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The Roman period spans roughly 500BC to 500AD. During that time clothing changed little and bore much resemblance to that of Classical Greece. As with all ancient civilizations, sewing was not a well-practiced art and most clothes were draped and pinned where possible, although sewing was a little more common in Roman than Greek cultures. There were no button holes, so no buttons or lacing other than in leather.
The basic Roman garment was the Tunica. For the lower classes this, plus a loincloth, would be all they wore. Men wore their tunics to the knees, or shorter for soldiers or workers. The upper classes worn their tunics longer and those with special standing had purplish-red stripes falling from the shoulders. Men's tunics were originally sleeveless, but later gained woven-on short sleeves and finally sewn-on long sleeves.
For heavy labour or exercise, men could wear the Greek Exomis, a sleeveless tunic fastened only on the left shoulder. Rich men wore finer and whiter fabric, which was almost always wool.

If the weather was cold, such as in Britain, Romans would simply wear more tunics. There were no leg coverings at all until the very end of the empire. When the Romans left Britain in 410AD they took with them the 'barbarian' close-fitting breeches. They were often worn with the Tunica Dalmatica, a long-sleeved, knee-length tunic with a wider hem, and this style persisted, almost unchanged, right in to Medieval times.
The toga is the archetypal item of Roman dress. It was made from undyed wool and was worn over over a simple tunic. The shape was a half-oval, 2.5 to 3m long by 1.5 to 2m wide. Apparently some togas were as long as 5.5m, but they were not popular because of their unweildy nature.

To wear a basic toga, you get your slave to drape one end over your left shoulder from the back, with the straight edge next to your neck and the end dangling by your toes. The cloth should be gathered up onto your shoulder and upper arm.
Next, bring the rest of the straight edge around your back, under your right arm and across your chest. You should be about 2/3 of the way along the edge by now with a swath of fabric hanging over your right thigh.
Fling the final 1/3 of the toga over your left shoulder towards the back and arrange it gracefully so that the end is well below knee-length. The weight of the cloth should keep it in place. You may not use a belt or any kind of pins to stop it falling! Let the cloth drape over your left arm, which you hold bent.
Finally pull up some of the fabric of the first 1/3 that fell from your left shoulder to your toes and let it hang artisically over the cloth that's draped over your left arm.
There were also togas with coloured borders denoting different ranks and professions, such as senator or priest. Interestingly, citizens running for political office would wear a toga whitened with chalk, called a Toga Candida, meaning bright toga. From this we get our word candidate.

While men were required by law to wear white, women could wear any colour they liked. Over a basic Tunica Interior, a woman of standing could wear one of the latest Greek fashions, such as the Peplos. This was very long and was held by girdles under the bust and at the waist so that it swept the floor. It could have an overhang at the top, or could be gathered by 'buttons' or pins along the arms. Women's garments usually had a draped neckline at the front.
A married woman would wear a Stola, which fell from the shoulders and could have an instita, a sewn-on flounce, at the hem. Both tunics and stolas could have decorative borders at the hem or the neck as a sign of status. Often the outer garment was shorter than the inner to show off layers. Fine fabrics were a way of showing off riches.
This woman is wearing a Tunica Interior, a pinned Peplos with a girdle, and a decorated Palla.

As their equivalent of the toga (although more practical) women had the Palla. This could be large and heavy, worn as a cloak, or light and gauzy, draped as a veil. Often it was worn similarly to the toga, looped under the right arm and over the left shoulder or arm, with one end draped back-to-front, the other front-to-back. The palla could also be worn over the head and was could be held with very decorative brooches, called fibulea.
Besides wool, which was the standard fabric for almost everything, women of rich families sometimes wore silk. A silk palla would be a great staus symbol, which was important in Roman culture. Men did not wear silk until the beginning of the Byzantine age (400AD or so). Linen was also worn, particularly next to the skin, but cotton was a very expensive commodity.

Children of rich families dressed basically the same way as their parents. Up to the age of 14-16 boys could wear the purple bordered Toga Praetexta worn also by government officials. Girls and unmarried women wore a Tunica Exterior instead of a Stola. Children of poorer families wore simple tunics, girded to fit. Most children would also wear an amulet called a bulla, meant to ward off evil spirits.
For protection against more practical evils, there were cloaks of different sizes, fastened either in front of the neck or on the right shoulder. These could be worn either over or instead of the toga.
The Lacerna was a decorative cloak worn with the toga, similar to the Greek Chlamys, whereas the Paenula was the everyday, poncho-like cloak for bad weather and travelling worn by both men and women.
A very popular fastening was the penannular (nearly a ring) brooch. This is C-shaped with a sharp pin that can slide around the ring. When the pin is opposite the gap, it can pass though and secure the fabric. The pin can then be raised and the ring rotated to lock it in position. The Romans also invented the safety pin, made from twisted wire and often highly decorated.

Sources:

Costume of Ancient Rome - David J Symons - ISBN 0-7134-5327-3
Roman Dress at The Roman Empire.net
Clothing in Ancient Rome at Wikipedia
How the Romans Dressed at LacusCurtis
Rome - Republic to Empire at www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romanpages.html

Additions and corrections are welcome, accompanied by referenced sources, to seamstress(at)deadchickenhat(dot)com.
All mistakes are entirely of my own invention, and I claim world-wide copyright on them.

