Shoots in the Wardrobe
A butler's attire and an English antique bookcase
About Shoots in the Wardrobe
A wardrobe shoot captures the moments before and after dressing as a story, against the butler's attire and the English antique bookcase kept at Queen's Butler The Studio. While morning coats, tailcoats, top hats and leather shoes are shown as display, the butler protects the attire and the old furnishings and arranges the composition and the movements of the day.
What scenes of dressing can be captured in the wardrobe?
Hands choosing a coat
A scene of dressing captures not only the finished figure, but the moments in between: choosing the attire, reaching for it, the butler checking its line.
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A portrait before the top hat
The top hats are not shut away; some are displayed as decoration.
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The gesture of smoothing white gloves
White gloves are worn for handling silver, hats and the like; they are not something a butler wears at all times.
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The attire and bookcase in full
A wide view of the English antique bookcase, the Chesterfield chair and the display of attire conveys the very place in which dressing takes place.
Read moreHow does a butler's day attire differ from evening attire?
A butler's day attire is a morning coat in black or charcoal, with a white shirt, a plain black long tie, a grey waistcoat and black-and-grey striped trousers. It is never confused with a gentleman's formal dress by pairing it with a silver-grey tie or a bow tie.
For formal evening attire, a black tailcoat is worn with a white wing collar, a white bow tie, white piqué, and plain black trousers with a braid down the side. The dinner jacket, worn with a black bow tie and a black waistcoat or cummerbund, is a modern choice and is not treated as the attire of a nineteenth-century butler.
These principles of attire are the same for lady and gentleman butlers alike. Even where the attire serves only as a background, the butler checks the display and the position of the figure so that no mistaken combination reads as a single outfit. For shoots in which the attire is actually worn, please see the portrait in butler's livery.
See the portrait in butler's livery
What furnishings are in the wardrobe?
| English antique bookcase | 183 cm wide. The legs carry the spiral turned ornament known as barley twist. |
|---|---|
| Barley twist | An ornament recalling the twist of an ear of barley, fashionable in England in the late seventeenth century, the period of the Restoration. |
| Chesterfield chair | Louis XV style, 75 cm wide. A piece in which the English style of chair and French design meet in a single seat. |
| Butler's attire | Morning coats, tailcoats, top hats and leather shoes. Some are displayed as decoration. |
| Character of the frame | The wood of the bookcase, the black attire and the small forms of hats and shoes overlap, so that both full views and close-ups of the hands can be composed. |
| Guidance | The Manor is never let unattended; a butler is in residence to guide the handling of the old furnishings and the attire. |
Should the attire or the furnishings take the leading role?
| Impression to keep | Leading role | Key to the composition |
|---|---|---|
| The tension as dressing begins | A hand reaching for the attire, the collar of a coat, the butler's gesture | Without showing the whole outfit, shoot from a distance at which the movement of the hands can be read |
| A butler's formal dress | The correct combination of morning coat or tailcoat | Never mix day and evening; check tie, waistcoat and trousers as one continuous whole |
| The layered time of the Manor | The English antique bookcase and its barley twist | Place the figure to one side, leaving space that hides neither the spiral legs nor the width of the bookcase |
| A portrait of a single object | One of the top hat, the white gloves or the leather shoes | Rather than many at once, choose a closeness at which material and form can be read |
| The presence of a butler in attendance | A butler standing behind the figure, or hands adjusting the attire | Choose a position that does not obscure the subject's expression yet makes the supporting role clear |
Wearing the attire, the handling of props for the shoot and the sizes available require confirmation in advance. Please tell us your height and your usual clothing size when booking.
In what order does a wardrobe shoot proceed?
Tell us the purpose and numbers
Let us know the purpose you have in mind: a portrait, a pre-wedding shoot, a creative shoot, or dressing before an appearance.
Discuss your wishes for attire
If you wish to wear the Manor's butler's livery, please tell us your height and your usual clothing size.
