Mark Wallis is considered one of the foremost authorities on men’s historical dress working today. After studying Theatre Design and History at UAL and Pittsburgh University he created Past Pleasures Ltd in 1987, the first professional Historical Interpretation company in the UK. With a client list that included Historic Royal Palaces, English Heritage and National Trust, Past Pleasures Ltd held the largest contract in Europe, providing live interpretation on a daily basis at the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. During this period Mark continued to collect historic menswear and accessories, which is thought by the V&A museum to be the largest British collection in private hands.
Mark has worked with Museum staff across Europe as well as the United States, Canada and Australia. He continues to conduct training training workshops on Live Costumed Interpretation as well as consulting on best practice in this field. He continues to lecture on all aspects of Western Historic Clothing and Material Culture, consults on TV and Film, providing original pieces when requested and is currently in the process of writing a book on the social history of mens’ dress 1730 – 1930.
Chalke Valley History Festival
You held your audience in the palm of your hand and your lecture was delivered with your trademark wit and humour, during which I learned a lot!
Curator, Fashioning Masculinities
Extra special thanks are due to Mark Wallis, whose expertise and infectious enthusiasm for historical menswear was essential to the realisation of this project.
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