ABSTRACT
The mid Tudor period saw few changes in female fashion. The loose gown or nightgown was a fulllength, unfitted gown worn by women as well as men for informal attire. References to cloaks are rare as are those for garments for outdoor use for women. In the mid Tudor period high quality female body garments were made almost exclusively from bleached white linen. Henry VIII's court acted as a focal point for the dissemination of ideas about female fashionable dress in mid Tudor England. Henry's queens all exchanged gifts at the New Year as a means of making and maintaining a network of patronage. A queen in early modern England had to effectively manage the public and the political aspects of her life alongside the private and the domestic. The influence of the queen was based on her intimate relationship with the king. To ensure a legitimate succession, the Treason Act prohibited any illicit sexual liaisons outside a queen's marriage.
