Material Culture, Dress and Fashion History
The waistcoat is by far one of the most common pieces of clothing I have come across in the records of seventeenth-century women. While women did wear gowns during this period, if we look across the social spectrum we can see that waistcoats and petticoats were by far the most common garments that were worn… Continue reading Seventeenth-Century Waistcoats for Women: Jacobean Fashions
In 2018 I spent two months in the UK going through records relating to tailors, body-makers, and farthingale-makers at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and the Drapers' and Clothworker' Companies in London. While doing my archival research at the Drapers' Company hall, I mentioned to the archivist Penny that the unusual name of a… Continue reading The Life and Times of Theophilus Riley: Citizen, Civil War Conspirator and Body-maker.
Very excited to announce that my book Shaping Femininity has a cover image and pre-order links! See below for details! About Shaping Femininity In sixteenth and seventeenth-century England, the female silhouette underwent a dramatic change. This very structured form, created using garments called bodies and farthingales, existed in various extremes in Western Europe and beyond,… Continue reading Shaping Femininity Book Cover and Pre-order!
What is a vasquine or basquine? Is it a type of early corset? Read on if you want to find out!
By 1700 tailors no longer dominated England’s garment marketplace, as stay-makers, mantua-makers and seamstresses began to produce key items of female dress previously made by tailors. The demise of the tailoring monopoly was a complex process that involved many factors. This article examines one overlooked aspect of this transition by exploring two groups of specialized artisans that have been previously neglected in histories of seventeenth-century garment production: farthingale-makers and body-makers.
Recently I gave a talk on the use of whale baleen (otherwise known as whalebone) in fashion in sixteenth-century Europe, particularly England.
In 2014 my article on this subject was published by Gender & History and a subsequent blog post titled, '“He shall not haue so much as a buske-point from thee”: Examining notions of Gender through the lens of Material Culture' was posted on the blog for the Journal for the History of Ideas. I figured that… Continue reading Seventeenth-Century Busks, Courtship and Sexual Desire
Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part One: Brief History and Materials Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Two: The Pattern Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Three: Making the Wire Frame Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Four: Making the Linen Collar Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Five: Finishing the Rebato 1. Pin the collar to the frame and check that it looks correct.… Continue reading Rebato, c. 1600-1625 | Part Five: Finishing the Rebato
Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part One: Brief History and Materials Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Two: The Pattern Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Three: Making the Wire Frame Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Four: Making the Linen Collar Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Five: Finishing the Rebato 1. Place and cut the pattern. I’m using a lightweight semi-transparent linen.… Continue reading Rebato, c. 1600-1625 | Part Four: Making the Linen Collar
Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part One: Brief History and Materials Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Two: The Pattern Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Three: Making the Wire Frame Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Four: Making the Linen Collar Rebato, c. 1600-1625 Part Five: Finishing the Rebato 1. Using my pattern, draw out the shape of the rebato collar on… Continue reading Rebato, c. 1600-1625 | Part Three: Making the Wire Frame