The toga was the official dress of the male Roman citizen. Even poor citizens would usually have a rough wool toga that they might wear on official occasions such as voting in Comitia or attending Assemblies. Later sources state that in the royal and Early Republican periods the toga was considered the only proper attire for Roman men in public. For example according to Livy, Cincinnatus was plowing his fields without a toga on when a delegation of the Senate came to inform him, he had been named dictator. Before he received them he asked his wife to bring him his toga. (Livy III:26) Over time Republican mores relaxed and citizens went about day-to-day life wearing tunics and only donning togas for civic occasions.

Basic garments for Roman men were tunics (from the Latin word tunica, often made of linen) tied around the waist with a belt. You can think of it as a long shirt. The toga was a formal garment worn by men of higher status, usually worn over a tunic.