Share what you will bring
If you have your own attire, hats, shoes, accessories and the like, tell us the kinds and number of items. The butler checks where they may be placed and any effect on the old furnishings.
Check the full view on arrival
The butler bows in welcome and shows you the positions of the bookcase, the chair and the attire. If there is anything you wish moved, please ask the butler rather than touching it yourself.
Shoot from the middle of dressing
Beyond the finished full-length figure, capture the gestures along the way: choosing the attire, looking at its line before the arm goes into the sleeve, arranging the accessories.
What we ask you to tell us
- The scenes you wish to capture: choosing attire, hands at work dressing, full-length formal dress, a portrait against the bookcase, and so on
- The number of people including everyone taking part. The Manor receives up to six
- The height and usual clothing size of anyone wishing to wear butler's livery
- The kinds and number of attire, shoes, hats and accessories you bring yourself
- If you also wish to move through other scenes of the Manor, your priorities and the one picture you must have
What we ask you to note in advance
- Specifying the size or kind of attire before consulting us
- Please refrain from moving the old furnishings or attire on your own
- The Manor is never let unattended. One butler is in residence
- No meals are provided. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink
- On rainy days, conditions including travel and load-in may not be identical; we discuss each shoot individually
The spirals of the bookcase give depth to the background of dressing
Barley twist is a spiral turned ornament that looks like a twisted ear of barley. Fashionable in England in the late seventeenth century, the Restoration period, it lends the Manor's 183 cm English antique bookcase a fine movement in the background quite unlike the straight lines of the attire.
If the bookcase is to take the lead, separate a full view showing its width from the front and a close-up of the spiral legs. If the attire is to take the lead, keep the wood at the edge of the frame and take a distance at which the outline of the black coat does not sink into the background. Knowing the provenance of the furnishings before you shoot leaves layers of time in the photograph, not merely storage.
What the butler watches is the distance from the old pieces and the space in which the figure can move naturally. The direction of a reaching hand, the position of a long hem and where the photographer will step back are checked first, and the next move is arranged so that the gestures of dressing flow unbroken while the furnishings are protected.
See the antiques of the Manor
QWhat is displayed in the wardrobe?
Some of the morning coats, tailcoats, top hats and leather shoes are displayed as decoration. The English antique bookcase and chair are also furnishings that form the background for dressing.
QMay I be photographed wearing butler's livery?
We offer a portrait in butler's livery. As sizes and kinds are limited, please tell us your height and your usual clothing size before booking.
QWhich tie goes with the morning coat?
By day, a butler wears a plain black long tie. Grey or silver-grey ties and bow ties are not used; the coat is paired with a grey waistcoat and black-and-grey striped trousers.
QMay I bring my own attire and shoes?
We ask about them in advance and advise on where to place them and how they are handled. Please tell us the number of items, their size and whether any have a long hem when booking, and refrain from hanging anything on the old furnishings yourself.
QMay the wardrobe be used for changing and hair and make-up?
We advise once we have heard what facilities you need and how you wish to use them. Please tell us in detail when booking about the door, power and the place you wish to use, together with the purpose.
QHow many people may use it?
The Manor receives up to six. Telling us the number including photographers, those wearing the attire and companions makes it easier for the butler to arrange the waiting area and the order of the shoot.
About the attire
- Sizes and styles are limited. Before booking, please tell us your height and usual clothing size
- Please ask about sizes other than those listed
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
You may also wish to read
Costume Hire
The kinds of butler's livery available and the size information needed before booking.
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Green Room for Odaiba Events
Numbers and flow when using the Manor to prepare before an appearance.
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The Morning Coat
The combination and background of the formal dress a butler wears by day.
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From the middle of dressing, into a single story.
Tell us the purpose of the shoot, the number of people, your wishes for attire and what you will bring. The butler confirms the correct attire and the handling of the furnishings, and proposes the order for the day.