliefs were found in the Bhuteshwar mound, around the remains of a Budd ...

, 2nd century CE, Mathura. File:Buddha Refuses Anupama - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5938.JPG, "Buddha Refuses Anupama", late Kushan File:Bodhisattva Holding Lotus Flowers - Kushan Period - Govind Nagar - ACCN 76-38 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5730.JPG, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara holding lotus flower File:Goat-headed God Naigamesha Presiding Deity of Childbirth among Ancient Jainas - ACCN 15-1115 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6067.JPG, Naigamesha Jain god of Childbirth, 1st-3rd century CE.

Present day use

Haute couture

Wrapped and draped dresses continue to inspire many fashion designers. Madame Grès was a well-known French couturier known for her draping art. Her most notable work are so-called floor-length draped Grecian goddess gowns.

References

{{Historical clothing

External links

Institute of Draped Clothes
Clothing by material Clothing History of clothing Textiles Costume by period Buddhist religious clothing