Category: clothing and fashion
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Cleanliness is Next to Modern-ness
Good morrow, dear readers. Many of my American readers are likely awakening from their turkey comas; my family is struggling with our lasagne coma. (Yes, we have lasagne for Thanksgiving dinner.) However, I hope every one of my dear readers enjoyed Netherfield Ball Day (otherwise known as November 26th to the non-Austen-enlightened world)! Balls in Georgian England must have been very different from…
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Pull Out Your Cloaks and Coats
The time of the year has come to pull out the cloak, coat, pelisse, wraps, and spencers. At least, it is for those of us who live in climates that have winter from November/December to March/April and have frosted fields, snow on the ground for months on end, and the weather can remain at freezing…
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Hair Dyes and Other Cosmetics in the Regency
When I was younger, though my hair was blonde, I would upon occasion use a mixture of Ivory Flakes™ (powdered detergent), peroxide, and bleach. Yes, as in Clorox™. If bleach was good enough for Jean Harlow, it was good enough for the generations that followed her. The bleach was hard on the hair, but the…
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Pride, Prejudice, and the Royal Ascot
I just watched the final Downton Abbey movie this weekend. I won’t give a movie review here (unless someone asks!!), but I was struck by one scene in particular: the whole family attending the Royal Ascot races together. I was already vaguely familiar with the famous races, but wow! The crowds, the clothes, the elegance!…
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What Did Jane Austen Look Like?
What did Jane Austen look like? No one really knows. Which is to say: We know fairly precisely her size and shape, but only a little of what her face looks like. A forensic analysis done by clothing expert Hilary Davidson in 2015 details Austen’s figure. Davidson has since written books on Austen and Regency…
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Stitches in Time
Good morrow, dear readers! How are you this fine September morn? This week, we shall address what I learned of clothing during our time with the Amish and how that pertains to life in the Regency period. One of my biggest pet peeves with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation is their choice to deem…
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How the Regency era changed women’s garments
The Regency era, while famous in popular culture for its genteel ways, was a period of immense social and political upheaval, and women’s fashion served as a clear reflection of these signs of times. Moving away from the rigid, opulent styles of previous decades, a new, more natural silhouette emerged, heavily influenced by both foreign…
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Another Stroll Through Bath’s Pleasure Gardens
In the middle of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, many places in England—and especially Bath—have been awash in celebrations. I was unable to attend, but the busyness of the town, as related by residents and tourists, caused me to revisit and re-enjoy my own travels there a few years back.…
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Young Children’s Clothing in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Before the 20th Century, clothing for boys and girls lacked “gender” distinctions. Up until the 16th Century, both males and females worn some sort of gown or tunic. However, eventually, male and female clothing became more distinct. Boys and girls in the past both wore “gowns.” Many pictures, especially as photography developed after 1840, show…