Hilary Davidson’s Followers (46)

Hilary Davidson

Born

Australia

Website

http://www.hilarydavidson.net/

Twitter

fourredshoes

Genre

Nonfiction, Art

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Hilary Davidson is a dress, textiles and fashion historian and curator. Her work encompasses making and knowing, things and theory, with an extraordinary understanding of how historic clothing objects come to be and how they function in culture.

After dropping out of high school to pursue her interests through global travel, Hilary trained as a bespoke shoemaker in her native Australia before completing a Masters in the History of Textiles and Dress at Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton) in 2004. Since graduating, Hilary’s practice has concerned the relationship between theoretical and highly material approaches
to dress history, especially in the early modern and medieval periods. As a skilled and meticulous handsewer, she h Hilary Davidson is a dress, textiles and fashion historian and curator. Her work encompasses making and knowing, things and theory, with an extraordinary understanding of how historic clothing objects come to be and how they function in culture.

After dropping out of high school to pursue her interests through global travel, Hilary trained as a bespoke shoemaker in her native Australia before completing a Masters in the History of Textiles and Dress at Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton) in 2004. Since graduating, Hilary’s practice has concerned the relationship between theoretical and highly material approaches
to dress history, especially in the early modern and medieval periods. As a skilled and meticulous handsewer, she has created replica clothing projects for a number of museums, including a ground-breaking replication of Jane Austen’s pelisse.At the same time she lectured extensively on fashion history, theory and culture, on semiotics, and cultural mythologies, especially red shoes.

In 2007 Hilary became curator of fashion and decorative arts at the Museum of London. She contributed to the £20 million permanent gallery redevelopment opening in 2010, and curated an exhibition on pirates, while continuing to publish, teach and lecture in the UK and internationally. In collaboration with Museum of London Archaeology, Hilary began analysing archaeological textiles and continues to cross disciplines by consulting for in this area in England and Australia. She also worked on the AHRC 5-star rated Early Modern Dress and Textiles Network (2007-2009) and from 2011 has appeared as an expert on a number of BBC historical television programmes.

Since 2012 Hilary has worked between Sydney and London as a freelance curator, historian, broadcaster, teacher, lecturer, consultant and designer. In addition to historical studies she has been a jewellery designer, graphic designer, photographer, gallerist, and worked in retail fashion and vintage clothing. Current projects include Dress in the Age of Jane Austen (Yale, 2019), and completing a PhD by publication at La Trobe University, Melbourne, on knowledge making and materiality in pre-modern dress (2020).

Hilary has taught and lectured extensively, including at the University of Southampton, Central St Martins, the University of Cambridge, the University of Glasgow, New York University London, The American University Paris, Fashion Design Studio TAFE Sydney and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Sydney. She speaks regularly at academic conferences and to the public.

Hilary is an Honorary Associate, School of Arts, Letters and Media, at the University of Sydney, a consultant in historic textiles for the Oxford English Dictionary, a Freeman of the City of London and member of the Company of Arts Scholars, Dealers and Collectors. As Hilary Gilmore, she is a published poet.

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Hilary Davidson’s books

Average rating: 4.47 · 310 ratings · 68 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion 4.40 avg rating — 173 ratings — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jane Austen's Wardrobe 4.56 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2023	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Austenesque Lover...: Six Degrees of Separation - July	502	56	Aug 01, 2022 07:02AM
Reading with Style: SU24 Completed Tasks	677	55	Aug 31, 2024 06:46PM
Georgette Heyer Fans: Fashion in Georgette Heyer	38	32	Jul 15, 2025 12:56PM

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Hilary Davidson’s Followers (46)

Hilary Davidson

Combine EditionsHilary Davidson’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Hilary Davidson’s books