Preserving our heritage never goes out of fashion

What links Sir Winston Churchill's surprisingly form-fitting velvet onesie, Beatrix Potter's rustic clogs and Queen Victoria's mourning garb? The intriguing trio are among the fascinating costumes, documenting 500 years of British history, that still influence how we dress today - and they're currently all on show at National Trust properties around the country.

Now, ahead of next month's London Fashion Week, the National Trust is inviting us to marvel at our nation's evolving sartorial style in its new book, 100 Things to Wear. Featuring stunning images and historical snippets from the Trust's 40,000-strong garment collection, it includes a "onesie" worn by Churchill, one of the earliest surviving garters of the knightly Order of the Garter, and indigo work trousers that were the forerunner to American blue jeans.

100 Things to Wear, which highlights both luxurious and everyday attire, is written by Emma Slocombe, the National Trust's senior national curator for dress and textiles, and Helen Antrobus, assistant curator. And it features an introduction by Patrick Grant, judge on The Great British Sewing Bee.

Says Emma: "It's an amazing collection spanning 500 years of changing tastes and fashions. The book shares the stories woven into the threads of 100 key pieces from the collection, many for the
first time. What is really special is that we often know who wore the clothes and why."

The book's publication coincides with major exhibitions at National Trust sites, showing off the work of designers, fashion collectors and embroiderers. Exhibitions include Tailoring an Image at Anglesey Abbey, Unflappable at Killerton and Dress to Impress at Polesden Lacey.

Winston Churchill's 'siren suit'

The wartime PM accumulated a vast wardrobe over his long life, but one of his favourite items was a fetching crimson onesie (see above), specially tailored to his specifications by Turnbull & Asser. It might have been comfy to wear sitting in front of the fire, but it was also designed to be warm and quick to pull on, so that he wouldn't be cold or delayed in reaching the air raid shelter during a nocturnal siren.

Where: Chartwell, Kent

Beatrix Potter's favourite shoes

The beloved children's author highlighted her attachment to no-frills footwear (above) in The Fairy Caravan (1929), where she asked if,"Mistress Heelis really ever takes her clogs off? I thought she went to bed in them?" While it is unlikely they were comfortable to sleep in, there is no doubt that the riveted wooden-sole booties were an omnipresent feature of the author's wardrobe. Bought from a bootmaker in nearby Hawkshead, the sturdy shoes reflected both Potter's simple tastes and the need for durability as she tended the beloved animals of the working farm she purchased in 1905.

Where: Hill Top, Cumbria

High-fashion mitts

These luxurious mittens (above), dating to around 1600, are made of silk and velvet, and decorated with gold and silver needle lace, purl and spangles. Probably a high-status gift item, such mittens became a trendy gift after Elizabeth I (1533-1603) received multiple such pairs on royal progress across the country. Unlikely to have been worn regularly, they could have been carried or tucked into a belt, or put on for special occasions. More important than their function was the symbolic embroidery, showing off personifications of Justice and Fortitude, key components of Elizabethan morality, which the owner would have been keen to express.

Where: Dunham Massey, Cheshire

Blueprint for blue jeans

Before James Dean made denim a fashion staple, all sorts of fabrics dyed with indigo were used as workwear trousers from the 18th century onwards. One pair of proto-jeans (above), made of moisture-licking linen to keep the legs cool, was probably used by an agricultural worker toiling in the fields during the summer months. Repeatedly patched, and a rare survival which avoided the rag and bone man, these trousers were collected by Charles Paget Wade (1883-1956) and could have originated from his estate in the Caribbean.

Where: Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire

Upcycled waistcoat

During the harsh winter of 1914, patriotic volunteers formed the Ladies' Territorial Committee to make waistcoats (above) out of old pairs of leather gloves to keep soldiers warm. The finger stitching, or points, was clear to see all over the garment. Their 900th waistcoat was highlighted by a tiny mark. It was cherished by Navy signaller Harrie Joseph, who passed it on to his daughter Lorna, who wore it when war struck again in 1939 and she was called upon for fire-watch duty.

