HOW MUCH FABRIC TO BUY ?
Six Yards: this is the official recommendation. I think it's too long.
Five Yards: a little closer to reality, but still long, how much draping do you want?
Four Yards: good enough for a simple man's toga, or a child's toga. Many people find FOUR YARDS will do the trick for almost any kind of toga.
For those of you who have NEVER bought fabric, YOU control how much LENGTH you buy, the WIDTH is a standard width that all fabric seems to come in which is about five feet wide, roughly. I simply take that width, fold it in half, goes once around my waist (a good place to hide a belt), then over the shoulder and just drape from there.
Here is a drawing someone sent me that suggests a different shape for the toga, although you'll probably being using a rectangular piece of cloth. None-the-less, it might be of some help.
It takes about three feet to go around your waist, and you need to wrap it at least 1.5 times around your waist before you throw the remainder over your shoulder (either shoulder). Then bring the fabric back to the waist, and tie it up or wrap it some more or whatever. Women will want to tie the fabric carefully to preserve modesty around the bustal region.
Tunic... Should you wear one ???
This asks the questions, should you wear a Tunic/T-Shirt/Shirt underneath the toga?
This is a comprehensive history of the use of the Tunic.
Do what makes you feel comfortable. You're not trying to accurate.You're trying to be comfortable while you're having a good time.
The design is simple:
The toga cloth is basically long and narrow
(Which is why sheets don't work well)
Pin one end of it to your waist
Wrap it around you at least once
Should hang to about the knees
Pin it at the waist again, on the right or left side
Throw the rest over one shoulder
Around the back
Pin it at the waist again
Wear gym shorts underneath, or whatever you want
Sandals, if possible
Carry something stupid like a sword
Now that's the basic design. Used by males at least. Variations used by females would be to use the some basic wrap design, of some form, often followed by small horizontal bands (leather, chain, whatever), accentuating waist and bust line. Usually women want to have the costume at least be attractive, whereas guys really don't care how dufus they look. If fact, the more dufus you look, the more your friends will make fun of you, and thus the more popular you will be at the party.
