1816 June Bridal Dress, English A frock of striped French gauze over a white satin slip: the bottom of the frock is superbly trimmed with a deep flounce of Brussels lace, which is surmounted by a single tuck of byas white satin and a wreath of roses; above the wreath are two tucks of byas white satin. We refer our readers to our print for the form of the body and sleeve: it is singularly novel and tasteful, but we are forbidden either to describe it, or to mention the materials of which it is composed. The hair is dressed low at the side, and parted so as to entirely display the forehead: it is ornamented with an elegant aigrette of pearls in front, and a spring of French roses placed nearly at the back of the head. Necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets of pearl. White kid gloves, and white satin slippers. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
1815-1818 ca. Morning Dress, British. Typical Regency Era Day Dress. Very simple printed cotton dress with long sleeves and a very high waist. This is the typical Empire style, or high-waisted dress made of printed cotton that Jane Austen and her female friends and family would wear during a normal day. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1815-1818 ca. Morning Dress, British. Front View.1815-1818 ca. Morning Dress, British. Back View. 1815-1818 ca. Typical Regency Era Printed Cotton Day Dress. #Regency #Fashion #JaneAusten
Here is an example of when English magazines copied French fashion plates.
1815 December Left: French fashion plate Ensembles French and English via Journal des Dames et des Modes. White short length ball dress with tiny bodice.
Right: English fashion plate by Rudolph Ackermann in the Repository Of arts. Blue sarsnet Pelisse, or Walking dress, or Redingote. Decorated with white lace trim on neck, vertical front, and hem. Carrying red shawl and with high plumed bonnet.
1815 December Blue Walking Dress, English. Blue twilled sarsnet pelisse, or Redingote, with ribbon bows adorning the front. Decorated with white lace trim on neck, vertical front, and a border of leaves on the hem. Slashed sleeves at shoulders and wrists plus an elaborate collar would have been time consuming to make. Carrying a red shawl and with a high bonnet with a white plume, or feather. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
1815 December Blue Walking Dress, English. Decorated with white lace trim on neck, vertical front, and hem. Carrying red shawl and with high plumed bonnet. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
Below is the French version of this pelisse but with a lady in a ball dress. Possibly another example of the English magazines ‘copying’ French designs.
1815 Ensembles French and English. White short length ball dress with tiny bodice and sleeves. Blue sarsnet Redingote, or pelisse, decorated with white lace trim and border of leaves, slashed sleeves at shoulders and wrists, elaborate collar, red shawl, high bonnet with white plume, or feather. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1818 May ‘Beau’s of 1818’ By George Cruikshank. Two Dandies shake hands while third watches. All wearing bell-shaped top-hats, extra high collars, short waists, long spurs and yellow gloves. One with moustache wears wide and short white trousers, one wears top-boots and riding-breeches and has monocle in his eye and third has very full trousers gathered above ankle. These are the sort of outfits that the Bridgerton men and Jane Austen’s male contemporaries would have worn. Hand colored etching. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
1817 October. White Promenade Dress, English. High dress of jaconet muslin richly embroidered around the hem, body composed entirely of work, Long sleeve, finished down the arm in front by bouillons of lace. Charlotte Spencer of blue satin, tight fitting and short waist, wide sleeve ornamented at wrist and shoulder, elegant trimming and disposed in so tasteful manner to give the appearance of perfect novelty. Bonnet, a la Ninon, of the same material, cut in small squares, edged with white satin, turned over at the ends, very large front displays the front hair which is braided across the forehead, edged with puffed gauze, disposed in points, and confined by a narrow fold of white satin, sprig of acacia on left side and finished by white satin strings. French ruff and ruffles of rich lace. Blue or white kid shoes and gloves.
We have again to acknowledge our obligations to Miss M’Donald of 29, Great Russel Street, Bedford Square, for our dresses this month. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
1817 Dandy In Blue Tailcoat, French. White breeches tucked into black boots with tan leather high tops, fob at waist, high white cravat, red waistcoat, black top hat and walking stick. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
Dandy: The author of The Hermit in London, a series of sketches published in 1819—1820 observed: ‘A distinguished Exquisite is padded all over to-day; and all the other foplings are, on the morrow, mere walking pin-cushions. A fat prince, or a fat dandy, requires confinement in his limbs; and all his subjects are immediately restrained within the same limits. One day, the back is to be as broad as an Irish chairman’s, and the shoulders to be bolstered up to imitate a hod-man; and the next, the shoulders are to be flat, and a man is to be pinched in and laced up until he resembles an earwig. All these are Master Snip’s maneuvers, who continues to make his bill equally long, whether the spencer or the box-coat be in vogue.
