Getting Dressed - Royal Tudors | National Museums Liverpool

Queen Catherine Parr was the sixth wife of King Henry VIII of England. Her garters, embroidered with the entwined initials of H and K in gold and silver, fastened beneath the knee to keep her hand-knitted silk stockings smooth. Her linen coif secured her plaited hair into position. The Queen's smock, made from fine imported Holland linen, formed her principal undergarment. The Spanish farthingale was a cone-shaped petticoat, stiffened with hoops of bent wood. It could be worn with a hip pad, or have one sewn in. It was initially a fashion of the ladies of the Habsburg family, and was once favoured by Catherine of Aragon. In the 1540s it was reintroduced into the Tudor court from the Netherlands, at the time under Habsburg rule, and Catherine Parr was one of the first to adopt it. Catherine was described as a lively and attractive woman, of small stature and graceful countenance. The kirtle was a sleeveless undergown, with a stiffened bodice, and a full gathered and pleated skirt. The front of the bodice was stiffened with buckram, a canvas stiffened with glue, and bents which were a type of reed. The kirtle was laced up, either at the centre back, or at the sides with silk ribbon points. The bodice was laced tightly to the torso, its stiffness essential to protect the dipping waistline from forming a crease. This created the foundation of the fashionable silhouette. The kirtle had a bejewelled band around the neckline, decorated with gold ouches and pearls. This would remain visible when her outfit was complete. Tudor shoes of this period, for both men and women, were flat, square-toed and decorated with slashes or pinked. Women's shoes are rarely seen in portraits. But Catherine's accounts reveal that she had quite a fondness for them, as she ordered pairs in considerable numbers. The forepart was a false petticoat, often made as a set with a pair of false sleeves. This one is made of crimson cloth of gold, a textile reserved exclusively for the use of the royal family, under sumptuary legislation. It was attached to the kirtle by means of ties and pins. Catherine's accounts reveal that crimson cloth of gold was one of her most frequent purchases of these exclusive textiles. Catherine's gowns were influenced by many continental styles, including French, Dutch, Italian and Venetian. This gown, a French or round gown, had a square neckline opened at the front to reveal the petticoat, and was the same length all around. It is made from crimson silk velvet, a fabric restricted to those of the highest status. Catherine's wardrobe accounts show that she ordered crimson silk velvet in considerable quantities, second only to black velvet and silk satin. The gown bodice fits closely to the bejewelled border of the kirtle, keeping a smooth outline. The gown is laced up at the front with silk points through hand-worked eyelets in a linen panel. The closure is then concealed beneath a stiffened placket of matching crimson velvet. The placket is pinned into place with gold-headed straight pins down one side. The sleeves fit tightly to the upper arm, then fan out into wide pendulous cuffs. The sleeve cuffs are folded back to reveal their luxurious fur lining. The four sleeves slip over the wrists and are fixed into place with ribbon points or pins just above the sleeve elbow. This pair are made from crimson cloth of gold to match the petticoat forepart, slashed and edged with crimson silk, and caught together with gold aglets and ooches. The puffs and frills of linen were often fake. Both forepart and sleeve sets could be changed during the day to create a different look. Elaborately jewelled girdles helped to emphasise the dipping waistline and were amongst the most expensive items of jewellery. Many of the Queen's jewels belonged to the Crown, but Catherine also owned her own and would gift jewels as part of her patronage. Catherine's outfit would be completed with a French hood. During this period, women's heads were always covered when outside or in company. French hoods were decorated with two rows of bejewelled bands known as upper and nether billaments. A black silk veil flowed down the back. Sometimes a linen strap extended under the chin from the coif beneath to hold everything in place. Catherine Parr was a double widow from a non-aristocratic background, but she emerged as the perfect Queen and Regent-General for the Golden Age of Tudor England. Under her guiding influence, she helped shape the future Elizabeth I and she outlived her husband, Henry VIII.