Fashion History Up Close

Looking at Georgian Fashion from the Inside Out

Did you know that the optimal eighteenth-century fashionable appearance relied to a large extent on the use of buckles?

Fastened to shoes, sashes, cravats and hats, buckles could be both functional and ‘flashy’. They held up tall neckties and slimmed the waist. Georgian bodies were also moulded into the desired silhouette by the cut and design of their clothes and support garments. However, being ‘in fashion’ is more than presenting a façade to be looked at. Being fashionable can also mean looking back at the viewer, with a calibrated move and gaze achieved with the right optical prosthesis such as a quizzing glass.

For the Georgians, being fashionable also meant being dressed using the latest technological gizmos that helped them to keep time and tasks under control, such as watches and notebooks. When was the last time you felt properly dressed/equipped without your phone?

Visit us on Wednesday 12th July, 6pm-8pm, for a FREE hands-on exploration of these and many other ideas. You will have an opportunity to see Fairfax House’s collection of fine Georgian clothing and accessories up close.

Curators and historians from Leeds and York will introduce you to an eighteenth-century world of fashion that seems remote, yet also familiar. At the end the workshop, Sarah Burnage, curator of Fairfax House, invites all participants to a tour of the house.

This event is free but you must register for a ticket. You can do so by clicking here.

This event is presented by York Art History Collaborations and the Digital Museum of Dress Accessories (DMDA), the Department of History of Art, University of York, in association with Fairfax House and the Yorkshire Country House Partnership (YCHP).

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