Tudor Fashion

by Eleri Lynn

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

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Fashion, Tudor Period, Fashion History, British Literature, 16th Century

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2017

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this is to be a coffee-table book but the gorgeous colour plates are supported by a well-researched narrative which draws on original sources to offer a rounded portrait of Tudor elite and courtly dress. Lynn starts by deconstructing the familiar costumes to look beneath the surface layers, and also explores the support necessary for the rich apparel favoured by Tudor monarchs: launderers, tailors, seamstresses, dyers and so on.

The chapter on dress as a code for regal authority and monarchical authorisation is perhaps the most familiar as it offers an abbreviated version of a story that has been more deeply explored elsewhere. There is, though, some excellent material on the shift of fashions between Henry VII, the first Tudor king, and Elizabeth, the last.

The wider story that takes in the international trade in alum (a dye fixative), the influence of the French court on English culture (especially during Henry VIII's reign when he was so competitive with Francis I), and some of the gender complications ushered in by Elizabeth and her long reign are all given a specific slant in relation to their impact on dress and fashion.

The final chapter rounds things off nicely with a look at why so many Tudor costumes disappeared in history and what became of some of them.

The illustrations are lush and diverse, with some glorious close-ups on portraits and some material objects which have survived. Anyone interested in the Tudor court, the history of fashion, or just intrigued by the few costumes, gloves, jewellery and accessories that have survived in the V&A, the Buckingham Palace galleries and places like Hampton Court will love this book.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and insightful read. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting! I was fascinated to learn about how the clothes were layered, what each piece was meant for, and how they were created by tailors and seamstresses. A good coffee table/discussion book. I enjoyed reading it.

I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank netgalley and Yale University Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting" dip in and out of" reference book that focuses on Tudor fashion. It breaks down into the different rulers and looks at how power was shown in dressing and what has happened to some of the clothing down the years.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

This was super interesting and I loved all the portraits and photos that were used in this book! It makes me sad that so many of these beautiful pieces are lost though.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was easy to read and understand about the Tudor lineage fashion. I like that each picture was described in detail and what each article of clothing was used for. Well researched and tastefully presented, easy to read in a few sittings.

Recommended for anyone who has an interest in Tudor history or history in England.

Glad my library had this.

[Orsolya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every detail of Tudor history/life is fascinating, mind-blowing, and awe-inspiring in its own right. The fashions/costumes/clothing during the years of King Henry VII to the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I; also carry the above descriptors. The fabrics, styles, fads and the socio, economical, political and psychological signs they sent; couple together to utterly drop jaws. Add in that these pieces were all constructed by hand and one will find that fashion was truly art. Eleri Lynn would certainly agree with this sentiment as she holds the title of Fashion Historian and Curator at the Historic Royal Palaces. Lynn explores this subject in, “Tudor Fashion”.

“Tudor Fashion” is a full-color coffee table book surveying fashion fads, clothing production and storage, the process and rituals of dressing, customs, the psychological implications, political meanings and the legacy of the Tudor Dynasty in relation to clothing (from King Henry VII to Queen Elizabeth I). Lynn focuses on zooming in on court life and doesn’t highlight the everyday layman and thus, “Tudor Fashion” is truly Tudor-centric.

Lynn opens “Tudor Fashion” with introductions both into the Tudors themselves and the basic articles of clothing. Supplemented with a treasure trove of illustrations, photos and artifacts; “Tudor Fashion” is like the text accompaniment of a museum exhibit and is certainly a visual feast. The main issues within this initial presentation lay in two abstractions.

First, the entire first half of “Tudor Fashion” doesn’t offer any enlightening, unearthed material that readers of Tudor history haven’t already known during their entire period of interest in the Tudors. Readers expecting a riveting exposé will be sorely disappointed.

The second weakness is Lynn’s propensity to not offer a clear, streamlined piece with the material feeling clunky, disjointed and lacking finesse. Or perhaps this is a downfall of an editor (or lack thereof). “Tudor Fashion” is enjoyable to read but somewhat ‘messy’ in execution.

All this being said; Lynn excels at knowing the solid and precise language style that is easy-to-understand but while maintaining an uptempo pace and eschewing over-explanations. “Tudor Fashion” appeals to the mass general audience but doesn’t dummy down the material too much.

