The way we dress affects the way we move. For those interested in Early Dance, the wearing of good historical dress adds to the understanding of each period, indicating aspects of deportment, quality of movement and, importantly, restrictions on mobility.

Imagine the changes we impose on ourselves when we change from casual wear to more formal clothes – perhaps wearing unaccustomed high heels or a collar and tie. Then try to imagine the restrictions imposed by corsets and a farthingale, or by a well-padded doublet and revealing hose, together with cloak and hat and perhaps a sword. Most periods before our own also required elaborate hairstyles for the women, a hat and sometimes a wig for the men. Managing all of these in a dance takes practice!

Before making any (irreversible) decisions study as many pictures as you can relevant to your chosen period. The elaborate portraits to be seen in museums and country houses can often be found in costume history books, some of which also contain small-scale drawings of patterns. Remember that the sitter in a portrait may well have donned their very best for the occasion, including more finery (especially jewellery) than would normally be worn. Such exaggeration will not, however, disguise the essential details of garments, fastenings, hairstyles, and so on.

For most dancers, authenticity need not be taken to 100%. It is sufficient that the finished garments should reflect the style of the period in colour, in approximate quality of material and in silhouette. All these will be affected by factors such as your choice of social class (courtier, merchant or peasant), your own age or the age of the character you wish to represent and, finally, whether you wish to follow authenticity by having everything hand-sewn for periods before the late nineteenth century.

What is essential, both for the look of the finished garment and for the feel of moving and dancing within it, is to have the correct underwear – especially a corset, farthingale or hooped petticoat for the woman.

The social class you wish to represent will determine the choice of fabric, its colour and the amount and quality of trimming. Sumptuous brocades, cloth of gold or silver, silk, and the use of fur – except for warmth in winter – were the prerogative of the upper classes. Linen, cotton or woollen fabrics are suitable for many periods and social classes. Furnishing fabrics can give the weight and close weave of the past, but note that some curtain fabrics are unnaturally stiff and will not drape convincingly.

The lower classes used plant dyes, producing earthy browns, greens and orange shades. Their fabrics were generally plainer and often of coarse woollen material. More expensive colours were available to the upper classes, though the use of these could be restricted by sumptuary laws. The bright colours produced by modern chemical aniline dyes should not be used before the later Victorian period.

Black was generally a sign of mourning or of wealth. Lilac shades were used to denote ‘half-mourning’, particularly in the time of Jane Austen.

These are an essential part of the finished outfit. Hats and headdresses, shoes and shoe-decorations, fans, gloves, and the correct rings and jewellery will do much to add authenticity to one’s appearance. Spectacles in period style can sometimes be found, if contact lenses are unwelcome. (Do not forget to complete the effect with appropriate hairstyle and cosmetics.)

Theatres, amateur and professional, may be willing to hire out their costumes as individual items or sets. They may occasionally sell surplus garments. Costume hire shops, listed in Yellow Pages, will hire costumes by the day or by the week. Such clothes are designed to withstand abuse when used as fancy dress and are therefore often made in inappropriate materials, so as to be machine-washable. They are made to be simple to put on and are likely to lack the integral stiffening and the appropriate undergarments needed to look authentic.

Making a period outfit requires hard work and dedication, but dancing in one that you have made yourself is extremely rewarding. After choosing your style (see the paragraph on Research, above), you can consult books on costume-making for the theatre, as well as those describing actual surviving garments. Occasionally, modern dress-patterns can be adapted; published small-scale patterns of historic garments can be ‘sized-up’; alternatively, some full-size patterns are now becoming available.

If you do not feel confident enough to make your own outfit, you can have one made for you. There are a number of experienced sewers who can work from basic illustrations.

Good costumiers will discuss your requirements in great detail, and costume societies are usually very willing to give advice. The job will not be done cheaply, so make sure that the specification is sufficiently detailed to guarantee that you get exactly what you have asked for and what you are paying for. A well-made outfit is nevertheless a joy to wear.