Dressing the Tudors: A Video Tour of Putting on Clothes

Now that we know what the Tudors were wearing, what do we know about how they got dressed? Thanks to the performances and educational programming of Living History interpreters and groups all over the world, we are able to inhabit history and experience the complex and fascinating cultures of the past. Historical costuming plays a primary role in this living historic performance and can help us to understand daily life and its intricacies throughout time. Watch the videos below as they take you into the dressing rooms of Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, and a middle-class Tudor woman. These three reenactments afford us a glimpse of the dressing rituals involved during the reign of the Tudors.

Dressing Henry VIII:

Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Dressing Queen Elizabeth:

Source: BBC