The reign of James I was marked by the unification of the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland and by the emergence of an empire intent on securing its spheres of power and influence in Europe and beyond. The Stuart monarchs and their consorts used theatrical self-representation as part of the court masques to visualise their claim to leadership and self-image. Through the semiotics of dress and costume elements, a reference space outside the English court is implied within the framework of the court masque festivities and transferred to the performers with the help of the dresses. The costume thus becomes a carrier of meaning, transferring non-European and fictional spaces as well as dynastic references into the context of courtly festive culture and translating them into a complex visual language. While the masques of James I and Anne of Denmark make particular reference to non-European spaces, it is the Neoplatonic ideal that comes to the fore in the staging of the reigns of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. Following basic research, the paper will show which (cultural) spaces are incorporated and transferred through the costume designs and stage sets of the court masques.