Dead Chicken Hats Biblical Greek Roman Medieval Tudor Stuart Character Glossary Gallery Free Patterns Free Leaflets Videos and Tutorials - NEW! Why The Fish? Fun Stuff Real Chicken Hut About Us About our Costumes Garment Care Fabric & Construction Refunds and Returns Hiring We Don't Sell That, But... Shipping Privacy Policies & Terms Contact Us See-Saw Maths Just What Is A Dead Chicken Hat, Anyway? .	The Roman period spans roughly 500BC to 500AD. During that time clothing changed little and bore much resemblance to that of Classical Greece. As with all ancient civilizations, sewing was not a well-practiced art and most clothes were draped and pinned where possible, although sewing was a little more common in Roman than Greek cultures. There were no button holes, so no buttons or lacing other than in leather. The basic Roman garment was the Tunica. For the lower classes this, plus a loincloth, would be all they wore. Men wore their tunics to the knees, or shorter for soldiers or workers. The upper classes worn their tunics longer and those with special standing had purplish-red stripes falling from the shoulders. Men's tunics were originally sleeveless, but later gained woven-on short sleeves and finally sewn-on long sleeves. For heavy labour or exercise, men could wear the Greek Exomis, a sleeveless tunic fastened only on the left shoulder. Rich men wore finer and whiter fabric, which was almost always wool.
		If the weather was cold, such as in Britain, Romans would simply wear more tunics. There were no leg coverings at all until the very end of the empire. When the Romans left Britain in 410AD they took with them the 'barbarian' close-fitting breeches. They were often worn with the Tunica Dalmatica, a long-sleeved, knee-length tunic with a wider hem, and this style persisted, almost unchanged, right in to Medieval times. The toga is the archetypal item of Roman dress. It was made from undyed wool and was worn over over a simple tunic. The shape was a half-oval, 2.5 to 3m long by 1.5 to 2m wide. Apparently some togas were as long as 5.5m, but they were not popular because of their unweildy nature.
	To wear a basic toga, you get your slave to drape one end over your left shoulder from the back, with the straight edge next to your neck and the end dangling by your toes. The cloth should be gathered up onto your shoulder and upper arm. Next, bring the rest of the straight edge around your back, under your right arm and across your chest. You should be about 2/3 of the way along the edge by now with a swath of fabric hanging over your right thigh. Fling the final 1/3 of the toga over your left shoulder towards the back and arrange it gracefully so that the end is well below knee-length. The weight of the cloth should keep it in place. You may not use a belt or any kind of pins to stop it falling! Let the cloth drape over your left arm, which you hold bent. Finally pull up some of the fabric of the first 1/3 that fell from your left shoulder to your toes and let it hang artisically over the cloth that's draped over your left arm. There were also togas with coloured borders denoting different ranks and professions, such as senator or priest. Interestingly, citizens running for political office would wear a toga whitened with chalk, called a Toga Candida, meaning bright toga. From this we get our word candidate.
		While men were required by law to wear white, women could wear any colour they liked. Over a basic Tunica Interior, a woman of standing could wear one of the latest Greek fashions, such as the Peplos. This was very long and was held by girdles under the bust and at the waist so that it swept the floor. It could have an overhang at the top, or could be gathered by 'buttons' or pins along the arms. Women's garments usually had a draped neckline at the front. A married woman would wear a Stola, which fell from the shoulders and could have an instita, a sewn-on flounce, at the hem. Both tunics and stolas could have decorative borders at the hem or the neck as a sign of status. Often the outer garment was shorter than the inner to show off layers. Fine fabrics were a way of showing off riches. This woman is wearing a Tunica Interior, a pinned Peplos with a girdle, and a decorated Palla.
	As their equivalent of the toga (although more practical) women had the Palla. This could be large and heavy, worn as a cloak, or light and gauzy, draped as a veil. Often it was worn similarly to the toga, looped under the right arm and over the left shoulder or arm, with one end draped back-to-front, the other front-to-back. The palla could also be worn over the head and was could be held with very decorative brooches, called fibulea. Besides wool, which was the standard fabric for almost everything, women of rich families sometimes wore silk. A silk palla would be a great staus symbol, which was important in Roman culture. Men did not wear silk until the beginning of the Byzantine age (400AD or so). Linen was also worn, particularly next to the skin, but cotton was a very expensive commodity.
		Children of rich families dressed basically the same way as their parents. Up to the age of 14-16 boys could wear the purple bordered Toga Praetexta worn also by government officials. Girls and unmarried women wore a Tunica Exterior instead of a Stola. Children of poorer families wore simple tunics, girded to fit. Most children would also wear an amulet called a bulla, meant to ward off evil spirits. For protection against more practical evils, there were cloaks of different sizes, fastened either in front of the neck or on the right shoulder. These could be worn either over or instead of the toga. The Lacerna was a decorative cloak worn with the toga, similar to the Greek Chlamys, whereas the Paenula was the everyday, poncho-like cloak for bad weather and travelling worn by both men and women. A very popular fastening was the penannular (nearly a ring) brooch. This is C-shaped with a sharp pin that can slide around the ring. When the pin is opposite the gap, it can pass though and secure the fabric. The pin can then be raised and the ring rotated to lock it in position. The Romans also invented the safety pin, made from twisted wire and often highly decorated.