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Miscellaneous The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th-Century Dress by Nina Mikhaila and Jane Malcom-Davies/ $35 / Costume & Fashion Press/ 2006 Superbly illustrated, The Tudor Tailor commences with suggestions for researching Tudor clothing through visual and literary references, archaeological remains, and prior books on the subject. The authors then undertake the enormous task of providing an overview of Tudor clothing in a straightforward and detailed manner. The text is easy to read and is kept interesting with references to seldom discussed subjects, such as gown alterations to accommodate pregnancy. Instead of the customary portraiture, details from little-known paintings, statuary, and existent clothing are presented here, as well as line drawings. Period fabrics are also described with references to weaves, materials, colors, and designs, in addition to describing the types of leathers and furs that were in use during Tudor times. Embroidery, slashing, pinking, and raw edges are touched upon as well as decorative devices such as spangles, pearls, and lace. There are 36 patterns in the book, including the usual fare of shirt, chemise, and farthingale. But the authors also provide such particulars as how to make a gentleman’s hose, how to do up one’s hair under a gable hood, and how ladies’ underpinnings really work. Each pattern is laid out on a grid so that it can be redrawn and altered to fit the wearer. Thorough instructions for each garment using modern sewing methods are often supplemented by photographs and additional directions for hand-sewing the garment. The book concludes with a list of materials suppliers in both the UK and the US. The Tudor Tailor is a comprehensive and accurate guide to Tudor clothing that provides insight into the social strictures of the period. Re-enactors, historical interpreters, and theater costumers should include this book in their libraries, for it sets the criteria by which other books on period clothing construction should be judged. — Janet Melody

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