Tudor Takeover: Tudor Talks
Sat 18 Apr 2026 | 4pm at the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul
Typical Tudors: Everyday Dress in Sixteenth-Century England
What did ordinary people wear in the sixteenth century, and how do we know? In this talk, Ninya Mikhaila explores the evidence for Tudor clothing, drawing on documentary, visual and artefactual sources. She offers insights into long‑forgotten practices such as the Acts of Apparel, issued by the monarch to restrict what subjects could wear according to their social rank. She also looks at customs such as passing garments on to friends and family in wills and the belief that certain colours and fabrics could influence health and well‑being.
About Ninya Mikhaila
Ninya Mikhaila established her business creating reconstructions of historic dress for museums and heritage sites in 1994 after completing a Higher National Diploma in Costume Interpretation at the London College of Fashion. Her clients include Historic Royal Palaces, the Royal Armouries, the National Trust, English Heritage, the National Archives, Gainsborough’s House and the BBC. Ninya appeared in the BBC4 television series A Stitch in Time, which explored what reconstructed clothing can reveal about people in the past. She is also one half of The Tudor Tailor, a company dedicated to researching and publishing on sixteenth‑century dress.
This add-on event does not include General Admission to the Painted Hall or Visitor Centre
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Sat 18 Apr 2026 | 4pm at the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul
Typical Tudors: Everyday Dress in Sixteenth-Century England
What did ordinary people wear in the sixteenth century, and how do we know? In this talk, Ninya Mikhaila explores the evidence for Tudor clothing, drawing on documentary, visual and artefactual sources. She offers insights into long‑forgotten practices such as the Acts of Apparel, issued by the monarch to restrict what subjects could wear according to their social rank. She also looks at customs such as passing garments on to friends and family in wills and the belief that certain colours and fabrics could influence health and well‑being.
About Ninya Mikhaila
Ninya Mikhaila established her business creating reconstructions of historic dress for museums and heritage sites in 1994 after completing a Higher National Diploma in Costume Interpretation at the London College of Fashion. Her clients include Historic Royal Palaces, the Royal Armouries, the National Trust, English Heritage, the National Archives, Gainsborough’s House and the BBC. Ninya appeared in the BBC4 television series A Stitch in Time, which explored what reconstructed clothing can reveal about people in the past. She is also one half of The Tudor Tailor, a company dedicated to researching and publishing on sixteenth‑century dress.
This add-on event does not include General Admission to the Painted Hall or Visitor Centre
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