The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Dress

For some time, The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Dress sat atop my wishlist. And now I can happily write that this treasure has completely exceeded my expectations! The Tudor Tailor is simply extraordinary. Readers will find themselves riveted from the very first page. Jam-packed with such goodies as rare photographs, art, and all manner of unusual trivia, this book is a keepsake. Visual guides depicting what ordinary citizens wore as opposed to the Tudor elite, even garments usually worn by persons according to occupation, are included. There are photographs of actual clothing that survive to this day, and these are truly remarkable. One could comb the internet endlessly and not locate such rare photographs. I know as I've often searched for visuals of actual Tudor clothing. Surviving Tudor garments attest to the painstaking technique employed by tailors and dressmakers, and even ordinary housewives of the 16th century. Descriptive fabric tables which detail what sort of materials were used, and even subcategories of various textiles are astonishing. Readers are presented with precise instruction of sewing techniques employed in construction of Tudor clothing and the respective tools which were used. A plethora of diagrams and candid photographs demonstrate the artistry of Tudor clothing. (I've often marveled at the incredible skill with which Tudor clothing was made and wondered how this was accomplished, always keeping in mind that this was all done by hand! I believe that the 'Tudor Tailors' of the 16th century could have gone to bat against the finest couturiers of today.) Fans and members of reenactment societies will find The Tudor Tailor to be an absolute necessity for personal libraries. Not only does the book offer accurate overviews of Tudor period clothing, but provides clear and concise instruction on recreating such garments. Various stitches are diagrammed, as is the method of dressing in true Tudor style, from undergarments on out. The Tudor Tailor is also a marvelous book for history buffs, and one that any Tudor history devotee would be thrilled to own. This book would also serve as a lovely addition for the libraries of students of textiles, and dressmaking. Thank you to Authors Ninya Mikhaila and Jane Malcolm-Davies for a true treasure! C. R. Wall

I admit, I'm not an expert on Tudor era clothing. But the Tudor Tailor provided me with enough visual references from the era (both paintings and statues) to fill me with confidence that the authors of the book ARE experts, and that I can trust in their judgements. The book begins with a discussion on the history of the costumes of the era, and those visual references I mentioned. This is great, because if you're putting together a costume, you really want to know why (and when!) each separate garment goes with another one. Plus there was a nice division between lower and upper class clothing, and visuals to support the conclusions presented. The second two thirds of the book deal with making the costumes. There are patterns, and suggestions for modifying them, and instructions. I'm fortunate enough to be the same size as the patterns were made for (if a little short) but there are instructions on modifying the patterns as well. I definitely recommend reading the entire instructions (twice) before starting. It will save you a lot of grief. Additionally, you ought to have at least some experience in sewing, because some of these instructions are not for the faint of heart. They've been laid out clearly, but they do assume some prior knowledge. You'll have to take some guesses (How, exactly, am I suppose to sew in the optional boning in this bodice? Precisely which sleeve pattern should I use to make those detachable sleeves?), and I definitely made some things up as I went along, but the Tudor Tailor gave me a firm foundation to start with, which was invaluable.

As an historical reenactor, I know how little published and online material is really useful in making your own garb, even for the particularly popular Renaissance Faires around the country. This book, I would say, is without question a MUST HAVE for anyone involved or interested in constructing your own Renn faire garb. The patterns are simple to follow, the detail is excellent, and the recommendations on choosing suitable fabric, stitching styles, trim use, and wear are well thought out. PLUS, if you're a fashion/garb/costume historian, you can also learn nifty trivia such as the origin of the term "fripery" and why we call something shoddy "a botched job." All in all, you need this book on your sewing table, readily to hand, to peruse over and over for ideas, inspiration, and techniques. Nuff said!

