Tudor Fashion: Dress at Court

The sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty and members of their courts are some of the best-known figures in royal history, and they continue even today to spark our curiosity and imagination. Their enduring popularity is no doubt partly due to the many iconic paintings showing royals wearing farthingales and ruffs, furs and jewels, codpieces and cloaks, and vast expanses of velvet and silk. Fashion was pivotal in the communication of status and power, and it was used as a tool in securing and holding the tenuous Tudor throne.

This book presents new information about the fashions of the Tudors offering fresh insight into their social and political milieu. Histories of the dressmakers and embroiderers complement stories of unsung laundresses and officials charged with maintaining and transporting the immense Tudor wardrobes from palace to palace. Evidence from rare surviving garments and textiles, original documents, fine and decorative art, and archaeological findings enhance our understanding of the Tudors and their courts. Handsomely illustrated, this sumptuous book contextualizes Tudor dress within the buildings where it was worn and fills in gaps in our knowledge of the period and its fascinating historical figures.