“Tudor Fashion” has an academic drive in the obvious personal understanding and passion that Lynn holds to the topic. Perhaps the absence of a cohesive structure is simply due to Lynn’s excitement in presenting the information within current restraints.

The second half of “Tudor Fashion” is unarguably the stronger of the two with Lynn traversing more clever trains of thought and dissecting fashion on a deeper level. At this point, “Tudor Fashion” finally entices with the often-unthought-of details of Tudor court fashion such as the amount of sewing pins used, the clothing worn by the below-the-stairs staff and the manufacturers of the actual trunks storing the clothing. If only the entire piece held up in this manner; then “Tudor Fashion” would be much more compelling and golden.

The final pages of “Tudor Fashion” excites with two clothing case studies of pieces allegedly belonging to the Tudor monarchs that still survive today. After this, however, “Tudor Fashion” ends very abruptly and without a memorable summary that is generally the protocol of coffee table book to end on an emotive note.

Lynn fortifies “Tudor Fashion” with a glossary, (barely) annotated notes section and a bibliography.

“Tudor Fashion” is not terrible and I will read more pieces from Eleri Lynn – it simply wasn’t as dynastic (no pun intended) as I imagined it to be. Regardless, “Tudor Fashion” is certainly suggested for all lovers of Tudor England history and/or fashion history/art devotees.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew Tudor fashion could be so fascinating?! It could easily be dismissed by many people as a niche subject without wider audience appeal, but as this beautiful book proves, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Clothing was incredibly important to the Tudor court, and to wider society as a whole, as they really did believe that clothing made the individual. I particularly enjoyed learning what various colours and symbols represented, and also about Sumptuary Laws and what was expected of each person in terms of the way they dressed. I did find a couple of the chapters didn’t hold my interest quite as much as the others, and the book was a little repetitive at times, but on the whole, it was an engaging and informative. There are some beautiful illustrations and pictures within its pages too. It would make a great addition to the library of any history lover, as well as a good reference book for anyone interested in Tudor fashion, but you certainly don’t need to be a fashion buff to enjoy it. It’s a book that is accessible and fun for everyone.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tudor Fashion was a fun and insightful read that kept me turning the pages. It was great to learn about the items of clothing in the context of the political situations at the time that affected the fashions of the day. The book also offered a great overview of the different pieces of clothing and styles, making this a great resource for the historical fiction author as well as the social historian. Obviously this book focuses on the court--royalty and nobles--and at times I yearned to know what the working class people were wearing at the time as well, but perhaps there's another potential book there in the future! For now, what this book sets out to do it does well, and no one interested in historical costume would be disappointed if they picked up this title.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The only negative I have to report is that my advanced copy was actually missing a huge chunk of the book - jumping from page 99 to page 126.

That aside, this is an excellent primer for those interested in Tudor fashion and how these evolved through the years. It has many beautiful illustrations and delves into quite a good bit of history through the eyes of fashion. I very much enjoyed it!

[Chocolategoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to see this on Netgalley, where I was able to read it for free in exchange for an honest review.

I'm an amateur clothing historian and the Tudor reign represents one of my favourite periods of fashion.

Lynn does an excellent job of talking the reader through the Tudor wardrobe in the first chapter. She covers what was typically worn in each reign by the upper echelons of society--unfortunately evidence for the lower orders is scant which makes it difficult to draw accurate conclusions. This is important, because Lynn has written a very well-researched and cited book. For me, this is where the value lies in this book: I'm already familiar with the modes of dress and the individual garments and how they were worn, but the citations point me to where I can find out more information and do further research on my own.

Of course, that isn't the only reason I enjoyed this book, and is not why most other people would. The main source of excellence in this book is the pictures! It's packed with relevant portraits, images of extant garments, and photographs of professional reconstructions of the clothing to bring each layer of clothing (there are so many) to life. For a clothing historian it's a collection to drool over, especially when magnified images are included to show the real details we costume nerds want to see. For the rest of the world, they're gorgeous high-quality images of a different world that show every aspect of the nobility's fashion at the time.

In chapter two, Lynn goes into detail of exactly what clothes meant to the Tudor court, and how most of the Tudor monarchs used them as a tool to display their power. It was fascinating to learn just how far they went in doing this, and how much they spent!

Chapter three discusses the non-royal personages at court, but unfortunately this review copy doesn't contain it. I'm sure it's as high quality as the rest of the book.

