Stuart Floral Shirt Dress

Striking cotton shirt dress with a print inspired by the motifs on a blackwork coif from 1600, now held in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, reinterpreted in navy. Popular during the Tudor period England, blackwork is a form of embroidery generally worked in black thread. Often thought to have been brought here by Catherine of Aragon from Spain, and sometimes referred to as 'Spanish work', Henry VIII's wife is depicted in portraits wearing garments with this distinctive embroidery. However, black embroidery was known in England before 1500. Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales describes the clothing of the miller's wife, Alison: 'Of white, too, was the dainty smock she wore, embroidered at the collar all about with coal-black silk, alike within and out'. During the Tudor period blackwork in silk thread on linen became a popular technique for designs on domestic textiles such as cushions as well as the striking coif now held in the Museum. This stylish collared dress combines a period pattern with modern design, finished with gathering at the waist and buttons covered with a concealed placket.

Made exclusively for Museum Selection

Colour: Navy, White
Cotton
3/4 length sleeves
Relaxed fit, button fastenings
c.109cm long
Machine wash 30 °C, gentle cycle, do not bleach
Do not dry clean, Warm iron