I'm attending a social function were a toga is appropriate but don't want to look like an undergrad fraternity schmuck with a bed sheet. If I'm not mistaken, togas didn't need to be fastened to the body at all with anything other than wrapping them around. How was this achieved? Is there a non-frat party toga guide anywhere? What undergarments (if any) and accessories would be worn with a toga? Other than the toga candida, what color options were common, and what did they signify?
Here (steps 1-4) is how to wrap your toga. I doubt you will actually have enough fabric to do it properly. The thing is massive.
Part of the point of a toga is that you really couldn't do anything in it except talk. Otherwise it wouldn't stay put.
A purple border (IIRC) signified a member of the senate.
If anyone gives you a hard time about it, or calls you a fraternity geek, remind them that Greeks didn't wear togas, they wore himations. Associating Greek fraternities with Roman attire makes us fashion historian and costume designers go crazy.
There's definitely some contention as to toga arrangement. The general consensus is that the fibula of the Greek era was not used, meaning it was only draped and not fastened. There is some references to hanging embellishments on the ends that might have provided weight and anchored the garment.
So my two cents as a costume designer and amateur historian:
The toga evolved quite a bit. You might aim for without a sinus, rather than a full toga. Less fabric, less bulk if using a cheap fabric.
If a Greek theme is possible, by all means go himation and use an enormous safety pin. There were quite a few iterations of the tunic of the Greeks as well, but many less fussy and easier to wear than a toga.
Choose a fabric with drape - meaning it has a weight to it, not stiffness. This means no traditional plain-weave cotton really, too stiff. Linen and light wools drape better in a weave, and will consequently look MUCH better. Fabric, really, is absolutely everything. Natural fibers are expensive in many ways, so recreating historic garment drape and quality in a modern setting is not cheap. Sometimes a fiber blend with partial synthetics is a good compromise.
Textiles were important - quality and color were all critical in communicating your role. As only roman citizens (and women of ill repute) wore the toga, it's important that it not hang like a stiff Halloween costume or a sheet you stole off the bed. candidly, it will be difficult to find a cost-effective, suitable fabric to give you the necessary drape we see in art from that era in most retail fabric stores. I'm guessing that 80% of what's not looking right in whatever you've tried is a fabric issue, rather than a style issue.
Oh - lastly - modern commercial loom widths vary, but most fabric is produced in 60" or 45" widths. 45 is likely not wide enough to recreate the effect. 60 may not even be. I haven't had to make a toga myself yet, but it doesn't strike me as a fun garment to wear or arrange. There are a few references to this in contemporary accounts as well. :) good luck!
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Toga.html
