Week 5 - The Windsors

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning British monarch and has been on the throne since 1952. Throughout that time her clothes have reflected her own personal style and the wider fashion trends in society.

While some things have stayed the same, such as the use of ceremonial dress and court protocols in clothing, other things are very different, such as the relationship between royalty and fashion designers, as well as the use of social media, which gives us almost instant information about the royals as soon as they appear in public.

As we’ve moved into the 21st century, there is still much about royal fashion that resonates with previous reigns, from the Crown Jewels, which are still held at the Tower of London, to dressing diplomatically. The Crown Jewels can be seen as the ultimate royal accessories. However, these glorious objects are far more than mere accoutrements. They are the most powerful symbols of the British monarchy and hold deep religious and cultural significance in British history.

This is my design for a Royal Crown - 'More is More' when it comes to my accessory design... 

I've really enjoyed learning about the royal households and how their fashion has helped to mould and influence the society around them. I would really recommend a Future Learn course if you have a spare hour or two a week and want to learn something new.

Week 4 - The Victorians

Most of us are familiar with the image of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) dressed in black after the death of her husband Prince Albert, but Victoria’s reign was an era of rapid technological, industrial and social change, all of which had a huge impact on the fashions of the day.

This week we explored how technology and fashion could work together – from the cage crinolines of the 1850s to the use of photography – as well as taking a closer look at the clothing habits of one of Britain’s longest reigning monarchs. The garments that survive from this era can be associated with key markers in the Queens life, her ascension to the throne, her wedding, her children and, of course, the death of Prince Albert. It is fitting that many of these objects are now in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection stores at Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born and grew up.

Wedding traditions reflect and celebrate many aspects of different cultures, places and people. This picture (above) is of my family’s not very Royal Wedding in the late Victorian Period. It is interesting to compare the similarities and difference with the painting of the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on 10th February 1840 (below). The fact that the common peoples wedding is photographed at all is indeed reference to how far technology has come from the start of Victoria's reign to the end.

Week 3 - The Georgians

The Tudor and Stuart monarchs made significant marks on fashion, with each dynasty having their own distinctive looks. The Georgians, or the Hanoverians, also had their own distinct style but it took a very different form.

With the exception of George IV (1820-30), the Georgian kings were less showy in their personal fashion than their Tudor and Stuart predecessors, but they still had high standards and expectations of their courtiers. We’ve seen how dress was literally a ticket into court and the royal presence.

At the same time, during this period we start to see an increasing gap between styles of fashionable dress and that worn at court, particularly when it comes to the hooped skirts of the mantua. Even men's court clothing are embellished with wonderful embroidery.

Having waited to be king the coronation of George IV was a lavish affair (see pictures below)

Week 2 - The Stuarts

By the start of Charles I’s reign in 1625, however, the Stuart dynasty seemed more secure and there was less need to follow previous styles. The stiff and constricting shapes of the Tudor era gave way to softer lines. Charles I short in stature and manipulated portraiture prospective or siting on horses to exaggerate his presence.

I think the triptych portrait of 'Charles I in Three Positions' by Antony van Dyck (above) best represents this monarch. In which he appears very Christ like and the three heads could be read as referencing the trinity and certainly express his deeply held belief in the divine right of kings. There is something quite powerful about just a head and shoulder portrait and the multi angles give almost a 3D image, as well as enabling the artist to give an extra layer of detail to the fabrics of the clothes he is wearing.

The painting on the right is thought to be the first depiction of Charles II in his new style of court dress. He is being presented with a pineapple, a new fruit for 17th-century Britain, c1675‒80.

After restoration, plague and the great fire of London, the second half of the 17th century saw many significant events that affected royal and wider fashion. By very end of the century ‒ after regicide, restoration and a further revolution ‒ we start to see fashions and styles that will come to dominate the next century: the mantua and the three piece suit.

Masques were elaborate performances involving music, dance and verse with luxurious costumes and spectacular scenery, popular in the Stuart Court.

Below is a modern day costume I created based on the fashion of the Stuart period.  

Week 1 - The Tudor

Henry VIII was called ‘the best dressed sovereign in the world’ and Elizabeth I equally image-conscious, was once described as being like ‘starlight, thick with jewels’. They used fashion to set themselves apart from and control their subjects, and used portraiture manipulate their pubic image and appearance, very much like we might use social media today to project a public image out into the world. 

Successive sumptuary laws were brought in to regulate exactly what people wore, from fabrics to colours, and their accessories too. After this, people could only wear certain things according to their hierarchical status in society. The Tudors also used the laws to prevent general extravagance and promote trade in English materials like wool.

Black, white and silver were not only expensive colours to produce and to maintain, they also would have contrasted with Elizabeth’s pale complexion, which was a sign of her elite status, and her auburn hair, which was a characteristic feature of the Tudor dynasty.








Elizabeth’s clothing and accessories also often contain meanings that would have been instantly recognisable to her subjects but are perhaps less familiar to us. The intricate lace cuffs and elaborate lace ruffs, for instance, are a sign that she was a woman who did not have to do any physical or manual labour, and the jewel-encrusted gowns are testament to her wealth.

Very few garments from this period of history survive. The frustrating lack of surviving royal items is not just a result of Oliver Cromwell’s royal clear-out, or even because so much perished in the Great Fire of London Fire in 1666. It is the Tudor monarchs, and the Stuarts who inherited their treasures who are much to blame. If the cloth does survive its often been reused as alter cloth or soft furnishing, the value and cost of clothing was much higher than today, and charitable re-gifting was also seen as ‘a good thing to do’. It would seem that the Tudors amongst many things were some of this countries earliest Up cycle devotees!!

I've really enjoyed the first week of the History of Royal Fashion course with Future Learn and Glasgow University. I'm starting learning about the Stuarts today which I'm sure will be just as interesting. I will conclude my last 10 days of #100daysofpapercollage when this five week course is complete.