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The Costume of Power: Fashion in Renaissance Italy
Short course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Our courses are built using the latest Microsoft software. Tune in to expert lectures live or catch up on demand. Join discussions and continue your learning with downloadable handouts and presentations. Find out more >>
Tickets available from 10.00 on Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Explore the art of dressing in the Italian Renaissance. From luxury textiles to sartorial texts, this is a fascinating journey through Renaissance clothing.
Uncover a story of taste, enterprise, power, and social conventions. From the early 15th to early 17th centuries, we will discover silk, velvets and lace, created using luxury textile production techniques in Venice, Florence and Milan. Paintings and sculptures in the V&A collection will teach us about Renaissance fashion practices, and sartorial texts will provide a window into the clothing cultures of the Italian courts. The course will also spotlight contemporary practitioners working on the precise reproduction of Renaissance period clothing or costume.
This course runs online every Thursday for 5 weeks online. Not able to attend live? You can also enjoy all of the course content on catch up at a time to suit you - plus you'll get an extra 5 weeks to catch up once the course ends.
For more details on how our courses work, see V&A Academy FAQs.
For more details on how our courses work, see V&A Academy FAQs.
This course is suitable for participants aged 18 and over.
Course Leader
Virginia Arabella Hill
Virginia is an Anglo-Italian dress historian based in Milan, Italy. She gained her BA degree in History of Art from East Anglia University, Norwich and her MA degree in History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
I most enjoyed Virginia’s ‘all-in’ attitude, passion for her subject, and breadth of knowledge. I’d love to sit and enjoy a cappuccino with her at a cafe in Milan and just listen! Previous V&A Academy Course Attendee
Course overview
Embark on a sartorial journey through Renaissance Italy – from fabrics, to clothing cultures, to how to dress for success at the Italian courts.
Weekly lecture topics include:
The history of lace in Renaissance Italy
Dress in Caravaggio’s paintings
Recreating Renaissance fashions in Italy today
…and many more!
By the end of this course, you’ll understand how paintings, sculptures and texts can function as primary sources for investigating historical fashion practices. You will learn about historic textile production techniques, how fashion can underpin politics and power, and how contemporary practitioners are keeping period dress-making techniques alive today.
Ready to dive deeper? Take a look at the full course programme by clicking ‘download programme’ below.
Membership Priority Booking will open at 10.00 BST on on Wednesday 24 June 2026. General Booking will open at 10.00 BST on Wednesday 8 July 2026.
Our courses are built using the latest Microsoft software. Tune in to expert lectures live or catch up on demand. Join discussions and continue your learning with downloadable handouts and presentations. Find out more >>
Enrol now
Short course: The Costume of Power: Fashion in Renaissance Italy
8 October 2026 - 5 November 2026
£125.00
Tickets not available yet
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
Header image: Ruff edging of linen needle lace, probably made in Italy, 1600-1620. Museumn Nr. T.14-1965. Part of Order an Object.