Beau Brummell was one of the most celebrated dandies of all time. Cartoonists ridiculed these high-in-the-instep gentlemen who wore the most fashionable clothes and set the fashion trends for the Regency years, the years when Jane Austen was writing her famous novels and the years when the Bridgerton series is set.
1816 July Opera Dress, English. Dress of white lace worn over a rich soft white satin slip. Skirt trimmed in a style of peculiar elegance, with lace festooned at regular distances, festoons edged by plain band of byas satin and finished by pearl ornaments of a very novel and pretty shape. Lace body is cut byas and richly ornamented round the bosom with pointed lace. Plain long sleeve, very full, except towards the wrist, which is nearly tight to the arm, and elegantly finished with lace. Hair ornamented with a wreath of French roses, parted in front, and simply dressed in loose curls, which fall very low on each side. Hind hair forms a tuft at the back of the head. Necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets of pearl. White satin slippers, and white kid gloves and a blush colored French silk scarf. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
Gorgeous Regency Era clothing came in a wide range of styles to suit every season and occasion. Ladies in the Bridgerton series and in Jane Austen’s times wore Empire style dresses which were usually made of light fabric and floaty in style. By the later 1810s, stripes were very popular and lace and frills were added to make the dress more individual.
19th Century Early Reticule, Or Bag, New England, England or U.S.A. Septagonal, or four sided, with embroidery and silk tassels. White satin embroidered with polychrome silks, silver threads, silver sequins. On front, in center of wreath of roses tied with blue bow, is written VALUE THE TRIFLE. On back, in similar wreath, is FRIENDSHIP. On sides are floral motifs, one of sweetpeas and the other of pansies. On all sides a border of silver threads in chain motif entwined with curling brown vine. Primarily worked in satin stitch. Thirteen silk tassels attached. White ribbon ties. via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, U.S.A. mfa.org
Definition Reticule Or Ridicule Or Bag or Purse: Often with a drawstring to pull closed and usually made of cloth or covered cardboard and often decorated with beading or embroidery. A reticule, or purse, or handbag, was usually carried by a woman during the Regency period to carry all their daily necessities. Earlier, women used pockets that tied at the waistline and were hidden in the folds of their skirts. Empire style, or early 1800s, high-waisted dresses made it impossible to either sewn in a pocket or to tie on a pocket. So women began carrying small, decorated bags called Reticules, or ridicules, which generally pulled close at the top with a drawstring.
1820 ca. Silk Spencer, British. Made of silk and willow. Short length, long sleeves, extensive decoration on shoulders, sleeves and wrists. Military style braiding on the spencer in support of all the soldiers fighting wars across the world. The sort of jacket worn by fashionable Regency ladies over their light and flowing Empire dresses. Credit Line:Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 1987 via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
Definition Spencer: Short jackets cut to match the high waistlines of Empire dresses. They often copied military styling, such as braiding, shoulder decoration, buttons and loop fasteners, and wrist adornments. They were generally of complex construction, often with a diamond shaped piece in the back. Said to have originated in an accident to Lord Spencer while hunting when his coat tails were torn off and he wore it as a short jacket.
1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Front View.1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Back View. 1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Sleeve View. 1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Sleeve Decoration View. 1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Braiding View. 1820 ca. Spencer, British. Silk and willow. Wrist View.
1820 ca. Military Style Silk Spencer With Braiding In the Style of the Bridgertons and Jane Austen. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #BritishHistory books2read.com/suziloveSpencers
HN_4_Spencers, Or Jackets. #Regency #Georgian #Victorian #Fashion History Notes Book 4 By Suzi Love.
1815 Pink Dress, French. Cashmere dress with white underdress showing the sleeves, decorated hem, turban of tulle and satin, diamond pointed hem, slippers and shawl. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1815-1819
Definition Aigret, aigrette, egret: Plume of feathers or jeweled ornament in shape of feathers worn on head or hats. During the early 19th century., or Jane Austen’s lifetime, the favorite feathers were osprey and heron.
Definition Empire Style: Named after the First Empire in France, by 1800 Empire dresses had a very low décolleté, or neckline and a short narrow backed bodice attached to a separate skirt. Skirts started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. This style of dress is associated with Jane Austen and her contemporaries as a simple cotton high-waisted dress was worn most days and accessorized according to the importance of the occasion.
