Tudor Fashion

by Eleri Lynn

Overview

The paperback edition of this captivating story of Tudor dress, and the people who made and wore it

The Tudors are some of the best-known figures in history. They continue, even today, to spark our curiosity and imagination. Their enduring popularity is no doubt partly due to the iconic portraits in which they are depicted, in farthingales and ruffs, furs and jewels, codpieces and cloaks, and vast expanses of velvet and silk. Far from being mere decoration, fashion was pivotal in the communication of status and power. This paperback edition of Tudor Fashion presents insights into the fashions of the Tudor dynasty. Histories of Kings and Queens complement stories of unsung dressmakers, 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 and fills in gaps in our knowledge of the period and its fascinating historical figures.


Published in association with Historic Royal Palaces

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300260588
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	957,281
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Eleri Lynn is a fashion historian, previously curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Preface 8

Introduction 12

Chapter 1 The Tudor Wardrobe 23

Chapter 2 Power and Meaning Royal Dress 61

Chapter 3 Dressed for Court Courtiers, Officials and Servants 103

Chapter 4 Grooming and Laundry 121

Chapter 5 The Great Wardrobe 143

Chapter 6 The Legacy of Tudor Dress 159

Glossary 172

Notes 176

Select Bibliography 185

Index 197

Picture Credits 208

Editorial Reviews

[E]ntertaining. . . . Though only a few tangible remnants of the Tudor wardrobe survive, Ms. Lynn deconstructs their particulars and meaning from documents, portraits and re-creations of court dress. And what a wealth of factoids emerges.”—Ann Landi, Wall Street Journal

“Lynn ably demonstrates the central importance of clothes: their meaning; manufacture; care; and legacy. Lavishly illustrated and engagingly written, it reveals the Tudors in a whole new light.”—Tracy Borman, Historians Favourites 2017, BBC History

“Along with the sumptuous photographs of fabrics, objects, and paintings, the book offers a great deal of information about the social meaning of dress as a form of ‘competitive magnificence.’”—Douglas Bisson, Choice

“The book does an excellent job of ensuring that visitors to Hampton Court and the other Royal Historic Palaces gain a strong sense of how seriously clothing was taken in the past and why it deserves to be studied with care today.”—Evelyn Welch, Renaissance Quarterly

Winner of the 2019 Historians of British Art Award, a single-authored book with a subject before 1600 category

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
The fashion historian and curator at Historic Royal Palaces and specifically at Hampton Court Palace looks at the way fashion was integral to Tudor rulers such as Queen Elizabeth I to project power and reflect status. Lynn also examines the dress of the lower ranks. As not many examples from this period have survived, the author draws from portraits and paintings of genre scenes of the period as well as modern reconstructions. VERDICT Well researched with exquisite images, this is a solid choice for people interested in the dress and cultural history of this period.—SR

Library Journal