1800-1815 ca. Unusual Skirt and Over Gown As Worn In Europe In Jane Austen’s Lifetime. From Holland. Gathered underdress and overdress with short puffed sleeves. via Dutch Museum – Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
The dresses worn in Holland and other parts of Europe were the same style as dresses worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries. Empire waist gown defined women’s fashion during the Regency Era. ‘Empire’ is the name given to the loose gowns adopted by the aristocracy as a symbol of turning away from the fussy, elaborate and expensive clothing worn in the 1700s in France to the period when Napoleon built his French Empire.
1808 Gentleman’s Ball Outfit, French. Long tailcoat, black knee breeches, white stockings, high white cravat, white stockings, black shoes and gloves. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Typical Gentleman’s outfit as worn by men to balls and evening events in Jane Austen’s Times.
From the finish of the 18th century until 1820, men’s fashions in European and European-influenced countries moved away from the formal wear of brocades, lace, wigs and powder to more informal and relaxed styles. Focus was on undress rather than formal dress. Typical menswear in the early 1800s included a tailcoat, a vest or waistcoat, either breeches, pants, or the newer trousers, stockings, shoes or boots, all worn with an overcoat and hat. This basic ensemble was accessorized with some form of neckcloth or cravat, gloves, walking stick, cane or riding crop, handkerchief, fobs, watch and perhaps a quizzing glass or eye glass.
Skirted coats were replaced with short-fronted, or cutaway, tailcoats worn over fitted waistcoats and plain, white linen shirts. Knee breeches were gradually replaced by tight-fitting pantaloons and later trousers, decorative shoes with buckles were replaced with a variety of boot styles, and fussy and ruffled neckwear gave way to intricately tied, white linen neck cloths. A Regency Era, or early 1800s, gentleman was outfitted in more practical fabrics, such as wool, cotton and buckskin rather than the fussy brocades and silks of the late 1700s.
1805-1810 ca. Blue Silk Slippers With Silk Bow and Ribbon Ankle Ties. Woven square pattern and round toes. via Manchester City Galleries, UK.
Shoes in the early 1800s were flat or low heeled and occasionally decorated with a bow or floral embellishments and it wasn’t until the 1820s that square, rather than rounded or pointed toes became fashionable. Made of silk, soft kid or cloth, these delicate shoes were flimsy and wore out quickly. There was often no difference between a left or right shoe, so when one slipper had a hole it was easily replaced. Slippers were often bought in multiples at a time so there were spares.
1820s Woman’s White Cotton and Lace Trimmed Pantalettes with Two Separate Legs. About 1806, French made female form of gentleman’s drawers, pantalettes. During the 19th Century, children wore them but women only wore them for a short time to keep up with French chic. The predecessor of women’s panties appeared about 1806 in the form of drawers like those worn by gentleman. Always the leader in forward chic, the French quickly came up with the female version—pantalettes. While the style persisted throughout the 19th century for children, pantalettes for adult women were only a passing fad. The pantalettes consist of two separate legs attached to a drawstring waistband, leaving the crotch open. The legs are bordered at the bottom with bands of needle run lace. The pantalettes are completely hand stitched and close in back with one mother-of-pearl button. The open edges of the crotch are finished with corded piping. via vintagetextile.com
1855 ca. Napoleon III Grand Tour Influenced Travel Writer’s Box, Or Ecritoire, French. Double inkwell with rear stationery box, Gothic style brass accents and Grand Tour souvenir hand painted eglomise scene, the Palais de l’ Industrie from the 1855 Paris World Exposition! Figured veneers, ebonized edging, feet and pen tray and brass or bronze accents. via 1st Dibs 1stdibs.com
1806 Gentleman’s Daily Outfit, French. Bottle green tailcoat, knee breeches, snowy white cravat, white stockings, flat black shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. French fashions and Georgian and Regency Era fashions from Great Britain were copied around the world. This is the normal daily outfit for a gentleman in the early 1800s, or in the times of Jane Austen, for daily city and country life. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
1818 September 18th Le Palais Royal de Paris. ‘A Peep at the French Monstrosities’. Two English tourists dressed as dandies walk arm-in-arm under the arcade of the Palais Royal, interested in the promenading courtesans. Their dress is rather similar to that of the Englishmen, but the latter wear bell-shaped top-hats, while the Frenchmen have flower-pot shaped hats. By George Cruikshank. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
Easy to read overview of what an older lady did, wore, and how she lived in Jane Austen and Bridgerton’s time. Information for history buffs and pictures for readers and writers of historical fiction. Older Lady’s Day Regency Life Series Book 5 by Suzi Love books2read.com/suziloveOLD
Spencers Or Regency Jackets By Suzi Love. History Notes Book 4. What was fashionable for outer wear in past centuries? Call them what you like: Spencers, short jackets, or Regency jackets were very popular. Take a look at the jackets being worn by women in the early 1800s or the times of Jane Austen. books2read.com/suziloveSpencers
Definition: Spencer – Short, bodice hugging, usually long sleeved, outer jacket. For warmth and for fashion.
Definition Caroline Spencer: Worn during the Directoire and First Empire (1790-1815 C.E.). Spencer with pelerine cape that was made of white kerseymere and trimmed with light blue satin cut on bias.
Spencers were 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.
1819 Gardens of the Tuileries Near the Rue de Rivoli, Paris, France. Woman in a red walking dress, or Redingote, or Pelisse, modeled after British riding dresses and worn with a high white bonnet with feathers, or plumes. The skirt remains fairly narrow and the waist is fairly low, indicating the transition into 1820 styles. In the background are women walking with children. From Illustrations by François Courboin from Octave Uzanne’s Les Modes de Paris.
Variations du goût et de l’esthétique de la femme, 1797-1897, L. Henry May, Paris, 1898, or from the English translation of the same work: Fashion in Paris : the various phases of feminine taste and aesthetics from 1797 to 1897, William Heinemann, London, 1898.
