Hugo Caesar Tassi takes its name and its instincts from imperial Rome — not as costume, but as a design philosophy. To understand the house, it helps to understand the dress that shaped Western ideas of elegance for two thousand years.
The stola: the dress of the Roman woman
The respectable Roman woman wore the stola — a long, column-like dress, often pleated, belted to define the waist, layered over a tunic. Its lines were vertical and exact: the same fluted geometry you see in a temple column. The house's knife-pleated skirts are a direct descendant.
Drapery as engineering
The toga and the palla (a woman's mantle) were essentially uncut cloth, arranged with extraordinary skill. Roman dress was about how fabric falls and folds — drape as engineering. Modern bias-cut satin and draped jersey columns carry the same idea forward.
The color of power
Tyrian purple — a deep, reddish wine — was so costly it was reserved for emperors. Fresco reds covered the walls of Roman homes. Color was status. The house's imperial palette — Porpora, Vermiglio, Cornelia — is drawn from exactly this source.
Why it still reads as elegant
Vertical line, a defined waist, restraint in detail, depth in color — the Roman grammar of dress is, almost unchanged, the grammar of modern elegance. That is the house's whole argument: that the oldest ideas about how a powerful woman dresses are still the best ones.
It's an idea you can wear. Begin with the Faustina collection, or read the wedding-guest guide.
Frequently Asked
- What did Roman women wear?
- Respectable Roman women wore the stola — a long, often pleated, column-like dress belted at the waist over a tunic — typically with a palla (mantle) over it. Vertical line and drape defined the silhouette.
- Why was purple reserved for Roman emperors?
- Tyrian purple — a deep, reddish-wine dye made from sea snails — was extraordinarily expensive to produce, so its use was restricted to the highest ranks, including emperors. It became a symbol of imperial power.
- How does Roman dress influence modern fashion?
- The Roman grammar of dress — a vertical pleated line, a defined waist, restraint in detail, and depth of color — still underpins what we consider elegant. Pleated skirts, draped silhouettes and deep reds all trace back to it.