The hypocrites wore -in both male and female roles- a long chiton that reached their ankles; it had long tight sleeves up to the wrists. This chiton gave the hypocrites a heroic appearance, while at the same time the sleeves covered their masculine arms and made the female roles more convincing. The theatrical chiton differed from the everyday chiton mainly in terms of colours and decorative patterns. Over it, the hypocrites normally wore a long and loose cloak, the himation. The colour and the decoration of the costume demonstrated the social class, the origin and other details of every role.

Towards the end of the Hellenistic period, the hypocrites wore a stuffed costume which magnified the volume of their body. This change is connected with the changes in the architecture of the ancient theatre and the establishment of the logeion, a raised platform on which appeared the hypocrites. Their distance from the spectators was now greater so it was necessary to wear imposing costumes that could be seen even from the last rows of the cavea.

The costumes of the tragic chorus adapted to its role in every tragedy. There were differences depending on the sex, their status and the nationality. The basic costume was a chiton, either plain or decorated.

Drinking cup mainly used in symposia (kylix) depicting members of a chorus impersonating elderly men (ca. 350 B.C.), Thebes Archaeological Museum.

The hypocrites of the satirical dramas wore similar costumes to those worn in tragedies, but the appearance of the chorus was different. Its members were disguised as Satyrs, and according to the myth, the Satyrs were demons of nature and followers of god Dionysus. So, the members of the chorus wore nude colour tight overalls, and a short pair of trousers made of goat skin over it. In the front side of the trousers they would bear a leather phallus and in the back a long horse tail. In the plays where the Satyrs appeared as hunters, harvesters or shepherds, the necessary additions were made in the basic costume. The leader of the Satyrs, the Silenus senex (also referred to as Papposilenus or the Older Silenus), wore a chiton that looked like sheep skin or his whole body was covered with animal skin.

In the Old Comedy (486-400 B.C.) and in the Middle Comedy (400-320 B.C.), the hypocrites wore nude colour tight overalls throughout the performance. Inside the overalls they put the somation, that is, padded belly and buttocks to make them appear grotesquely overweight. Over this tight body suit they wore the appropriate role costume. In the male roles they wore a short chiton or a short coat, while the length of the costume permitted to a leather phallus to be seen.

For the female roles they wore a long chiton and a himation over it, which they could raise up to the neck. This costume did not differ from the everyday clothes of women at the time, but the padded body parts created a funny image. The costumes of the Old Comedy chorus greatly varied, while the animal dances with costumes of animals or insects were very common. In the New Comedy performances (320-200 B.C.) the hypocrites did not have padded body parts and the short chiton in the male roles was replaced by a long chiton, like the one people wore every day. Besides, the characters of the plays were mainly everyday people.

Vessel for mixing wine with water (krater) with a comic scene: geese are attacking cooks (380-370 B.C.), National Archaeological Museum.

The costume of the tragedy and of the satirical drama was completed by the soft leather boots that reached the middle of the shin. As they did not have any sole, they could be worn either on the right or on the left leg. They were quite loose and flexible, while their upper part could be folded outwards. Their tip was often raised so that the hypocrites could move around more easily and limit the noise of the footsteps. According to the written sources, these shoes were named kothornoi. Nevertheless, the theatrical shoes with very thick soles are usually known as kothornoi, but this change happened in the Hellenistic period, when the leather boots started acquiring thicker and thicker soles. The goal was to better see the hypocrites on the logeion. During the Roman period the soles of the kothornoi became extremely thick, and as a result the hypocrites had to balance on them rather than walk.

In comedy there were no special shoes. The hypocrites appeared barefoot mainly in the indoor scenes. In the outdoor scenes they wore the embades, the thick leather shoes that fastened high on the leg and were normally used by men for their everyday works.