This is one of the best books I've ever seen for historical costuming. There's a ton of useful information, not just about the clothing, but about the context of clothing: where fabric came from, who made the clothes, how people regarded their clothing, etc. The authors have clearly done their research. There's a lot of information from interesting sources (such as wills where people bequeathed their clothing to others) to help our understanding of clothing in the period. About a third of the book is background/historical/contextual information, and the remainder is all patterns. The patterns include a bunch of "basic" patterns for the period, both male and female, and then specific examples of Henrician, Elizabethan, and late Elizabethan upper class clothing, all with a fair number of variations on collars, cuffs, sleeves, etc. This book is a great resource and I'm really happy I bought it. As a side note, I don't understand the people who complained in their reviews about the layout or the printing size in this book. Perhaps there have been some changes since earlier editions (my copy is the third printing, from 2012) but I found the layout clear and the print easy to read.

Great reference for making garb for our local Renaissance Festival.

I needed information quickly on this subject to be able to make a costume for an appearance at Hampton Court Palace with our hawking team. I am no tailor, and had only previously made a couple of medieval shirts with varying success. For a book of this size this publication is a treasure trove. The explanations are adequate, and basic stitching of the period is explained. There is a print errata on page 103, where in the pattern for Venetian Hose, front panel, should read CF, and not CB, but this is pretty obvious.The table on pages 36/37 is very informative, and lists the materials and their characteristics in use in the Tudor period, and is an invaluable aid in finding a near match with a modern equivalent. The patterns are drawn to the average sized person of the period, and instructions are given as to increase or decrease the sizes as required. The patterns are produced consistently at a scale of 1/8 inch to one inch, which makes scaling up easy, and I made a one inch grid on a large piece of card to place the tracing paper on in order to make the initial patterns. I followed the authors' advice and made a toile for each garment in order to get the measurements correct. The manufacture of Tudor cloth buttons (page 51) is a useful way of using up scraps of material, as would have been done at that time, but I prefer to use a tweezer to tuck in the corners, rather than the point of a small pair of scissors. Need to make Tudor garments? You can do no better than to purchase this publication.

It’s a fantastic book. Don’t doubt to get it.

An excellent source book for anyone interested in the history of costume, re-enactment/stage work, or sewing. A nice blend from the academic to the practical. It includes notes on history (with photos, sketches on development over time etc), notes on fabrics/colours, construction techniques (including types of stitches, details on things like how to make buttons from cloth or wooden beads), resizing information, preparation techniques (how to starch & dress a ruff), how to wear (well how do you put on a farthingale once you've made it?), how to fit items like hose, & how to put your hair up to fit under a coif. This takes the excellent Janet Arnold books a stage further. The patterns are similar to the Janet Arnold series but with photos of people wearing made up costumes. As it is full of colour photos as well as detailed sketches, it makes an attractive book to skim through even if you have no intention of making up any of the garments. Overall, I'm impressed.

Ho regalato The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Dress alla mia fidanzata, che ha da poco iniziato a dedicarsi alla sartoria, e si è subito innamorata di questo volume. È rimasta colpita dalla quantità di informazioni, dalla chiarezza delle spiegazioni e dall’altissima qualità delle illustrazioni e dei cartamodelli. Grazie a questo libro è riuscita a creare un vestito ispirato a Elisabetta I, nello stile del film The Golden Age – e il risultato è stato davvero impressionante! Il libro le ha fornito non solo le basi tecniche, ma anche tantissime fonti storiche e visive da cui trarre ispirazione. ✅ Contenuto ben strutturato: il volume è organizzato in modo chiaro, con sezioni che spiegano materiali, tecniche, e tipologie di abiti maschili e femminili dell’epoca Tudor. ✅ Cartamodelli precisi e adattabili: perfetti sia per chi vuole riprodurre fedelmente abiti storici sia per chi vuole reinterpretarli in chiave creativa. ✅ Ricco di dettagli storici: non è solo un manuale pratico, ma anche una lettura affascinante per chi ama la storia del costume. In sintesi: Un regalo riuscitissimo e un libro che consiglio caldamente a chi si avvicina alla sartoria storica o desidera approfondire la moda del XVI secolo. È una fonte di ispirazione continua e un valido supporto per realizzare abiti davvero straordinari.

