Deborah Simonton, ‘ “Sister to the tailor”: Guilds, gender and the needle trades in eighteenth-century Europe’

Milliners, mantuamakers, modistes and marchandes de mode were skilled artisans, businesswomen and tradeswomen. During the eighteenth century, they commandeered the high-class sewing that set fashion and created stars of their most famous clients. They populated the growing towns of Europe and used their design and business acumen to create a virtual profession out of a handicraft. They also encountered resistance from guilds and guildsmen who tried to retain control over commercial sewing, especially the bespoke end of the needle trades. They confronted slander from commentators who saw them acting on the fringes of female respectability. This chapter explores this group of commercial ‘professionals’ as they carved out a niche in the world of sewing.