Clothing in ancient Greece Clothing in ancient Greece and Rome was generally created out of large, single pieces of fabric. Several different pieces of clothing could be worn in various combinations to create multiple outfits. The fabric was also draped, belted and pinned into various styles. In art, it is sometimes very difficult to differentiate the various garments worn as they all seem to be billowy drapes of fabric. In Greece, women usually wore one of two garments on a regular basis. One was the peplos, a style of dress made from a single piece of fabric that is folded over at the top, wrapped around the body and pinned up at the shoulders. Folding down the top created a second layer of fabric that ran down the back and the front of the garment, which was referred to as an apoptygma. The other piece of clothing was worn by both men and women, and was called a chiton. The chiton was very similar to the peplos, except without the apoptygma. This was created by a single piece of fabric wrapped around the body and pinned up on the shoulders, or by two pieces of fabric sewn up both sides with space left for armholes. The men wore a shorter version of the chiton. This, too, could be belted or left as-is. The pins that were often used to hold up these garments worked very similarly to safety pins or brooches, and were called fibulae. The other important piece of clothing for both men and women was called the himation. The himation was a long piece of fabric worn as a kind of cloak. It was either draped over the left shoulder, and wrapped under the right arm, or draped over both shoulders. Women wore the himation more commonly than men and, in both cases, it served as more formal attire. Another cloak commonly worn by men was called the chlamys. This was much shorter and usually worn by soldiers, for riding, or for other active activities. On their feet, when they travelled, both Greeks and Romans wore sandals or boots usually made from leather, though they would often go bare-footed at home. .