Das Buch befasst sich ausschließlich mit der Mode zur Zeit der englischen Tudor-Dynastie im 16. Jahrhundert. Sprache ist Englisch. Es ist sehr gut aufgemacht, mit vielen farbigen Abbildungen und einigen Extras, die Kostümbildner und Rollenspieler mit Sicherheit zu schätzen wissen. Neben alten Drucken, Holzschnitten, Statuen, Grabplatten, Schmuck, Accessoires, Gemälden (einige davon von Hans Holbein) und Fotos von erhaltenen Kleidungsstücken gibt es eine zweiseitige Tafel mit Kleidungsbeispielen einfacher Leute und der Elite. Dazu noch eine ausführliche Liste mit damals verwendeten Stoffen, Erklärungen zu ihrer Verwendung und historischen Beispielen, für wen sie damals angeschafft wurden. Die Texte sind sehr ausführlich und versuchen möglichst viele Aspekte der damaligen Gesellschaft und der Mode darzustellen. Allerdings muss man schon relativ gut Englisch können, um sie richtig nutzen zu können. Die Schnittmusterdiagramme für Damen- und Herrenkleidung sind ausführlich und so einfach wie möglich dargestellt, um Irrtümer zu vermeiden. Zu allem gibt es Fotos der fertigen Kostüme und Detailfotos oder Zeichnungen, manchmal auch vom Innenleben der Kleidung. Auch das Anpassen der Kleider wird in ganzen Fotostrecken erklärt. Was mir fehlt, sind Schnittmuster in Echtgrößen. Einige Bücher liefern das mittlerweile, hier wurde darauf verzichtet. So dass die Schnitte eben doch wieder selbst erstellt werden müssen. Im hinteren Teil des Buches werden Hauben, Krägen und Ärmelmanschetten beschrieben (auch dafür gibt es einige Schnittmuster). Als Ergänzung findet sich auch eine Technik für eine Damenfrisur und eine Anleitung, wie man ein Tuch für das Kostüm einer einfachen Bäuerin oder Arbeiterfrau wickelt. Inhalt: 1. Der Anfang Allgemeine Einführung in die Geschichte, viele Fotos von historischen Beispielen (Gemälde, Statuen, Kleidung, Drucke usw.) Tabelle von Kleidung der unteren Schichten und der Priviligierten 2. Blick auf die Details Detailsfotos oder Zeichnungen zu diversen Accessoires, Kleidern, Schmuck oder zur Unterkleidung 3. Wahl der Materialien Tabelle der Stoffe und Erklärungen dazu Farbtabelle der damals erhältlichen Stickgarnfarben mit Bezugsquelle 4. Konstruieren der Gewänder- Die Schnitte Vorstellung der nötigen Werkzeuge und Versteifungen Sticharten, Herstellung von Knopflöchern und Zwirnknöpfen, Anbringen von Haken Verlängern und Kürzen von Schnittteilen Säume Falten und Plissierungen Kleidung: - Hemden und Untergewänder - Basiskleidung für Männer (enge Hose, Hemd, Wams und Unterkleidung) - Basiskleidung für Frauen (Unterkleidung, Korsett, Überkleid, separate Ärmel, Übergewand, Haube) - Untaillierter Übermantel für Frauen - Tailliertes "Englisches" Überkleid für Frauen - Taillierte, vorne spitz zulaufende Damenjacke (Doublet) - In der Taille ausgestellte kurze Damenjacke (Waistcoat) - Komplette Herrenausstattung im Stil zur Zeit der "HenryŽs" - Komplette Herrenausstattung im elizabethanischen Stil - Damenausstattung im Stil zur Zeit Heinrichs des VIII und seiner Vorgänger - Korsetts - Petticoats (Farthingales) und Unterbauten für Damenröcke - Komplette Damenausstattung im späten elizabethanischen Stil - Halskragen, Ärmelmanschetten und einfache Kragen - Hüte und Frisuren Fazit: Die beiden Autorinnen haben sich jede nur erdenkliche Mühe gegeben, ein wirklich gutes und brauchbares Kostümbuch zu machen, mit dem sowohl Profis als auch totale Laien etwas anfangen können. Die Liebe zum Detail und die Faszination für diese Epoche sind deutlich spürbar. Ich kann Das Buch nur empfehlen.