In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Athena dresses Pandora and adorns her with a decorated garment.
Works and Days assigns different gifts to different gods. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, gives Pandora clothing and helps make her visually impressive. The Graces and other divine figures also contribute ornaments and adornments, so Athena’s role is specific rather than exclusive.
This episode presents Pandora as a deliberately constructed figure whose appearance and presentation are part of Zeus’s plan. The myth does not describe her as an ordinary human woman who develops independently; she is fashioned and equipped by the gods before being sent into the human world.
A common mix-up is to attribute every aspect of Pandora’s beauty to Aphrodite. Aphrodite is associated with sexual attractiveness and charm, but Hesiod’s account distributes Pandora’s gifts among several deities. Athena is the answer for her clothing and decorated dress.