by Kimberley Heit

Created on: October 05, 2008   Last Updated: October 08, 2008

It is no secret that fashion designers use inspiration from the past to create new collections. Egyptian fashion is one of many influences that inspires fashion today. The Ancient Egyptian civilization dates back to earlier then 4000BC and is one of the first well documented fashion movements. This has inevitably led to it influencing today's fashion far more then we might commonly be aware of.

When you look back at the Egyptian era and then compare it with today's fashion it is surprising how many clear similarities exist. The following examples demonstrate this point:

One of the common trends influenced by the Egyptian era is eyeliner. Black Kohl eyeliner was used by both men and women in Egyptian times to darken and highlight the eyes. This trend has carried through to today with a vengeance. The recent Gucci Fall/Winter 2008/09 runway extravaganza showcased both male and female models with kohl darkened eyelids. The dark smoky eye look has been a style classic for women for many decades now and in recent years black eyeliner has began to be used by more men once again.

Today's most common summer footwear the humble sandal or thong dates back to Ancient Egyptian times. The Egyptians constructed strappy, open toe footwear from wood, palm fiber and goat skin. Royal Egyptians wore sandals which were highly decorated with semi precious stones. Look at the summer just been there were a myriad of sandals and thongs decorated with beads and stones.

The wearing of elaborate jewelry was a big part of Egyptian culture. Egyptians wore broad jeweled collars, multiple bracelets, bracelets on the upper arm, rings and anklets. Jewelry was made from gold, coral, pearl, agate, turquoise, onyx and shell. In recent years many new stores dedicated to selling costume and semi precious jewelry have opened or expanded into huge chains across the world. Consumers have lapped up ornamentation not too dissimilar to Egyptian times. Layering of necklaces, bangles and bracelets has been popular, along with wearing huge cocktail rings.

Shawls and capes first made an appearance in Egyptian times. A cape called the vulture cape was worn by royalty as a symbol of power. Shawls were used by all levels of society to protect oneself from the sun or keep warm on cool evenings. Nothing has really changed today; people are still wearing shawls and capes as a fashionable way to protect themselves from the elements. If you were to take a look in many women's wardrobes you would fail to find too many

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