The Tudors Season 3 - Costume Worn by Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII (detail)

During the production of the television series The Tudors an in-house
costume making workshop was set up to construct approximately 1,500 of
the featured costumes. When Joan Bergin was working on Henry VIII’s look,
in her eyes, Henry was a rockstar, an all powerful King of one of the World’s
greatest nations. All the costume choices for Henry were made keeping this
in mind. As Henry ordered the looting of monasteries to fill the royal coffers,
Bergin has turned to shimmery fabrics, antique lace and exquisite tailoring,
suitable for a man whose enormous appetite has become jaded.
‘Henry VIII was said to be madly in love with Jane Seymour. I wanted the
wedding garments to manifest the general feeling for him of a fresh start.
Hence the
lavish use of cream satin with dazzling amounts of gold embroidery’