Where: Hatchlands Park, Surrey

Mourning monarch

Although it only represents one chapter of her long life, Queen Victoria's black dresses (above) - worn to mourn her beloved Prince Albert - have come to represent her, even though she embraced colourful fashions in her youth. This day dress was probably made by Martha Dudley and is similar to the one worn in photographs celebrating her Golden (1887) and Diamond (1897) jubilees. Befitting a queen, it is made of luxurious silks. With a 60cm long bodice and 78cm long skirt, it was designed for comfort and convenience, with a patch pocket standing in for a handbag and a raised hem aiding the Queen when walking or in her famous pony-drawn bath chair.

Where: Killerton, Devon

Knight in shining garter

Garter belts helped keep men's hose, or stockings, in place before the invention of elastic. Shown, above, is the earliest surviving example of the Order of the Garter, given to Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) when he was made a knight by Henry VII. It features original metalwork, though the textile is a replica made in the 1700s, and a motto embroidered in silver-gilt thread: "hony coyt quy mal y pence" (shame be to him who thinks evil of it).

Where: Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire

Massive mantua

Popular with high society in the 18th century, the mantua (above) was a type of gown with a fitted bodice and huge train worn over a supported hoop petticoat. This extra wide mantua, however, might have made it tricky for the wearer to pass through doorways. Designed to show off the width of the expensive handwoven silk, it features floral bouquets against stripes and golden meanders. It was made for Ann Bangham, the wife of Lord Mayor of London Thomas Harley (1730-1804) and was meticulously reconstructed by National Trust conservators after being discovered at auction.

Where: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire

Bernard Shaw's philosophical suit

A DEVOTEE of the new and innovative, playwright George Bernard Shaw's (1856-1950) wardrobe reflected his progressive tastes and sometimes idiosyncratic beliefs. His casual but stylish three-piece-suit, tailored by Askew and Co of Savile Row, reveals his enthusiasm for the now-forgotten rational dress movement, which encouraged wearers to embrace practicality over stifling Victorian trends. It has a looser cut and large pockets, but Shaw surprisingly also wanted his woollen suits to make him sweat, since he felt perspiration allowed his "body to breathe".

Where: Shaw's Corner, Hertfordshire

Enlivened uniform

The Marquess of Londonderry might have had the nattiest coterie of servants and attendants, if this footman's get-up (above) is anything to go by. The state livery was worn at the coronation of George VI on May 12, 1937, and shows a suit design largely unchanged since the 18th century. It features a cutaway tailcoat and plush yellow knee-breeches worn above pink stockings and patent-leather buckled pumps. Footman Arthur Inch, whose name is inked in the tailcoat, described the coronation as the highlight of his career.

Where: Mount Stewart, County Down

Dazzling damask

Silk waistcoats (above) were big in high-end fashion in the 18th century, with the yellow shade signalling a burgeoning interest in China. While waistcoats are relatively unpopular these days, they were a key part of a self-respecting gentleman's outfit in days past, with the coat always left open to keep it on display. Silver needle lace creates a dazzling Rococo pattern, which twinkles in candlelight. It is believed by specialists to have been so dazzling that it was likely worn at court.

Where: Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire

Flirtatious fans

Romantic and flirtatious themes dominated 18th-century fans, which were themselves considered a highly desirable fashionable accessory at the time. The elegant design (above), drawn in gouache paint over parchment, details a woman disturbed at her toilette by a male admirer. Tiny cupids surround them. The fan is said to have been a present from the French King Louis XV (1710-74) to his granddaughter-in-law Marie Antoinette (1755-93). Its romantic design extends to a dancing couple on its mother-of-pearl sticks.

Where: Ickworth Estate, Suffolk

• 100 Things to Wear is available to buy from the National Trust online shop, web retailers, NT shops and all good booksellers from September 4.