To get an idea of what Byzantine clothes were like, you only have to take a look at icons and wall paintings of saints in Greek Orthodox churches. Most of these scenes describe the life of Christ, who lived long before Byzantium. However, the people who painted them would naturally have copied the fashion of their times. Besides, in the early Byzantine period costumes did not differ much from those of the Romans. So in icons we see men in tunics like baggy dresses reaching down to their knees or ankles, with a sash tied tight around the waist. The length of a tunic often depended on a person’s job. St. George is a warrior, so he is shown with a short tunic under a metal breastplate. Other people in icons wear short, plain tunics, tied with a rope around the middle – they are ordinary people, peasants, who do all kinds of jobs and so need comfortable clothes that give them freedom of movement. On the contrary, most saints wear long tunics (robes that reach down to their feet), just like the ones worn by the Byzantines on special occasions, or by those belonging to the upper classes or the clergy.

Women always wore long, loose-fitting tunics with wide sleeves that completely covered their hands; at that time women were required to cover their body fully, otherwise they were regarded as immoral. 

People in icons are also shown wearing additional pieces of cloth. Some of these fall freely, such as cloaks worn over the shoulders and fastened in front with a brooch, while others are like long vests or coats. Women also wear shawls and long scarves to cover their heads. Very few have loose, uncovered hair, like May Magdalene.

In some cases you may see men wearing long woolen or cotton underwear below their tunics, covering the legs from the waist down to the ankles like long-johns. These are easy to spot on farmers – they have short tunics, so their underwear looks like the trousers we wear today. Others wear long knitted socks, though soldiers protected their shins with greaves (shin guards). Those few who covered their heads wore tight fitting hats like caps.

Making clothes was an extremely difficult and time-consuming job in those days. People made their own starting right from the basics, like spinning thread (in the case of cotton, wool or silk), colouring it with natural dies, and weaving cloth on the loom. Then they sewed by hand, using small stitches, as sewing machines didn’t exist back then. As can be expected, poor people who had to work hard in the fields or elsewhere did not have much time for luxuries. So women (not men) wove simple fabrics, without decorative motifs, using materials that were easy to find and not too expensive. However, the richer who could afford it made more colorful sets of clothes, with elaborate decorations that were either weaved into the fabric either embroidered with gold and silver thread. Obviously they did not make their clothes themselves, but had them made by skilled professional tailors.

Of course, the Emperor, members of his family and everyone who lived with him in the palace (the royal courtiers) had the most impressive outfits. Indeed, there was one dark red or purplish dye used only by the king, as his privilege. This was called porphyra, and came from a very rare kind of seashell. The word Porphyrogenitus was used in order to show that someone was a descendant of kings. It is even said that when the empress was ready to give birth, she was taken to a special room in the palace that was called Purpura (the Purple Room). For this reason, Emperor Constantine VII (VII is the number seven in Latin, counting upwards: I ​​= 1, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4, V = 5, VI = 6, VII = 7) was also called Porphyrogenitus. In general, the higher people’s social status and financial standing were, the more beautiful clothes they owned, so that dress in Byzantium became a way of telling a person’s origin, rank, social class and profession or job.

Byzantine clothes were rich and earthy, in colours like brown, ochre (mustard yellow), green any grey, since they were made of natural materials. White symbolized purity and modesty, in a way that has survived until now in the white usually worn by brides. In contrast, black was considered the color of sorrow - it was worn by both women and men who had lost someone close to them, as well as by the clergy. Those who had chosen the monastic life (nuns, monks) wore black not just because they were in mourning for the sins of world, but also because they had dedicated themselves to God and had given up the pleasures of a worldly life.

The way the Byzantines dressed stayed more or less the same for most of the Byzantine period; conservatism was obvious in their clothing, as in other things. The patterns, types and tailoring used did not change easily. It took several centuries for that to happen, and it was only in the last period of Byzantium that new features imported from the West caught on, like hats, men’s jackets and tighter fitting clothes.