wolf hall: tudor style done right

wolf hall pbs

Have any of you been watching “Wolf Hall” on PBS? It’s a fascinating period of history, much written about and much dramatized. As someone who has studied dress of the Tudor period and made costumes, I’m irked at the modern sensibilities that are often brought to costuming dramas from this period. Women of high rank with long hair worn loose and flowing, soft chemises worn without structured outer layers…these are a few of my bugaboos. So aside from the excellent writing and acting in this series, I’m thrilled at the level of historical accuracy of the costuming. During that period there were strict “sumptuary laws” which dictated what people of various classes were permitted to wear (though the wealthy could pay a fee to wear materials or designs deemed “above their station”) and it was customary for both women and men to have their hair covered at all times.

I enjoyed reading this piece from Vanity Fair about costumer Joanna Eatwell and the research she did for the series.

Do you enjoy period dramas? Does historical accuracy when it comes to costuming make a difference to you?

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26 Comments

  1. Absolutely agree. The 80s was a big offender IMO, 16th century women with perms and frosty makeup. Non!

  2. I know quite a lot about historical costume – a favourite subject of study going back to childhood – and yes historical inaccuracy drives me nuts even/especially when others tell me it doesn’t matter and I’m just being difficult !

  3. I would say that it depends on the project. I will sometimes prefer beautiful and impressive costumes, like everything done by the late Eiko Ishioka for Dracula. More recently, I have noticed the gorgeous hairstyles and costumes of TV serie Vikings, although I have no idea how accurate it is.

  4. It is quite interesting that such pains have been taken with historical accuracy in the costuming in Wolf Hall. I was interested in seeing it until I started to read reviews of the show and the biggest complaint is that the liberties taken with the actual story itself are huge. Apparently Thomas Cromwell is portrayed as somewhat didactic but softens into a well meaning bureaucrat. Apparently primary sources indicate that he began as a sycophant and became tyrannical, manipulating, and power-hungry. It seems that “A Man for All Seasons” is a more realistic portrayal. I’m going to have to put off the pleasures of the beautiful costumes because made-up history irkes me more than made-up costumes:(

  5. Thanks for sharing the Vanity Fair article. It was terrific. Yes, I’m watching the PBS series. Love it. Although not as great as the book, it is a quality production and fascinating to watch.

  6. Thank you for a great topic. I just saw “Wolf Hall” for the first time the other day. Was entranced with the costumes, sets, writing and acting.

    Historical accuracy is very important– I love the insight you offered on the costume of the period. It bugs me horrifically also if dialogue is “wrong” for the period, especially if modern usage and expressions are allowed to creep in. That’s just plain lazy on the part of the production and unforgivable, really.

  7. I do care about accuracy – and can also get swept away by beautiful costumes of any period. So I am not a stickler but I enjoyed learning more today! xo

  8. I have been watching Wolf Hall and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it it is a period that has been represented often on film, the portrayal of the relationship between Cromwell and Wolsey presents a different point of view. When you consider that there were no artificial dyes or synthetic fabrics, clothing definitely would be a highly prized possession.The distinction between nobility, gentry and merchant class would have been clearly identifiable. The Vanity Fair article was interesting for we must definitely take the artists’ tendency to flatter the subject into consideration. I finished Season 1 because I watched WH on Netflix in Mexico. I wonder how long we will have to wait for some more episodes.

  9. I loved Wolf Hall. Hilary Mantel’s books (Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies) as well as the series on Masterpiece. The costumes, and sets are wonderful. I also love the lighting, or lack of it. The sun streaming through windows, illuminating parts of what lies underneath, the dark rooms lit by candles….all make you feel like you have stepped back in time. So much better that other series …like The Tudors, which I couldn’t watch at all because it was way too glitzy.

  10. I loved the book and am enjoying the series on PBS. My favourite – period dramas. And found the comments above enlightening; I’m not an expert on clothing and am a linguistics major, so do notice that there are a few times when modern speech creeps in – doesn’t stop me from enjoying the show.

  11. I agree re the beautiful costumes for Wolf Hall, and all the production values are amazing overall.
    The 2 period movies that are damaged by the women’s hair are both Julie Christie movies:
    Dr Zhivago and Far from the Madding Crowd. She was gorgeous and would have benefited
    from a lack of hairspray!

  12. I loved both of Hilary Mantel’s books, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. The production of Wolf Hall shown on PBS is true to the books and excellent as a result. The locations and costumes were lovely, although I have to admit that I know little about period costumes. I was most impressed by what appeared to be the natural lighting, just sunlight and candles… many, many candles. Mark Rylance is a great actor.

  13. I get very distracted – and grumpy – by inaccurate or lazy costume research. As another of your correspondents mentions, mistakes when costuming the 1980’s is even more irritating because there are so many people out there who could help the costume designers research. They only need to ask!!

  14. I loved the book too – apparently (in response to Cathy’s comment above) it was a bit of a historical re-examination of Thomas Cromwell who some feel has not been accurately portrayed in historical sources. Regarding the inaccurate costuming in period dramas, my friend has a doctorate in historical dance and she usually cringes as the court dances are so often wrong. I will check with her to see if this passes muster as to the dancing (my hunch is yes.)

  15. I think the series is wonderful, and the costumes too. I’m also loving the costumes in Outlander. I will say that every time Lady Mary pulls on her spandex evening gloves on Downton Abbey I want to tear my hair out!

  16. It’s a while since I watched WH here in the UK but it is still vivid in my mind . Most of all I remember some of the individual ‘stage sets’ though they were all actual rooms in historic buildings , I believe . The actors were placed as in an old masters painting , so beautiful . Mark Rylance was gripping . There are some clips of him on YouTube , dancing at the Globe theatre – worth a look to see him laughing .
    Wendy in York

  17. Yes! You should see what the girls at Frock Flicks say about this,and other historically inclined films. Very entertaining.
    Heidi

  18. I do enjoy historical accuracy in costumes in film but I also understand that sometimes costume designers are going with the director’s intended look of the era, whether it is historically accurate or not. For instance, Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ is about as far away as you could get from historical accuracy regarding clothes from the 1920s. However, this is his vision, it’s the 20s filtered through F. Scott Fitzgerald and then again through Luhrmann and his Oscar-winning costume designer wife, Catherine Martin, and you see that in every frame. Also, I have to think budget constraints limit most productions, every costume designer I’ve interviewed has mentioned how little money they are given to costume entire casts! And I think sometimes what the characters end up wearing reflects that. Though in the case of ‘Gatsby’ they probably got a lot of promo clothes by way of Brooks Brothers, Prada, and jewels from Tiffany & Co.!

  19. I enjoy period dramas, so must check this out. As a lover of vintage, it’s important to me that costuming be historically accurate. The photos that you included are gorgeous.

  20. I have not been able to get into Wolf Hall – I watch on my laptop and the show is too dark to see well!

  21. Oh Wolf Hall is great for costumes. I wouldn’t know much about class vs. dress in that day–except for the obvious spread between royalty and commoner. I didn’t know you had studied this period in fashion.

  22. I love historic dramas, both in books and movies. And I can understand that you get irritated when you KNOW the clothes are wrong. I can so imagine that. You think: “couldn’t they have been a little more precise?”
    Greetje