Behind the Scenes : Toga Party Guarantees Plenty of Sheet Thrills

The 150 guests who attended a toga party to support the Eastbluff Boys and Girls Club in Newport Beach on Saturday took the ancient Romans to heart.

Some wore the get-up of their favorite Roman gods and goddesses, while others showed their nuttier, mere mortal side at the event held in the club’s gym.

It was like Halloween in Circus Maximus.

There was a tourist with a Hawaiian shirt and clashing plaid toga; a nun in a revealing backless black sheath with torso-sized cross; a soldier in a camouflage cloak and helmet, and a mom-to-be with pacifiers and booties dangling from her blue satin wrap.

As in Caesar’s day, the togas were also personalized by their length and the manner in which they were draped.

The pieces of cloth were semicircular, oval or rectangular. They were carefully wrapped around the body, falling gracefully into folds that reached the knee, calf or ankle. Tucked under the right arm and hung over the left shoulder, the garments were fastened at the shoulder with brooches or grape bunches and adorned at the waist with tassel cords or gold chains.

Embroidered borders, vibrant silk fabrics, loose tunic undergarments and hair decorations--bands, caps, scarves and laurel wreaths--completed the look.

The awkward moments? Seeing men trying to maneuver without easily accessible pockets.