An Overview of Tudor Fashion

    Traditionally, the Tudor era runs from Henry Tudor's defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.  In practice, most "Tudor" media pieces focus on the reign of Henry VIII (he of the six wives) or on that of his second daughter, Elizabeth.

    NB: Amanda Hallay has a few unusual ideas as to the why of fashion, some of it totally unsupported by textual evidence; however, she does a good overview of the what of fashion, so I've elected to keep her video in the lineup.

General information
    Hallay, Amanda. "THE ULTIMATE FASHION HISTORY: The Elizabethan Era." YouTube. Posted November 28, 2015.
    HistoryExtra. "How CLEAN were the Tudors? Ruth Goodman on 16th-century hygiene." YouTube. Posted December 30, 2025.
    Marchant, Katrina. "Sumptuary Laws: A History of What Not to Wear." YouTube. Posted May 16, 2025.
    Voorhies, James. "Elizabethan England." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Accessories
    Historic Royal Palaces. "The making of Henry VIII's Crown." YouTube. Posted October 30, 2012.
    Historic Royal Palaces. "Tudor Christmas Gift Idea #2: A Hat." YouTube. Posted December 6, 2017.
    Marchant, Katrina. "Dr Kat and Historic Underwear." YouTube. Posted August 7, 2020.

Cosmetics and hair care
    English Heritage. "Queen Elizabeth I Makeup Tutorial | History Inspired | Feat. Amber Butchart and Rebecca Butterworth." YouTube. October 12, 2018.
    Historyextra. "How to become a Renaissance beauty." YouTube. Posted September 27, 2023.
    Marchant, Katrina. "Dr Kat and Our Filthy Ancestors?" YouTube. Posted March 20, 2020.

Furnishings and décor
    Historic Royal Palaces. "Henry VIII's tapestries revealed." YouTube. Posted May 18, 2011.
    Victoria and Albert Museum. "The most famous bed in the world? | The Great Bed of Ware | V&A." YouTube. Posted February 9, 2021.
    Watt, Melinda. "English Embroidery of the Late Tudor and Stuart Eras." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010.

Gowns and formal wear
    CrowsEyeProductions. "Getting Dressed - Tudor Royal Household." YouTube. Posted September 21, 2022.
    Historic Royal Palaces. "Elizabeth I's dress from the Rainbow Portrait is recreated." YouTube. Posted October 18, 2019.
    Historic Royal Palaces. "Getting Dressed as an Elizabethan Courtier." YouTube. Posted December 24, 2025.
    Historic Royal Palaces. "Getting Dressed as Elizabeth I." YouTube. Posted March 5, 2025.
    Historic Royal Palaces. "The Lost Dress of Elizabeth I." YouTube. Posted September 20, 2019.
    National Museums Liverpool. "Getting Dressed - Royal Tudors | National Museums Liverpool." YouTube. Posted May 19, 2022.
    Pitcher, Izabela. "Dressing up for a court, 1580-90." YouTube. Posted May 21, 2023.
    Pitcher, Izabela. "Getting dressed for Elizabethan court, circa 1590s." YouTube. Posted May 7, 2023.

Textiles and materials
    Carr, Cristina Balloffet. "The Materials and Techniques of English Embroidery of the Late Tudor and Stuart Eras." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010.
    Claire, Ridgway. "Teasel's Tudor Trivia - Tudor fabrics." YouTube. Posted March 2, 2021.
    Phillip Mould & Co. "Nicholas Hilliard a Lady of the Tudor Court with Historic Lace Comparison." YouTube. Posted March 12, 2019.
    Teysko, Heather. "Renaissance English History Podcast Episode 156: Medieval and Tudor Wool Trade." YouTube. Posted March 19, 2021.
    The Tudor Tailor. "A Frieze Cassock." YouTube. Posted September 13, 2019.

Working and middling dress
    Athelhampton. "Dressing a Tudor Maid." YouTube. Posted August 29, 2025.
    Pitcher, Izabela. "Dressing up a Tudor man, middle class, circa 1530." YouTube. Posted March 16, 2022.
    Pitcher, Izabela. "Dressing up a Tudor woman, middle class." YouTube. Posted August 6, 2019.

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