I am delighted to announce that I will be leading a live public (in person) 18th century dressmaking event during the opening week of the National Trust for Scotland's exciting new exhibition "Ramsay & Edinburgh Fashion".

The NTS says: “This exhibition brings together, for the first time, a collection of Allan Ramsay’s portraits of women from NTS properties in the Edinburgh area. Set against the backdrop of the fashion trades, this exhibition demonstrates how vital it was for a portrait painter to be familiar with dress styles, materials and accessories in the mid-18th century. Fashion was a key signifier of good taste. We move from an early 1739 portrait of a young heiress to a 1769 painting of an Edinburgh society hostess to reveal how Ramsay used clothing to reflect a sitter’s personality. New research lays out the trades involved in fashion – from the milliners to the mantua-makers – along Edinburgh’s High Street, and sets this against the fashion for portraiture in the mid-18th century.”

EXHIBITION DATES: 7 June - 26 November 2024
DRESSMAKING EVENT DATES: 8 - 13 June 2024
VENUE: The Georgian House NTS, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4DR, Scotland (UK)

Our 18th century dressmaking event features the making of a silk long sackback gown such as the one worn by Katherine Mure of Caldwell in Ramsay's portrait of her c.1766-68. Ours will be modelled by a NTS volunteer on whom the gown will be cut and fitted throughout the process.

Access to the Drawing Room while we are making the gown is included in your entry ticket to the Georgian House.

You can find details about the Georgian House's opening times and ticket prices on the NTS website: https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house.

Details of the Ramsay & Edinburgh Fashion exhibition are at https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house/highlights/ramsay-and-edinburgh-fashion-exhibition.