A History of Royal Fashion (FutureLearn)

With exclusive access to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, experts at the University of Glasgow and Historic Royal Palaces will introduce you to the different sources we can use to study fashion history.

Go behind the scenes at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace and the Banqueting House to explore the styles of monarchs and their families and the impact of their clothing on society.

What topics will you cover?

- Week 1 – Step into the square shoes of the Tudors and see how their lavish clothes were designed to project power, wealth and control

- Week 2 – The Stuarts are centre stage to showcase how they dressed for leisure and influenced new trends through performance in an increasing time of conflict

- Week 3 – Explore the glamorous Georgians, their century of economic and social change, extreme fashions and an era marked by very public and very private monarchs

- Week 4 – Move into the reign of Queen Victoria, her own changing wardrobe and how technological advancements took fashion forwards

- Week 5 – Welcome to the 20th century where the Windsors balance royal fashion with diplomacy and expectations in an era of mass media and celebrity

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Assess the significance of fashion and clothing to individual and collective British royals

- Identify key fashion developments from the sixteenth century to the present day

- Reflect on how and why fashions have changed

- Explore the significance of different primary sources for understanding fashion history

- Develop an understanding of the history of British monarchs, their family and their reigns