In chapters four and five we're led through the processes of dressing, hygiene, and how exactly people dealt with laundering, storing, and delivering these incredibly expensive items. This too, was eye-opening--they had entire fields dedicated to drying laundry!--and informative. I did find chapter five a little dense with the names of the people who did particular jobs one after the other, but it's fascinating to learn that some positions in the wardrobe were held over the course of a lifetime, and others created stepping stones that allowed families to move to great importance.

The final chapter discusses where these fabulous items of clothing went to. To our modern mind it's hard to believe that such priceless relics weren't preserved somewhere. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The Stuart monarch who followed Elizabeth found the fabric of her gowns so lovely that they couldn't help but have them altered for the new queen. Later, the store of garments belonging to past kings and queens were deemed 'of small value and not [fit] to be by us preserved'. It's pretty heart-breaking. Hope exists in the survival of some of these pieces, as the monarchs would often gift clothing to those in their favour, or even as wages. Belonging to new families, they would have been made over, cut down, and put to a variety of uses. Lynn shows us two case studies of pieces purported to have belonged to Tudor monarchs, but the provenance of such things is almost impossible to determine. It's a shame we'll never know.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lynn has done a marvellous job creating a primer on Tudor fashion that's accessible to those with a casual interest, and detailed enough to be of value to the amateur dress historian. Highly recommended.

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

***This book was reviewed for Yale University Press via Netgalley

(Throw in pics of peacock spider)

Despite my love for history, this is a time period I am not overly familiar with. In Tudor Fashion, Lynn takes the reader on a voyage back through time. Using archaeological and historical sources, we see how the fashions of the Tudors were less fanciful affectations, and were instead bold statements of rank and hierarchy, like the plumage of birds of paradise or peacocks. At a glance, one could know the proper place of any given person. And what of those who created the clothing, tended the wardrobes, repaired the elegant finery?

Chapter One takes a peek beneath the various layers, giving a better idea of just how all that finery went together! You also see how the styles changed over the Tudor period.

Chapter Two focused specifically on royal apparel and how it was used to denote the rank of the highest in the land. Courtiers could compete among themselves, but none could dare have plumage as fine as the monarchs.

Chapter Three looks at the rest of the court, from said courtiers all the way down to the servants. Also covered are the Sumptuary Laws, and the consequences of getting caught wearing the wrong thing.

Chapter Four answers a lot of questions I've always had about, well… how the bathrooming and hygiene worked with such fancy clothes, and how the clothes themselves were cared for.

Chapter Five details how clothes were selected for travel from residence to residence, and how new clothing choices were commissioned and created.

Chapter Six looks at what, exactly, happened to all that finery. Namely, it was gifted and reused, and repurposed over the ages, til there was nothing left of most originals.

For as fine as all this clothing and accessories were, I cannot imagine having to wear it! Most seems so unnecessary, but then, I'm a fairly simple person when it comes to clothing. And I like both myself, and my clothing, to be clean.

There really is little actual archaeological evidence left of Tudor clothing, so it was neat to see experimental aspects. This branch of archaeology fascinates me because it shows just how much knowledge we’ve lost over the centuries, but also our ingenuity in relearning our past.

One thing I found especially interesting was the level of alchemic symbolism associated with this finery. The stylised eyes and ears, and the serpent of the clothing of Elizabeth I, as depicted in the 'Rainbow’ painting.

The focus of this book was royal, and royal-adjacent. It unfortunately didn't cover military garb, ceremonial clothing, or dress associated with the church, which would be equally fascinating, but no doubt just as extensive in scope.


