The Tudor Revolution

Why have I been buckling down so much to restore my Anne Boleyn portrait ensemble? Many of us at rennfire.org have been invited to strut the catwalk at Phoenix Comic Con 2014.The goal of PHX Comic Con's Silhouettes of History is to show the inspirations of many popular historical dramas. Henry VIII and his court will be appearing to represent the Tudor court. I understand there will be many wonderfully talented people portraying other historical periods as well.  The show is Sunday, June 8 at 2pm. For more details please visit the Phoenix Comic Con website or Facebook pages. As of now registration for models is closed.  Phoenix Comic Con Facebook Page Phoenix Comic Con Website  "Learn about historical inspirations for the costuming in such shows as The Tudors, The Borgias and Rome! Local re-enactors will present historically accurate costumes from all parts of history, from the Romans to the Renaissance. You can vote for your favorite costume and check them out up...

Beads completed and sewn to kirtle In August 2012 I started a project to replace the brass beads on my Anne Boleyn gown with wooden beads covered in metallic threads. Because I did not have a solid timeline I needed to finish these by the beads were put aside for other projects. Now I have the deadline that I needed I have been working steadily to finish covering the beads. New research has also encouraged me to place all of the embellishment on the neckline of a supportive kirtle rather than the edge of my gown as I had done before. This kirtle will also replace the corset I had been wearing under my gown. The first kirtle had varied amounts of success. It was supportive improved the silhouette, but the "cups" of the kirtle were too small for my bust. This version is more accommodating. The kirtle also laces under the arm on both sides to allow for more flexibility and an unbroken neckline under my gown. Progress of embellishing the kirtle. Kirtle bodice is made...

Miniature of Anne Boleyn. While this image has the best detail of any of the French Hood  portraits there is still debate over the portrait being painted within her life time. So do you all remember the dress I made based off of Anne Boleyn's miniature? I chose the miniature because it seamed to have the best detail. Well, I was never fully satisfied with Anne just having gold brass beads on her neckline. They gave the idea of what the gown had, and I was asked to do this on short notice. All of that aside, now I have been allowed the time to go back and do it right. so I plan to. Detail from the beading on Anne Boleyn's Bodice. After some research and digging around I stumbled across a few extent garments from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. amazingly they have thread covered buttons made with gold thread, and on one example they are purely decorative. Any avid costumers out there can imagine the excitement I got from this discovery. Copyrigh...

I am sure that anyone reading this blog has watched or read some historical fiction based on Henry VIII's reign. Remember the huge deal the Queen's Jewels were? When looking at portraits of Henry's many queens, you start to see the same pendant, or pearls with settings show up again and again. Bellow are images from Henry VIII's court. The crown jewels from this time period probably look unlike anything you have seen on showtime or in the movies. Necklace Grouping 1, Queens of England (Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard) Necklace Grouping 2, Queens of England (Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr) I am pairing up more portraits of Queens and their jewels, I have at least 2 other pieces i am tracing. Keep checking back.