1800 ca. Tan Corduroy Breeches. Drop down front flap, or ‘fall’, with two buttons, three silver metal buttons at the waistband, watch pocket, corner pockets with buttons, pieced back with waist tie, saggy back with extra fabric to allow for easier movement when riding or sitting, four buttons and silk ties at knee. via Whitaker Auction whitakerauction.smugmug.com
These are the sort of breeches that Jane Austen’s male contemporaries would have worn.
19th Century Set of Damascened Calligrapher’s Tools, Turkey. via Sotheby’s Auctions. sothebys.com
books2read.com/SuziLoveWritingTools
Easy to read view of what a young gentleman did, wore, and lived in Jane Austen’s times, or the early 1800s or Regency Era. Young Gentleman’s Day Regency Life Series Book 2 by Suzi Love. #RegencyEra #amwriting #JaneAusten books2read.com/suziloveYGD
1807 Gentleman’s Blue Tailcoat, French. White breeches, black boots topped with large tan strip, black hat and a cane. 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 what men wore in the times of Jane Austen for city and country life.
1807 Game of Billiards By Louis Leopold Boilly, French. Ladies playing billiards as they did in Jane Austen’s time. via Heritage Museum, Russia ~ heritagemuseum.org
1814 Long Dark Green Coat, Or Redingote, French. Horizontal front pockets, high white cravat, black top hat and high black boots. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
Definition Redingote Or Coat: French word developed from English words, riding coat. Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. Originally made with several capes and trimmed with large buttons. For women, the coat was often cut away in the front or left open to show off the dress underneath. French fashion plates call these coats Redingotes and they were worn by men, women, and children. English fashion plates call the coats a Pelisse, a walking dress, Promenade dress, or Carriage dress.
1805 Jane Austen Style White Morning Dress, French. White tunic over the dress, pink shawl with paisley patterned ends, white cap tied under her chin and slippers. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. This flowing white dress show the transition from the round dresses of the late 1700s to the Empire style dresses with the waistline high under the bust. Small trains were still worn in the early 1800s, but much more manageable than the larger and more elaborate trains of the late 1700s. Jane Austen and her friends would have worn dresses like this when at home with the family or close friends. It’s easy to picture Jane Austen wearing a dress like this while writing her manuscripts.
Definition Cashmere Shawl: Extremely fine, soft, handwoven shawl. Two-ply yarn in warp, single yarn in filling. May be embroidered, with pattern appearing on both sides, or woven in one or more colors. French shawl is woven in multicolored designs on jacquard loom with designs showing only on one side. Presumably originating in Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. These sort of cashmere shawls were a much-prized fashion accessory for all ladies who could afford them. Jane Austen and her family and friends would have been extremely fortunate to either buy one or have one gifted to them.
Definition Morning Dress: Worn either at home, out shopping, or for walking in the park or country. Presentable but not overly accessorized. Often a round gown where the bodice and skirt were made from one piece of material. Usually with a high-neck and long sleeves and made from sprigged or plain muslin, cotton, or wool.
1817 Couple, French. Lady: Blue satin Spencer over a white dress with puffed trimming around hem, pink bonnet, white ruff and tucker. Man: Long green Redingote, or overcoat, in the English style. Long brown trousers, striped waistcoat or vest, top hat, gloves and boots. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Definition Redingote Or Coat Or Pelisse: Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. French word developed from English words, riding coat. French fashion plates call these coats a Redingote and English plates call them a Pelisse, Or Walking Dress, or Carriage Costume. These are the types of outfits worn by Jane Austen and contemporaries in English magazines, where French fashions were obsessively copied despite the two countries being at war for many years.
This same Fashion Plate is seen below for the gentleman.
1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk. The type of hats worn by the men in Jane Austen’s family around the turn of the century.
Definition: Bicorn Or Bicorne: Two cornered, or pointed, hats often worn by military men because the rain would drain off either side of the hat and away from the body. They could also be easily flattened to carry under arm.
