You were what you wore in Roman law
The impact of Roman law on ancient society, and therefore on the emerging Christian church, is not sufficiently appreciated today, but it was enormous, and it is not always possible to grasp what was really going on in the New Testament churches without taking the law into account and its intrusive impact on all aspects of daily life.
Bruce Winter
It was a fact that you were what you wore in Roman law. Indeed, everyone in Roman society could be identified by what they wore; whether it was a person walking into a gathering or someone in the street, the way they dressed was an indication of their class. This was true of both men and women.
