The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing sixteenth century dress

The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing sixteenth-century dress
By Ninya Mikhaila and Jane Malcom-Davies
Published by: Batsford
ISBN: 0713489855
Price: £19.99
Reviewed by Barbara Mullally

The liner notes start with, “The Tudor Tailor is an essential sourcebook for accurately reconstructing clothing from the 16th Century, concentrating on the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I (1509 to 1603)” and I could not agree more. This opus is, without a doubt, the most complete I’ve come across so far. Not only is it profusely illustrated with photographs of paintings, sculptures, actual pieces of clothing; line drawings and close-ups of details, it has notes on the meaning and cost of clothing, styles of dress, how clothing changed as the wearer aged, how the clothing was worn, why and when. There are notes on children’s clothing, maternity wear, mourning wear and more. There is a chapter on the materials used, colours, details and decorations, as well as a table of fabrics. The following chapter includes a discussion of tools and techniques, instructions on how to alter pattern sizes and how to fit close-fitting garments.

There are 36 concise patterns for male and female clothing as well as hats and headdresses, complete with detailed diagrams and directions and finally, photographs of the garments worn by real people. All measurements are in metric and imperial. Most importantly, the full range of Tudor society is represented, including lower- and middle-class clothing as well as the more usually represented costumes from the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

I love this book. It is well researched and will provide hours of pleasure not only to costume designers and dressmakers but to historians or anyone interested in history in general. The Tudor Tailor brings the history of 16th-century clothing to life.