[Martin Wallgren]

I´m looking for inspirational art or modern recostructions of clothes for a kit depicting a early 16th century Fighting man, archer or soldier.

I remember seeing a picture once with a lot of archers having a party in a closed garden from around 1500. Does anybody have it?

Thanks in advanced for any answers.

//Martin

[Daniel Staberg]

A very good book on the subject is http://www.tudortailor.com/bookshoptks.shtml
The Tudor Tailor also have excellent patterns for the period for sale

[Sean Flynt]

Thanks for the link, Daniel! Bought it!

[Glennan Carnie]

The Tudor Tailor is an excellent book, but I'd suggest supplementing it with The Medieval Tailor's Assistant by Sarah Thursfield. Although the clothing is earlier, Sarah's book contains more comprehensive instructions on fit and construction of period garments. I'd also recommend Clothes of the Common Man part 2: Making the Garments by Jane Hugget, available through Stuart Press (http://www.stuart-hmaltd.com/clothes_textiles_1580_1660.php)

The Tudor Tailor suffers slightly from being a bit over-edited, which means it's not always so easy to determine exactly what social class should wear what garments in what period.

Another complaint is the lack of information on commoner's clothing for the mid-16th century.

Personally, I find Jane Hugget's interpretations of the evidence more compelling than Ninya Mikhaila's.

A final point to note: Tudor clothing is not fitted like modern clothing: the proportions and tailoring are different, and will feel very odd to someone not used to them. Simply: if the clothing feels 'normal' it's probably wrong! If you tailor using modern proportions and fit, no matter how good your materials are, and how much hand-sewing you do, you will still look 'wrong'. This aspect of period clothing is the one that is gotten wrong most often, unfortunately.

[Dan Rosen]

I agree with Glennan on all his points. The Tudor Tailor is an excellent resource, but leaves some things to be desired and lot of it is really vague. There are a few points in Hugget's later period part of the series (the 1580-1660 one)that I disagree with however- particularly one of her points about sleeves, but they're very good.

I haven't had a chance to see or read it yet, but check this out too- it specifically covers men's dress in the last part of the 15th and the earliest part of the 16th.

http://www.tudortailor.com/bookshoptks.shtml

[Glennan Carnie]

Dan,

Yep, there are some points I disagree with in Hugget's work, too.

The King's Servents is actually a far better book. Since it focuses on a very narrow period and social class it is far more coherent.

In their defence I know Ninya, Jane and Caroline had so much more to put into The Tudor Tailor than could they could possibly fit in. The new series of books gives them just that opportunity. Hopefully, they'll be many more in the range.