ABSTRACT
Henry VIII, like his grandfather Edward IV, actively participated in court life and he was very conscious of how clothes could set him apart or make him appear like the first amongst equals. As a consequence his clothing choices would have directly influenced which styles, colours and fabrics were favoured at the English court. The danger with this style of kingship was that there would inevitably be times when members of the nobility would rival his royal style, a challenge to his authority to which he was increasingly vulnerable as he got older. The king set the rules laid down in the acts of apparel and they were intended to define his role as the head of English society. This was reflected in some of the king’s choices in his warrant dated 8 February 1525: a gown of purple satin bordered with three borders of purple velvet, a jacket and matching doublet of purple cloth of gold tissue with three crests, two of white cloth of silver and one of black tinsel, a gown of purple cloth of gold tissue and a jacket of white cloth of silver and black tilsent and lined with black satin lined with frieze.1 Garments such as these, which were made from materials resonant with wealth and status, acted as poignant symbols of the king’s authority and so helped to place him emphatically at the pinnacle of Tudor society.