📚📚📚📚📚 Resplendent with colourful illustrations, and filled with fascinating stories, Tudor Fashion is a must for any history buff.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the rather dull looking cover, this book features gorgeous paintings, photographs and text reflecting the Age of the Tudors. Additionally, there are many wonderful details relating to fashion, dress, culture, socioeconomic status, and activities of the Tudor period. I was really drawn into the detailed descriptions, examples, and trivia on the making and wearing of fashions, clothes and accoutrements of that period. It details both mens and womens clothes. While I had seen some of the paintings and graphics before, this book helped me really understand the meaning of fashion at that time. It covered more than just "at court". Overall, I loved this book. It was well-written and the photographs and paintings really blended with the narrative to provide an artistic and educational experience. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, filled with gorgeous pictures and fascinating information about the clothes worn by Tudor royals and courtiers, what that clothing symbolized, who was allowed to wear what, how garments were stored and cared for, and what happened to all those expensive and gorgeous items (which have all but disappeared). Topics range from the large (the Great Wardrobe) to the intimate (details about dressing and hygiene). The tone can be a bit dry and academic, but the topic is presented in a clear and interesting way overall. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the history of clothing or royals or both.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tudor Fashion is fascinating. I always wondered how the clothes of the Tudor period were made; what they were made of;' how they were cleaned; how they were decorated; what pieces went on first and last and how many pieces were there to the clothing that men and women wore during this time period.. This book answered all of these questions and then some. A really really fascinating read. Thanks to Netgalley and Yale University Press for the perusal. I loved it!

[loeilecoute · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful text is you are obsessed with Tudor history the way that I am...if not, it is of interest to those who pursue the history of clothing. The pictures are relevant and beautiful, although the color portraits seem a bit off in comparison with other book reproductions of historical paintings. The text is fascinating; I only wish that there was more of it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most detailed book on Tudor costume, but has some excellent reconstruction images which show all the layers of dress throughout the ~115 year period, and does a great job of setting it against its historical context, where dress was one of the most important ways to display your rank and power.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm big on the Tudors and I'm big on embroidery so this book was like a dream come true for me. This coffee-table-sized book provided me with extensive information on Tudor era outfits in terms of detail, hierarchy, and man-power involved to make, preserve, and transport the aforementioned garments. Love this book and all the featured photos.

[Suellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on Tudor fashion. Wonderful full color photographs with discussion on the same page. I hate when the discussion of a photograph happens on one page and I have to flip around to find “figure xyz”. I devoured this book in 12 hours. Nothing else got done that day but I loved my reading of this book.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly detailed, informative, and interesting look at not just Tudor fashion, but Tudor lifestyle, hygiene, history, etc. Very well researched and written, and as a historian I appreciate how Lynn contended with the loss/lack of evidence regarding fashion from this time period. Great book for fashion and history lovers alike.

[Hailey Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I was expecting it to mostly go into silhouettes and clothing only however I got a lot more information about why people dressed the way the did as well as daily life in the Tudor area and brief histories about the places and people that made the fashions possible. Also loved the addition of outfit recreations!

[Anita Elder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new release is a great coffee table book with lots of pictures (with descriptions). It goes into great detail about the fabrics use, why it was worn, etc. A good book for the Elizabethan or Tudor enthusiast who wants to create or wear clothing that is close to historical accuracy.

[Maryann D · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not only about Tudor fashion but their grooming, symbolic meanings, palace intrigues, and cultural practices. I learned a lot and was fascinated throughout.

[Krista Borrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

As insightful as it is gorgeous!

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing treasure trove of information about Tudor and Elizabethan dress, with accompanying illustrations. Wow!

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, fun, interesting, and informative read. The perfect companion for nerds who love history/the history of various fashions 🤓

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous book and a complete must for writers and costumers, going into detail about the exact clothing worn throughout the period and how it changed.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book received from NetGalley

I loved this book, it has both the history of who wore what, what they were allowed to wear due to sumptuary laws. Then what happened when the upper class decided that the very expensive clothes were outdated. The pictures they had of the various styles of clothing were gorgeous and the history geek in me was thrilled to see some photos of original pieces from the collection of the Historical Palaces in the United Kingdom. I am definitely getting myself a copy of this book, since I do re-enactments of the period and this will help in getting everything correct on an outfit.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written and researched book on Tudor fashion. The author used beautiful and numberous images demonstrating their key points. Throug clear and concise writing the author proved the political power of clothing and financial implications cloth and style played during the Tudor dynasty. This book was a joy to read and very informative even to a history major.

[Sandra]

Chock full of information. A little oddly organized, at times it was unclear which he/she was being referred to. Interestingly some of the images had incredibly detailed notations and some very vague. Like there's a reference to the mary rose (and an assumption the reader already knows about it, which yes I did but still) and the leather jerkins found. And a photo of this one, but never says if it's one of those or if not, its provenance. Likewise they refer to dress pins and say how ones of various sizes were found at hampton court, and have a photo, but don't mention what variety of sides or give the measurements of the one in the photo. Which given all the daily pinning I was pretty curious about.