Description
Students on this course will get the chance to participate in the cut and construction of these gowns which were luxurious and very fashionable for both men and women in the second half of the 17th century and in the 18th century they became acceptable garments for men to wear in public. They were often referred to as Indian gowns or Jappan gowns, both as a result of the increased trade to the continent of Asia from whence they came brought to Europe by the East India Companies.
We are publishing the patterns of two such gowns in our upcoming book Patterns of Fashion 7: the content, cut, construction and context of European menswear c.1620-1710.
The gown we will reconstruct on this course is an interpretation of a unique extant example from the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam, which has had the inner garment (of silk muslin with silk wadding inside it) removed from the silk satin outer layers. We will make both the outer garment and the inner one separately, in a way in which they can also be put together. To have the opportunity to see the layers of a garment which can usually only be felt is a rarity. We are delighted that one of our past students bought a very large wadd of silk fibre from China for us to use on this exciting project.
The original gown we will focus on was almost certainly made for King William III and stadtholder of the Netherlands. The accounts for King William include entries such as ‘three Bundles of ffine wadd’ and ‘One peice of gold and purple Atlas’. The gown was originally deep purple silk satin (now faded) with gold brocaded serpertine stems with plant forms. It is lined with rich green silk taffeta.
Examples of extant 17th century textiles, garments and accessories worn by both men and women will be available for close examination by students during the course including the gown shown in the product gallery which is 18th century and half-wadded (green with narrow sleeves).
TUTORS Jenny Tiramani & Irene D’Antonio
5-Day Course – MONDAY 24th AUGUST TO FRIDAY 28TH AUGUST 2026 – The course is suitable for beginners and students who are less experienced in tailoring techniques.
£250 (This fee is half-price – our normal concession price for 2026 is £100 per day).
10am to 6pm – with a vegetarian lunch and drinks included.
The course will take place at The School of Historical Dress, 52 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7PP.
Places are non-refundable unless we can re-sell your place. This is the only way we can keep our class sizes small to give each student enough tuition (6 to 8 students per class).
