Winner of 'History Book of the Year' in Scotland's National Book Awards 2021

The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture is delighted to announce that Professor Maria Hayward's latest book has been awarded Scottish History Book of the Year.

The book, Style: Monarchy, Dress and the Scottish Male Elite (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2020), was recognised by Scotland's National Book Awards, organized by the Saltire Society.

Maria tells us about the book here:

Focusing on the years 1566 to 1701, Stuart Style, explores the clothing choices of five Stuart men: James VI and I, prince Henry, Charles I, Charles II and James II and VII.

Their influence on 17th century fashion is considered in relation to the significance of the Stuart's Scottish heritage in the style they developed, the role of Scots in exporting their style to London and beyond and the reception of Stuart style amongst the Scottish male elite.

From start to finish, Stuart Style, took a number of years and end result is very different from what I had planned. The key point in its development was a visit to the National Records of Scotland and the wonderful sources I found there led to a complete reworking of my approach.

The result was a book that reinserted the Scots into the seventeenth century fashion narrative and celebrated Scotland's rich dress and textile history.

And this is what the judges said:

Delightfully produced, a book that in a highly original way - through the prism of dress and jewellery - complements what we know of the Stuart kings during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Superbly – and aptly - illustrated and clearly written, the author demonstrates the ways in which the Stuart monarchs' and their Scottish courtiers' clothing styles and designs influenced elite fashion in both England and Scotland.