Meet the Regency-era fashion-obsessed teen with a wardrobe comprising 300 handmade historical outfits that have taken her 3,000 hours to make.
Eleanor Shendery, 16, from York, Yorkshire, in Northern England, wears floor-length gowns while visiting castles, stately homes, and historical reenactments.
The talented high school student learned sewing from her grandmother, Ann Gill, 79, about eight years ago. At the age of 12, she began making her own dresses.
“People used to say I dressed like something out of Pride and Prejudice,” the A-level student said. “But since Bridgerton came out, everyone thinks my style is really cool.”
Eleanor has always loved history and decided to make an outfit from the Tudor era after her grandmother taught her to sew.
Sharing more about the piece, she said: “It was a brown Tudor gown made from some curtains my parents were throwing away. I made it over the course of two or three days.”
Eleanor believes people should be able to express themselves and a hobby such as hers doesn’t need to be expensive.
She revealed that she reuses pieces of material she finds in charity shops to be as sustainable as possible and spends days on her designs.
“My parents were throwing old clothes, and I wanted to see what I could make of it,” she said. “Some of my mom’s friends have donated some spare fabric lying around.”
Although Eleanor has to wear a uniform at school, she likes to incorporate Edwardian-style blouses and jewelry in her day-to-day style and is spotted wearing a lot of “preppy” skirts and dresses.
“It would be unrealistic to wear my regency costumes all the time,“ she said. ”But I do like to incorporate some of the elements into everyday wear.”
However, when she’s not attending school, she wears flowy blouses and Tudor-style jewelry.
“I’d probably say my fashion is very cottagecore, to be honest,” she said.
Eleanor said she feels “lucky” that she gets lots of compliments for her outfits.
“I think most people really like it—especially since Bridgerton came out—I’ve never met anyone who isn’t supportive,” she said. “Some people think it’s really cool and ask me about it—the response has been quite positive.”
However, she admits that she has been finding it hard to find time for her hobby alongside schoolwork.
“In 2022, I made 75 dresses, in 2023 it was about 30, and this year, I have only made seven so far,” she said. “I definitely need to find the balance, as I do have a sewing room in my house that I need to make use of.”
In addition to wearing her creations, she also has secondhand clothes and uses Vinted—an online marketplace for buying, selling, and exchanging new or secondhand items, mainly clothing and accessories.
She is also a member of a historical dance group and has visited castles across the country in which she flaunts her best dresses.
“I often have people coming up and asking me for photos, thinking I work there,“ she said. ”I’ve received very positive reactions from everyone, people are generally really fascinated.
“Historical costuming has always been around.”
