The
Roman Toga party begins with a welcome scroll delivered to each guest at check-in. Guests are instructed to convene at a meeting room fifteen minutes prior to the beginning of the dinner. In that meeting room, two staff members greet your attendees and fit them with togas and leaf headbands.
When all attendees are costumed in togas, the procession to their "empire" begins. Two
Roman Senators unveil the room by thrusting open the doors, and an army of servers supply guests with wine and hors d' ouvres.
This
roman toga costume party is a perfect icebreaker for both seasoned veterans and first-time event attendees because it establishes a mood of quality in an environment where all participants are equal.
The toga is the definitive garment of the Roman male. Always made of wool, and coming in a variety of colors for various uses, the toga is more than a mere bedsheet. At the very least, it should be semicircular in outline, but a more genuine effect is obtained by having the outline of the toga in the following shape (apologies if the diagram is not perfectly symmetrical):
As far as the coloring of the wool itself, there were several types of toga:
Toga pura (or toga virilis): The ordinary citizen's toga. It is undyed, and thus off-white or cream colored.
Toga praetexta: The toga worn by magistrates (and also by boys under the age of 16). It bears the purple stripe, the width of which varies according to the wearer. Senators and magistrates holding imperium wear a broad (3") purple stripe. Members of the Ordo Equites and magistrates without imperium wear a thin (1") purple stripe. Such stripes do not go all the way around the toga, but instead are placed on edge BEFA on the diagram (the upper-half of the toga).
Toga candida: The stark-white toga worn by candidates running for office.
Toga pulla: A dark toga, either brown, dark gray, or even black, worn while in mourning.
Toga picta: A special toga worn only by military commanders being given a triumph. It is pure purple with decorations in golden thread.
Toga trabea: A multi-colored toga, bearing purple and scarlet stripes, worn by Augurs