I am Juliet, a self-taught historical costumer in the UK, with interests in clothing ranging from the 16th Century all the way up the the 20th Century. I have a history degree from Royal Holloway, University of London specialising in Early Modern History. My main interest has always been in English women’s dress of the 16th Century, an interest which began when learning about the Tudors at Middle School aged 9 and deciding to recreate, as accurately as possible, a complete outfit for my homework! For the last 6 years I have been working as a living historian in places such as Kentwell Hall, the National Horse Racing Museum, Basing House and Athelhampton House. I organise and run events to bring history to life by showing all aspects of a period including food, medicine, music, dance, clothing, games and sport. I have also taken my expertise into schools to share this knowledge and spark children’s interest in history.
Where to find me:
Juliet’s class is titled “Mantua Makers and the Rise of the Female Dressmaker”:
The blog post that accompanies this class is at https://petticoatsandpockets.com/mantua-makers-and-the-rise-of-the-female-dress-maker/
When thinking of 18th-century clothing, images immediately come to mind of opulent silk gowns worn over panniers, heavily trimmed and embroidered. Such gowns were the work of female mantua makers and seamstresses. For the first time in European history, women were making outer garments. But the story of how that came to be is not exactly straight forward. This class will explore the origins of such gowns, tracing them back to the Dutch trade with Japan, and how their widespread adoption assisted the rise of female dressmakers.
Costumers of Color 