A gown of ten thousand pearls: Reconstructing the clothing of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon

Reconstructing the clothing worn by Mary Tudor (sister to Henry VIII) and her husband Charles Brandon in their famous double portrait.

Borne out with whalebone: A dressing demonstration

Bodies, farthingales and farthingale sleeves were an integral part of fashionable women’s dress in the 1590s when both shoulders and hips were widened, in contrast to an elongated narrow waist by being ‘borne out with whalebone’. These exaggerated fashions of the late Elizabethan era have led to the modern belief that women were somewhat weighed down and immobilised by them. In this dressing demonstration historical costumier Ninya Mikhaila will show how a lady’s outfit was achieved, from the underwear out, using reconstructed garments and a live model.

Talk TBD

The so-called canvas coat of Sir Hugh Willoughby

The dress collection of Nottingham Museums contains an intriguing and little-known piece of sixteenth century textile armour which has been on loan for over a hundred years, and yet not studied or published on during that time. It has previously been associated with Hugh Willoughby, the soldier and arctic explorer who lost his life at sea whilst attempting to find the Northeast passage in 1553. Ninya has been researching the garment to find out more about its function, history and association with Wollaton Hall and the Willoughbys.

Clothing The Lost King: reconstructing the wardrobe of Richard III

Ninya shares the research and making process behind the sets of clothing made for the film The Lost King and, subsequently another set of clothes for the Richard III Society. Ninya also looks at how Richard’s tailor may have dealt with the king’s scoliosis, and how evident his condition would have been to his contemporaries before his death.

The Stitch Festival

Jane and Ninya will be trading as The Tudor Tailor

Clothing The Lost King: reconstructing the wardrobe of Richard III

Ninya shares the research and making process behind the sets of clothing made for the film The Lost King and, subsequently another set of clothes for the Richard III Society. Ninya also looks at how Richard’s tailor may have dealt with the king’s scoliosis, and how evident his condition would have been to his contemporaries before his death.

Stitches in Time: Reconstructing the Arnolfini Gown

Insights into details of the research and construction processes for the BBC television programme. The reconstructed gown will be available for in person talks.

A gown of ten thousand pearls: Reconstructing the clothing of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon

Reconstructing the clothing worn by Mary Tudor (sister to Henry VIII) and her husband Charles Brandon in their famous double portrait.

Greensleeves: Text and Textiles in Early Modern English Culture

Borne out with whalebone: A dressing demonstration

Bodies, farthingales and farthingale sleeves were an integral part of fashionable women’s dress in the 1590s when both shoulders and hips were widened, in contrast to an elongated narrow waist by being ‘borne out with whalebone’. These exaggerated fashions of the late Elizabethan era have led to the modern belief that women were somewhat weighed down and immobilised by them. In this dressing demonstration historical costumier Ninya Mikhaila will show how a lady’s outfit was achieved, from the underwear out, using reconstructed garments and a live model.

Borne out with whalebone: The earliest use of baleen and bent rope in foundation garments

Keynote talk as part of a two-day symposium

A gown of grossie green: reconstructing Lady Greensleeves

Greensleeves Conference and exhibition for The Medieval Dress & Textile Society (MEDATS)