Rebecca Olds is a dress historian
specialising in the cut and construction of
women's clothing during the "long 18th century" -
the golden age of the mantua maker!
Photo credit: Simon Lees 2019. Edited by Lauren Stowell.
Rebecca researches how clothing of this period was made and, in doing so, delves deep to understand how mantua makers were trained, the skillsets they developed, and their experiences as makers and businesswomen.
While it was economic, social, political and cultural changes in France and England that first gave rise to the development of the mantua and the mantua making trade, Rebecca is particularly interested in how mantua makers in Scotland both adopted new styles and adapted cutting and construction techniques to serve the practical requirements and fashionable tastes of the women they clothed.
Through social media, published articles, public talks,
hands-on workshops and her YouTube channel,
Rebecca shares her efforts to walk in the shoes of mantua makers
in reconstructing original 18th century garments.
Follow her social media and check out her YouTube channel
to follow her research, experiments and projects.
Learning through reconstruction: using a test gown to demonstrate cutting and order of construction employed in the making of the Isabella MacTavish Fraser gown.
Rebecca welcomes consultancy work from museums, heritage sites and owners of private collections of historical dress who seek to better display, understand or document objects of historical dress in their collections. She can work with your team to produce full written descriptions of style, cut and construction and, where needed, make accessories or underpinnings to better display original garments. She particularly enjoys making reconstructions that serve to illustrate the original form of garments that may have experienced significant alteration or deterioriation in the centuries since they were made. Providing a replica that can be examined and handled by the public, when the original cannot, helps make precious, fragile objects (and the skills involved in making them) accessible to new audiences.
Left: 1785 wedding dress of Isabella MacTavish Fraser in the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, the only known surviving gown made of “hard tartan” pre-dating 1800.
Right: the re-creation of this gown made by a team of historical dressmakers led by Rebecca Olds in June 2019 as a live mantua-making demonstration in the National Museums Scotland, part of the public programming for the museum’s major exhibition “Wild and Majestic: Romantic Visions of Scotland”. The photo at the top of this page was taken at the beginning of that event.
Rebecca offers hands-on workshops and classes so that you, too, can learn the ways of the mantua maker. Click Book A Talk to invite her to speak at your event or Book A Workshop to teach your group. Or if you cannot organise such an event yourself, keep an eye on the Upcoming Events page to find out about ticketed events where she will be speaking or teaching.
Meanwhile, Rebecca’s hands-on ‘experimental history’ approach to her research produces a steady stream of hand-made items made using "original practice” techniques — 100% hand stitched with period appropriate textiles. These make their way into the Online Shop, where you can find a selection of unfitted garments and millinery, alongside quality accessories made by other artisans. These are already made up individually in just one size — in stock and ready to ship now — and in some cases you can order something similar to better fit you and suit your tastes.
Photo credit: Barbara Olds 2020.
Rebecca also runs a limited Order Book for personal commissions, making completely bespoke fitted garments, such as stays and gowns, suitable for living history, reenactment and high-quality social costuming.
If you would like a custom garment and are willing to do the sewing yourself, Rebecca offers a custom pattern drafting service, too — click Custom Pattern Drafting for options.
The mantua maker’s art: cutting shapes on the body. Photo credit: Mike Redgate 2021.