Now, I know my column is supposed to be every two weeks, but today is October 23rd; the anniversary of the first battle in the English Civil War. What better(sort of) time to feature Charles I?

I promised discussion on the "character design" and semiotics of dress of the people I'm going to feature here, and I still plan to include that in future (it's an important element of culture). But right now I'm ill, so please forgive my lack!

Here is a great big picture of Charles I:

As you can see, he was not a bad dresser. This can be attributed to the times he lived in and the fact that he was, of course, the King, but even so we must give him his due. He could have demanded to live in sackcloth and ashes.. demanding to have his way was one of the things that brought about all the warring and subsequent beheading, of course (God save the Queen).

You might think that period dress is a)boring, dull and out of touch

b)too fancy and fiddly to wear now

or c) something to do with menstuation.

These things may all be true, but looked at in a certain way King Charles is actually wearing a pretty on-trend ensemble, up in that portrait.

'Hareem pants' and over-knee boots with a little added hardware, for a start..

Gauntlet gloves:

And I've even seen these detachable lace collars cropping up here and there on vintage-minded people.

And the jacket.. well basically the jacket is rad and can be interpreted however you like. Want satin?

Yeah, these are bedjackets, but you won't get arrested if you wear something how it wasn't intended..

Or just shiny?

OR you could go for the shape, trapezey swing-coats that are in the fifties-sixties Mad Men vogue.

Aaand that's that! Just don't dress this way to go on any political rallies. Okay?

Happy Civil War Starting Day, everyone!