What the Greeks Wore

This workshop on Ancient Greek clothing combines historical storytelling with hands-on creation. Led by Özge, a historian specializing in classical antiquity, the experience explores how people in Ancient Greece dressed, what clothing meant in daily and social life, and how it adapted to seasonality. You'll learn how garments and colors reflected social identity and status — and the surprising fact that ancient Greek clothing, contrary to the all-white image familiar from museums, was often brightly dyed and elaborately patterned. Wool, linen, and (after Alexander) silk were draped rather than tailored, held in place by fibulae — decorative pins at the shoulders — and belted at the waist to create the silhouettes preserved in vase paintings and sculpture. The workshop is hosted in the atelier of Ioanna, a Greek designer, where you co-create your own Ancient Greek-inspired wearable garment, guided by both Özge and Ioanna - and inspired by the chiton, peplos, or himation.

This experience combines academic expertise in ancient history with contemporary fashion design practice. Özge brings epigraphy and material culture to the conversation — interpreting what surviving inscriptions, vase paintings, and sculptural fragments reveal about how clothing actually functioned in Ancient Greece, from the Tyrian purple that signaled elite wealth to the sacred peplos woven each year for Athena Polias. Ioanna is a Greek designer trained in fashion design and the history of clothing, and has received awards for her contemporary reinterpretations of costumes from Ancient Greek tragedy and comedy. That is a deep connection: the same chiton, peplos, and himation worn in daily life formed the basis of theatrical costume. In her atelier, that lineage from daily dress to staged spectacle becomes something you can wear. The workshop is open to both adults and children. At the end of the workshop, you take home the piece you created along with the accessories provided.

Özge is a guide from Istanbul working in Greece and Turkey, and a historian specializing in epigraphy, the study of ancient inscriptions. Trained in Turkey, she now continues her postdoctoral research in Athens. Her work focuses on the human stories found in monuments, inscriptions, and urban spaces of the ancient Mediterranean world. Through research and guiding, Özge connects academic knowledge with storytelling, creating experiences that move beyond standard historical narratives. Having worked on archaeological and epigraphic projects across the ancient Mediterranean, she helps travelers see ancient sites as spaces once lived in by real people, marked by memory, social life, and everyday gestures.

Bring your curiosity and sense of fun. The atelier provides the fabric, accessories, and everything else you'll need to create your piece. Wear comfortable clothes you can drape a garment over, and bring a water bottle for the session.