The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Dress [Paperback]

Ninya Mikhaila (Author), Jane Malcolm-Davies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006

A valuable sourcebook for costume designers, dressmakers and those involved in historical reenactments, this book contains all the information you need to create authentic clothes from the Tudor period. Computer-generated, historically accurate patterns enable you to make a wide range of garments, such as doublets, hose, bodices, skirts, hats and headdresses -- even underwear. There are also plenty of ideas for decoration and embellishment such as ruffs, cuffs, collars, embroidery and other surface decoration. The full range of Tudor society is represented, including lower- and middle-class clothing as well as the more sumptuous costumes from the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. There is also information on how to store and look after your finished clothing. In addition to the patterns, there are detailed drawings of each costume and information about historical context, including original paintings and source material.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The research has been conducted not only with meticulous scholarship, but with obvious joy as well, making this book a pleasure to read. It's a must-have for anyone - hobbyist to professional - seeking to reconstruct Tudor and Elizabethan clothing. --Dress - The Annual Journal of the Costume Society of America

About the Author

Jane Malcolm-Davies has a Doctorate in Heritage Interpretation and was responsible for costume interpretation at Hampton Court Palace from 1992 to 2004. She trains staff for historic properties, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and consults for the National Trust. Ninya Mikhaila has run a business making reproduction historical costume since 1988. Her clients include The Royal Armouries, The National Trust, English Heritage and the Public Records Office.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Costume and Fashion Press; 1st edition (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896762556
• ISBN-13: 978-0896762558
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Reference

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

196 of 197 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, well-researched, beautifully realized volume April 19, 2006

By ilkajonesing

Format:Paperback

I have had this book in my possession for less than a week and I'm already beating it up, creasing the pages and getting it dirty and telling everyone I know about it.

I used to be a hardcore renaissance faire actor and boothie, and I own the usual sources: Janet Winter's and Carolyn Savoy's "Elizabethan Costuming for the Years 1550-1580"; Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion" and Herbert Norris' "Tudor Costume and Fashion." All are commonly relied on by ren faire/SCA participants, though all three have their commonly-agreed-upon weaknesses.

Ms. Mikhaila and Ms. Malcolm-Davies should be commended for the scope and depth of the manual they have created. The writing is succinct, intelligent and accessible. The book dives right in with an assessment of researching historical costume, the strengths and weaknesses of primary sources, and a thorough overview of what was being worn by whom and why. There is even a series of small line drawings (over 40) showing what was worn by the common people and the nobility, basic sorts of silhouettes to work from. The first chapters are filled with portraits, line drawings and photographs of actual clothing of the time period, including some works and pieces I have never seen reproduced in other art, history or costume volumes. There is an entire chapter on fabrics and garment creation and structure, including a table discussing the various materials.

Then the book plunges immediately into construction techniques. Although experts won't need the descriptions of stitches or instructions on using patterns, part of the appeal of this book is in its completeness and the details. The subject of Tudor costuming is covered meticulously, and yet, there are no wasted words, no filler, nothing that won't be useful, informative or entertaining. It's comprehensive, but not exhaustive. I read the entire book, cover to cover, in a couple days' time (admittedly, I read it at every opportunity, often foregoing sleep and whatever else that did not seem important).

Amazingly, the majority of this book covers the actual pieces of clothing to be made. It starts with the foundation pieces for both genders, moves along to all the various possibilities: hose, doublets and more for men; gowns, bodices, kirtles, partlets and more for women, plus ruffs, cuffs, collars, hats, even hair -- and each one is carefully described as to the construction, with careful illustrations and actual photographs of garments during creation. "Henrician" (I have not heard such term before), Elizabethan and late Elizabethan costumes are covered in equal detail. With all due respect to Ms. Winter and Ms. Savoy, I was floored by the instructions, and I felt far more confidence in the process than I did with "Elizabethan Costuming." I am not a beginner, but my feeling is that a novice with a basic sewing background, after carefully reading the instructions, could construct any of the described garments.

Has footnotes, a bibliography and a small but quality list of suppliers.

There are not enough superlatives to use to describe this delicious book. I highly recommend it, would give it six stars if the rating system would let me.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great use of extant evidence and empirical research. April 7, 2006

By L. Diaz

Format:Paperback

This long awaited book is a breath of fresh air for the die-hard renaissance costumier. Much of the book is devoted to offering the reader empirical evidence to support the reconstruction methods of these Tudor costumes. While the use of portraits in reserach in not so new, the combined use of portraits, extant articles of clothing, and up-close photographs of detailed carved monuments showing various styles of Tudor dress is impressive. The authors also make extensive use of primary documents, namely in the form of wills and household inventories. These go a long way to encourage accurate reproductions of Tudor clothing. The authors are keen to include clothing from all social classes, not just the nobility. There are many color photographs of portraits, actual extant artifacts, and reproduction garments. The book is divided into sections which deal with the social history of clothing at the time, materials used in the construction of historical and reproduction garments, and finally the patterns and construction techniques. The authors include an extensive bibliography, and some very informative footnotes. Even a list of materials suppliers is added in the appendix. The only difficulties I encountered using this resource were, first, in discerning which photo went with which section of text, and second, in creating life sized, usable patterns from grid pages. They did not enlarge so well. However, a well seasoned semstress would likely be successful; a hobbyist (like myself) may not. Still, the book is worth the price just for the quality of the documentation alone. I would have loved to own this in a hardcover. L. Diaz - Rating should be 5 stars, I hit the wrong buttton!

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful how-to for 16th century reenactors July 8, 2006

By Catherine Raymond VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Finally, here's a reference that will give the reenactor patterns and directions for clothing yourself in 16th century (English) attire--from the skin out--no matter what social class is to be portrayed. In terms of the amount of information the book makes available it is an excellent value for the money--particularly at Amazon's discounted price.