Roman candidates for public office made these whiter by rubbing them with chalk; black ones were worn at funerals
The 
toga candida was rubbed with chalk to give it a glossy look and worn by 
candidates running for public office and the toga pulla was made of brown,... [DOC] [TLE] What kind of clothing, fashion & adornments were there in ancient ... [PAR] public display & recognition of status was an essential part of retaining one's 
status ... We can thus deduce that ancient Romans were very fashion-conscious 
in ... only men who were Roman citizens could wear a toga These two garments 
were ... look by rubbing it with chalk- worn by candidates running for political 
office o... [DOC] [TLE] Rape of Sabines by Livy, with notes from Dean [PAR] [Context: Soon after founding Rome with his brother Remus, the new city was ... 
there were no more than a hundred who were in a position to be made 'Fathers', 
... and of these Rome would assuredly be one: Gods had blessed her birth, and 
the ..... with chalk to make it whiter and was worn by candidates for public office.