# Who wore tunics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328 "2005-08-09T20:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/1 "2005-08-09T20:21:28Z")
What cultures, time periods and/or classes wore tunics, and was it just casual wear, for special occaisons or what? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/2 "2005-08-09T22:10:02Z")
I’ve never even been sure of the difference between a tunic and shirt. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/3 "2005-08-09T22:45:11Z")
In the Canadian military, a garment like [this one](https://www.logistikunicorp.com/IMAGES/CNXS/8405-21-899-0001.jpg) is called a ‘tunic’. It’s basically a conventional suit jacket with the pockets on the outside, which is sometimes worn with a waistbelt. Some military tunics have a differnt style of collar; these tend to be holdovers from the old days, like special regimental dress, or the uniform of the [Royal Military College](http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/content/feature/week2002/media02/photogall/images/va_20021110_006.JPG). These older tunics rarely have external pockets. Another similar garment is worn by members of the Royal Canadian Air, Army, or Sea Cadets. It’s a thinner jacket-type thing; the military one is lined and made of wool, while the Cadet version is cotton-polyester. While the military version is really not far removed from a suit jacket, being almost always worn with a shirt and tie underneath, the cadet version is much more of a distinct garment. It can be worn with shirt-and-tie, a turtleneck sweater, a t-shirt, or a naval square-collar “gunshirt”. It can also be worn under an [overcoat](https://www.logistikunicorp.com/IMAGES/CNXS/8405-21-899-1464.jpg), as can the military version. The Cadet tunic is always worn with belt, and has four pockets, on the outside of the garment. Suit jackets usually have them inside the garment (but sometimes accessible from outside). [Here](http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/images/photos/photo_040605_111Pegasus1.jpg) are Air Cadets on parade wearing tunics. The guy with all the gold stripes around his arm is military, and wearing the miltary tunic. [Here](http://www.yvrairfair.com/Photo%20Album/images/Air-Cadets-1_gif.jpg) are some more cadets in uniform. [Here](http://www.sookelegion.org/remembrance2002/cadet1.jpg) is a cadet wearing the tunic with turtleneck, and [here](http://www.navyleague.ca/fra/images/cadets/Looking%20at%20Compass.jpg) with the gunshirt. Here’s the garment, [viewed from behind](http://www.sookelegion.org/remembrance2002/cadets3.jpg). It should be noted that among the sea cadets, the tunic is sometimes called a ‘jumper’, and that in the military supply system, it’s officially listed as “Coat, Man’s, SD” or “Coat, Woman’s, SD”, with SD standing for “Service Dress”. I do believe the female version of the military tunic lacks the external pockets, but the cadet version is unisex. As for who wore them in history, I’m not sure. But they’re still worn in some contexts today, and not just at Renaissance fairs. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/4 "2005-08-09T22:50:15Z")
[Tunics](http://www.answers.com/tunic&r=67) apparently were knee-length or so. As to who wore them? Apparently, the Greeks and Romans, amongst (one presumes) others. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/5 "2005-08-09T22:54:15Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > In the Canadian military, a garment like [this one](https://www.logistikunicorp.com/IMAGES/CNXS/8405-21-899-0001.jpg) is called a ‘tunic’. That link doesn’t seem to work. Try [this](https://www.logistikunicorp.com/IMAGES/CNXS/8405-21-899-0060.jpg) or [this one](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/wolfstu/8405-21-899-0060.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/6 "2005-08-09T22:55:32Z")
Long ago, I read a National Geographic article about finding mummys in the North, (not sure if it was Siberia or Alaska, but thinking it was Siberia area) they called them “Aluetian”, they had tattooed faces, and a female mummy had a “stylish” tunic made of animal skins. (It was written maybe as long as twenty years ago, I was a child/young adult when I read it.) It explained about the ancient culture, and how they’d travel according to the seasons to hunt and fish to store food for the Winter. Anyway, that is an example of tunics being worn in ancient times. I also believe the Egyptians and Incans wore ceremonial tunics as well. Look on the first page of [this](http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/scrapbook.html) site, to find a picture of Nicholas II of Russia wearing a military tunic. (He’s riding a bicycle.) There are other examples of the Romanovs wearing tunics in that album, including Olga and Tatiana on page four. On preview: **Phase42** tunics were generally longer, and constructed differently. See [this](http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/viktunic.html) page on Viking tunics, or this[page](http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/beginners/StLouis.html). [This](http://www.medieval-life.net/clothing.htm) site mentions tunics as being worn during the Middle Ages. The [Scots](http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/scottish/kilts.html) also wore what was essentially a tunic. [Here](http://www.houseofanoria.com/keliwyr.htm) is a link to a modern day fantasy costume page that has a luxurious man’s tunic. (I don’t like the color choice so much, I’d go with a less bright contrasting color, but that’s just me.) ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/7 "2005-08-09T23:05:52Z")
Links showing [Incan](http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/433043) and [Egyptian](http://www.geocities.com/Kaganate/shirt.html) tunics. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/8 "2005-08-09T23:13:41Z")
Ancient Roman women wore a plain sheath underdress called a _tunica_. Over it went the _stola_, the loose overgarment, and the draped _palla_. The Panjabi national dress which is now widespread all over India and Pakistan (each of which has a share of the Panjab), the shalvar qamiz, you’ve all seen it, the top part is the qamiz (\ **Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/9 "2005-08-10T02:28:10Z") [Roman Tunics](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1841764876/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-7005048-5620915#reader-link) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wore-tunics/316328/10 "2005-08-10T02:37:18Z")
[Tunisian Wedding Tunic](http://www-ucdmag.ucdavis.edu/fall97/Gallery/Gallery_wedding.html)