EGYPT costume inspo: face & accessories
Today we have more costume inspiration for you for our upcoming Isis & Osiris event on May 26th. This is just a little taste; you can see loads more on our Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/foxandbadge/fb-202405-isis-osiris
Ancient Egypt symbolised a world where the veil between this world and the next was thin.
How appropriate, then, to luxuriate in the beautiful, mysterious ways in which the face can be seductively veiled in chains - as delicately as wisps; with long trails like face-dresses; gentle curves of facial contours - or great showers of shimmering coins.
We love the way these meshes are almost architectural in their grandeur, gently shielding access to the gorgeous mysteries of the human face; elaborate eyes majestic above the line, sensual mouths glimmering tantalisingly below…
MAKEUP
There is almost no more iconic visual reference for Ancient Egypt than the bold makeup. Their eyes (all genders), dramatically outlined with Kohl, with that sexy cat-flick, look simply extraordinary, inspiring us to this day.
Kohl eyeliner was variously made from crushed ash, burnt almonds, ochre, lead, oxidized copper, antimony, malachite and chrysocolla, a blue-green copper ore. It is also still used to this day; in fact, its name led to something many of us put down our throats every week. In the first century CE, Alexandrian alchemists invented a liquid that improved the distillation of kohl, and was later used for spirits - in arabic, they called it “Al-kohol”.
It wasn’t just gorgeous, it was functional; it stopped eye infections, and reduced glare from the sun. Kohl was originally extracted from galena - the natural form of lead sulphite. That lead. in combination with salts produced naturally by the body, produced nitric oxide, which boosts the immune system.
The Ancient Egyptians waxed their faces with a mixture of honey and sugar; exfoliated with Dead Sea salts; softened their skin with spice-infused oils. They crushed malachite to create eye shadow, and smeared red ochre (sometimes crushed with beetles) on their lips, like we do. Both products were mixed with animal fat to preserve them, just like we used to make lipstick.
How close we still are to those so far away in time.
PECTORALS
We commence our southward sail - not down the Nile, but the body, now lavishing our attention on the neck & collar.
One other deeply distinctive Ancient Egyptian element of costume was the PECTORAL, or chestpiece - often a large, heavy, deeply symbolic creation, full of colour, gems and precious metals, that deeply contrasted with the comparatively minimalist white linen garments of the lower regions. Egypt is hot, so naked flesh was abundant, with the Pectoral at its core like a kind of gorgeous external heart. Often it was wings, sensually wrapping the shaft of the throat, like Isis reviving Osiris ;)
The Wesekh, or Usekh, was a broad jewelled collar, often made of glass beads, which were easier to work with - and sand is of course abundant in Egypt. Some hypothesis that they mimicked the effect of flowers, and we think back to Summer of Love, where everyone was draped so prettily in petals.
The Menat was a looser, more stringy necklace with a glazed pottery counterweight (aegis) hanging down the back, closely associated with the goddess Hathor.
Central to many pectorals was a large, intricate brooch or amulet which protected the wearer from harm. It might incorporate key iconography of a scarab, vulture, lotus flowers, lilies, papyrus, sun, moon, cobra, boat, eye - each gently broadcasting their deep and intricate story from the wearer’s chest.
