Tunics and Plus Sizes

The Tunic is very flattering for plus sizes. But did you know it has a history going back thousands of years?

Although they were used in unique ways, certain basic garment types appeared in a number of the ancient civilizations. One of these is the tunic. Existing for around 3,500 years, the tunic defines classic. The tunic offers simple good looks, a forgiving cut, and slip-it-on-and-go ease. This simple garment delivers it all, explaining why the tunic has been embraced hundreds of generations every where in the world.

During pre history, although local practices varied, both men and women often wore the same garment types. These were skirts of various lengths; shawls, or lengths of woven fabric of different sizes and shapes that could be draped or wrapped around the body; and tunics, T-shaped garments similar to a loose-fitting modern T-shirt, that were made of woven fabric in varying lengths.

Late Sumerian art depicts skirts, loincloths, and tunics. The tunic style then traces its roots to to 15th century B.C. Egypt. Tunics started to appear in Egyptian dress during the New Kingdom, possibly as a result of cross-cultural contact with other parts of the region or the conquest and political dominance of Egypt for a time by foreigners called the Hyksos.

Some believe that the Latin word tunica derives from the MiddleEastern word for linen and that the tunic originated as a linen undergarment worn to protect the skin against the harsh, itchy feel of wool.

The Greek name for the garment roughly equivalent to a tunic was chiton, which is what costume historians now call Greek tunics. Throughout Greek history one form or another of the chiton was the basic  garment for men, women, and children.  More than five centuries later, the ancient Greeks and Romans created the elongated, straight-cut garment that more closely resembles the modern version.

Later tunics were also used as outerwear and were made from fabrics of any available fibers. The Roman version of the chiton was called tunica, from which the word tunic derives. Roman men’s tunics ended at about the knee and were worn by all classes of society.

In time, the tunic was adapted across Europe and in Asia and the Americas, and it is still everyday wear in India, Pakistan, and Morocco. Today you can find tunics of every sort: hip- or knee-length, with short sleeves or long.

The have a style  that is timeless yet modern and chic. Elaborately embroidered, made of the finest wool or the most sophisticated gilded, flowered Lyon silks or made of the simplest plain cotton, the tunic is a plus size staple.