The dress in the portrait of Elizabeth I when she was a teenage princess, circa 1546 (so she is approximately aged 13 here) which Nicky is reconstructing.

I met Nicky by chance at Hever Castle in Kent, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry viii and mother of Elizabeth I. It quickly transpired that both of us a keen amateur historians, Nicky showed me this incredible historical dress recreation that she is working on. The dress in the portrait which Nicky is recreating is many layers, the base level alone weighs 10lbs and is incredibly intricate. It is also worth noting that this period was a Little Ice Age. The Thames froze over, reportedly Henry viii and Jane Seymour (his third wife) travelled by sleigh on the Thames in 1536 - the year that Anne Boleyn was beheaded (on May 19th at the Tower of London). Meaning more layers of clothing were the norm, as the weather was much colder then than now.

Making, wearing and reconstructing historical costumes is a powerful way to understand both the sartorial choices and constraints of a society, and offers a deep dive into looking at the fabrics, dyes and particularly with regal portraits, the communication tools clothes are performing to promote ideas around identity.

All of which Elizabeth I was to use to her advantage with her Gloriana imagery across her reign, when her image was codified raising her from mortal to icon. Indeed, this was the myth making masterpiece of the Tudors, who after all were upstart claimants to the throne: think Henry viii’s epic codpiece, legs wide, hands on hips, masking his insecurities about legacy and mortality.

During Elizabeth I’s reign, in 1574, sumptuary laws were strategic in defining and managing social and economic change. The law established a rigid hierarchy based on both noble rank and annual income. Only dukes, marquises, and earls could wear cloth of gold, literally the most precious of fabrics woven with real gold thread. Viscounts and barons were permitted certain silks and velvets, but forbidden the most luxurious materials. Knights with lands worth £200 annually enjoyed different privileges from those worth only £100, while merchants earning under £20 a year were not allowed to wear silk.

The global and local trade of fashion, textiles and economic power were all embedded in the sumptuary laws, at a time when commercial expansion into trade, such as expansion of the Levant Company, show that fashion has always been political, and a key feature of international trading relations. The clothes we wear continue to communicate messages about power and status.

Follow Nicky’s work on Instagram at Historical Hemlines

Historical Hemlines at Hever Castle

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