Henry VIII knew a thing or two about luxury, passing his fondness for brocades, silk doublets and billowing sleeves on to his courtiers and heirs. Now some of the stately formality that marked the Tudor era has found its way into the fall 2009 collections, which displayed enough tufted silks and ruff collars to have outfitted young Queen Bess.
Those and other period references began threading their way onto the catwalks several months ago, coinciding, it seemed, with the popularity of Hollywood bodice rippers like “The Other Boleyn Girl” and the Showtime cable series “The Tudors,” which enters its third season next month.
Last year, John Galliano men’s dedicated an entire collection to the lusty royal family, and Gareth Pugh startled Paris with ruffs the size of cake platters. It seemed only a matter of time before doublets and bone-stiffened bodices, starched collars and mutton sleeves would find their way into the Dolce & Gabbana D&G fall line and into the collections of Gianfranco Ferré and Chanel.
What is it about that era that speaks to a modern sensibility? “There was this placid formality that covered Byzantine machinations beneath the surface,” said Kenneth Jurkiewicz, an associate professor in the School of Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. It contributed “an incredible sense of insecurity,” Dr. Jurkiewicz added, “that enters into the spirit of our time.”
And there is, of course, pure eye appeal. Henry’s formidable stature (he was over six feet tall) and extravagance gave him “terrific charisma,” said Joan Bergin, who designed the lavish costumes for “The Tudors.”
“His modern incarnation is the rock star,” she said. “That’s who’s going to get the photo opportunities.”