The school of historical dress

27/08/2026

NEW OCTOBER WORKSHOP!

This Autumn the School is hosting an exhibition of Miniature Indian Costumes from the collection of Geeta Khandelwal. This workshop will guide students through the process of creating an interpretation of a historical garment in quarter scale (1:4), using the pattern of a miniature garment on display in the exhibition.

Crafted over four dedicated years, this extraordinary collection features a meticulously hand-stitched series of mini costumes recreating historic royal attire—including Jama, Angarakha, Chogha, and Sherwani—inspired by original full-scale garments from The Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad. Using 'authentic' handwoven textiles, intricate embroidery, and period-appropriate techniques, each piece reflects the exact artistry of the Indian Maharajas’ courts at a miniature scale.

TUTOR - Dhruvita Paralkar

1-Day Course - SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2025 or 10th OCTOBER

The workshop will take place at The School of Historical Dress, 52 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7PP.

Book the workshop on our webshop under COURSES (link in bio).

24/08/2026

19/08/2026

Our Indian season will start with our next exhibition opening from 26th September. We are happy to host the collection of Geeta Khandelwal of Indian Miniature Costumes, based on extant examples from the Calico Museum in Ahmedabad published in their pattern book. The miniatures are the work of Geeta Khandelwal and Dhruvita Paralkar. These will be displayed alongside full-size reconstructions and antique originals.

26th September 2026 to 10th October 2026
Opening Hours:
Friday 4pm to 7.30pm
Saturday & Sunday 1pm to 5pm
Entrance fee - minimum £1
Donations are very welcome

The School of Historical Dress
52 Lambeth Road
London SE1 7PP

17/08/2026

Dear All, we are currently stopping all orders on books shipping to the EU due to the new Packaging and Recycling Regulation that have started to be enforced on 12th August.

As we are an unfunded charity, our sole source revenue is through book sales so this decision has a very serious impact on us. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience this may cause.

We hope we can resume posting once we have made a full assessment of the situation and if the rules change for small businesses.

01/08/2026

We are happy to announce that ticket bookings are now open on our webshop for the study day and book launch on The Content, Cut, Construction and Context of 17th century European Menswear:

https://shop.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk/product/patterns-of-fashion-7-study-day-book-launch-friday-20th-november-2026/

You might already be aware that we had to change the date of our Patterns of Fashion 7 book launch to the 20th November 2026, due to unforeseen complications in finishing the book and we would like to apologise for any trouble that may have caused.

On our webshop you will find the programme, with a list of mini-workshops that will be offered in two sessions, in between the 3 sessions of presentations from the stage.

After you have booked your ticket, please choose any 6 activities that most interest you, out of the 16 described in the programme, using the online form linked on the webshop and pdf.

25/07/2026

Did you know that even if they are more often associated with menswear, informal gowns were actually worn by both men and women in the 17th century? The dolls of Lady and Lord Clapham, in the V&A collection are wearing such gowns made in the same patterned silk, image 4 is also for a doll.

These gowns which were luxurious and very fashionable 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 and we published one worn by a German Princess in Patterns of Fashion 6 (image 3).

The gown we will reconstruct on this course is an interpretation of a unique extant example from the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam (image 5), which has had the inner garment (of silk muslin with silk wadding inside it, image 6) 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. Accounts for Queen Mary also mention very similar wadded gowns.

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.

Book on our webshop: https://shop.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk/product/the-cut-construction-of-mens-wadded-gowns-c-1680-1710-24th-28th-august-2026/

23/07/2026

Come and unlock the mysteries of open and petticoat breeches during our special course on the 'Cut & Construction of Men’s Petticoat Breeches c.1660-80'.

This extraordinary garment holds a very special place in the development of menswear in the mid-17th century. Students will receive exclusive information on how they were made and decorated from our upcoming book Patterns of Fashion 7 and we can assure that there are many surprises!

The course would suit anyone with a passion for 17th century garments made by tailors for both women and men. Women's petticoats and men's open or petticoat breeches needed the same attention to their structure and underpinnings. Also, the many styles and types of decorations such as lace and ribbon were used for garments for men and women.

Students will get a chance to study extant examples of silver and silver-gilt parchment lace and work on silver-wrapped parchment strips, as well various specific techniques involved in making the knots of ribbons so prominent at the time.

5-Day Course – MONDAY 10th AUGUST TO FRIDAY 14TH AUGUST 2026

£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.

https://shop.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk/product/the-cut-construction-of-mens-petticoat-breeches-c-1655-75-10th-14th-august-2026/

03/04/2026

SAVE THE DATE! The UK launch and study day of our new book ‘PATTERNS OF FASHION 7: The content, cut, construction and context of tailored menswear c. 1620-1720’ will now be held IN LONDON at CONWAY HALL on FRIDAY 20th NOVEMBER 2026. Programme and tickets will be available in June. We are also proud and excited to be launching the book in India at these ‘Living & Learning Research Centre’ in Kutch at the beginning of OCTOBER. Follow us for dates and details to be announced soon!

The book will on sale to the general public from the end of October.

Image 1. A half-scale handmade reconstruction of a silk coat c.1710 from the book. In the background is a 1709 dated portrait in our library of a merchant from Hanover wearing a chintz informal gown.

Image 2. The fully dressed miniature doll of Lord Clapham c.1690-1700, now in the V&A collections.

Image 3. Inspired by the Lord Clapham doll, we have commissioned from Rachel Frost a similar doll of our own called Lord Lambeth, because our School is in Lambeth Road, London. Lord Lambeth will be a time traveller and could wear all the clothes seen here which are dated from c.1620-1710, the time period covered in our new pattern book.

07/03/2026

We are still very busy working on our next book Patterns of Fashion 7, on 17th century menswear, due to be released this Autumn. For that reason we are very sorry that we cannot be offering courses for the moment.

In the meantime here is a little tip we thought you might like when using our books! You can buy all 6 volumes exclusively from our webshop.