The silhouette for the Boleyn skirt is heavily influenced by the dual-layered skirts that were often seen worn in the Tudor court - the first layer being a farthingale, made to enhance the shape of the female hips and add volume to the skirt, while the second layer would be a decorative attachment that would split in the middle, leaving room to see the lower skirt, as can be seen in the last picture of a young Elizabeth I wearing the same style. In this interpretation, a foundation of virginal white velvet serves as both literal and symbolic canvas—a surface of conventional innocence and purity. The overlay writes over this, decorating it with 12 panels, each curving to form a sharp scallop at the hem, with a detailed glass-bead and pearl-embroidered edging - shaped to look like the edges of the clamshell within Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
The 2 central panels are then extended till the floor to add movement, and complete a full circle from the central inspiration. Each panel is intricately hand-embroidered with silk threads to feature oceanic emblems and motifs - some taken from a mixture of those found at Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s Childhood home, and the others from the Oxburgh Hangings, made by Mary Queen of Scots, during her time in imprisonment in England. Through this confluence of imagery, Boleyn merges the legacies of two historically maligned queens. In embodying their resilience and erasure, the skirt becomes not only a garment, but an offering—óasi’s gesture of remembrance and reverence at their altar.
Worn with the Boleyn Blouse.
Colourway: Cerulean blue and eggshell with pastel highlights
Fit: High Waisted. Flared.
Fabric Composition:
Skirt: Viscose Velvet
Inner Lining: 100% Modal Satin
dry clean only
