17th April 2025

Tudor dress and the ordinary woman was an interesting and informative talk by Sarah Thursfield (Medieval Tailor).

Sarah went into re-inactment to make clothes, she had undertaken a City and Guilds in Fashion in the 1980's and learned pattern drafting and fitting and applied this to making clothes.  She is interested in the technical development of clothing from early needles and thread and the making of fabric through to Tudor times. By the 16th century, despite the home industry of spinning/weaving/lace making these were all produced for manufacturers to make into clothing. Tailors bought cloth and made clothes, there were also seamstress', glovers and shoemakers together with luxury trades making ruffs, silk buttons etc.

It is harder to find what ordinary people wear, the high fashion portrayed in pictures/paintings was only for the rich and royalty. Over the 16th Century there was a move from flowing medieval to clothes worn by Elizabeth I, tailored dresses with square neck, fitted bodice,gathered skirt, wider sleeves.

 

Elizabethan look 1580's a pair of French bodies (corset) which lace at the front and back.The front fitting over the stomacher providing the Elizabethan 'V' shape waist. A bum roll and farthingale would be worn with this to support the skirt.

  Knitted sleeves or fabric sleeves were produced to wear, these could be tucked under short sleeves, or tied on to gown or doublet.

Stockings started as being made from fabric held up with garters and were then knitted and also held up with garters.

Collars can be increased in height and edged with lace or deep 'ruffles' gathered /pleated fabric to create a 'ruff' effect.

Surface decoration can be applied on clothes to enhance eg sleeves, collars/ruffs

     Embroidered Coif